Let me start with a confession: I have watched a friend with celiac disease spend ten minutes at a Chipotle counter, asking question after question, only to finally order a bowl with such careful precision that the employee assembling it looked genuinely nervous. Watching that process made me realize something—Chipotle’s much-lauded customization isn’t just about…
I’ll admit something that might offend Chipotle purists: for a long time, I found carnitas boring. In a lineup of proteins that includes the smoky kick of barbacoa and the grilled reliability of chicken, shredded pork just seemed… there. It didn’t have the deep, complex spice of the beef, nor the lean protein density of…
I remember the exact moment I stopped overlooking barbacoa. For years, I was a chicken loyalist—predictable, safe, and efficient. Then a friend, a self-proclaimed Chipotle connoisseur, ordered three tacos with a meat I’d always ignored. “Barbacoa,” he said, “is what Chipotle does best.” I was skeptical. Shredded beef always seemed like it belonged more on…