The first taco stands I patronized  were the ones around Sears on 800 South State Street, close to downtown.  The tacos I ate at those stands changed my thinking about Mexican food, and about eating out in Salt Lake.  Here was genuine street food, in a city that had had none before.  Competition between stands kept prices low (usually 2 tacos for 1 dollar) and the flavors were simple but phenomenal: roasted meat, fresh corn tortillas, chopped vegetables, fiery salsa, and tiny lime halves.  Sears has a low wall around its parking lot that is the perfect height for sitting with tacos and a Slurpee from the Seven-11 a block away, watching the mix of people patronizing the stands.  I found my favorite, Tacos Don Rafa, and patronized it faithfully. 

In the years since, my work has taken me from downtown to West Valley, where Mexican street food is in full flower.  Around my favorite intersection of 3500 South and Redwood Road, there isa taco cart on almost every block.  As any free-market conservative will explain, this kind of competition benefits the consumer (in this case, me).   In addition to offering a cheap, tasty lunch, some stands are differentiating themselves with regional food beyond the standard tacos, burritos, and quesedillas.  Last week, I enjoyed cemitas.  Today for the first time, I ate sopes.

Tacos el Jaripeo is parked in the lot of a downscale strip-mall on the west side of 1850 South Redwood Road.  It's a good-looking operation, a bright white trailer staffed by three people. awnings offer a bit of shade, and the cooking area is visible through a glass partition.  If I interpret their sign correctly, they invite us to try the typical dishes of Oaxaca and Mexico, and they're open from Monday to Sunday (also, th address on the sign is different fom the actual location of the cart)

A sope is a small cake of corn masa, thicker than a tortilla, that is cooked on the griddle until is is crisp on the outside and still soft in the middle.  While it is still hot, it is formed by hand into a shallow bowl, and filled with refried beans, and meat, and topped with onion, lettuce, crema fresca, and salsa. 

I ordered two sopes, one with chicken, one with pork al pastor, and tok a lemon-lime Jaritos from the large cooler.  As with any cart worth its salt, no one paid attention to me taking the drink, or asked for any money.  Proper form is to pay after eating and tell them what drink you took.  Since the sopes are made on the spot, the preparation took a little longer than tacos, but eventually I was handed a  plate. 



The sopes were much harder to eat standing up or sitting on a curb than tacos, but very worthwhile.  They were hard to pick up and too big to bite into once I did,  but they had the intense corn flavor and smooth texture of tamales, but with a crisp, slightly tough crust from cooking.   Corn (and the oil and syrup made from it) has become ubiquitous in our food, and often recedes into the background.  But the pure flavor of corn is one of the most satisfying tastes I can imagine.  With the spice and grease of the beans meat and salsa, and the coolnes of lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream, I had no problem cleaning them up with the fork.

When I returned to the cart to pay for my food, I complimented the cashier on the meal, and told her I'd be back.  She told me the hours, every day from 11 a.m to 11 p.m.  I said, "I hope you're not here working that whole time."

She replied, "No, I only work six days."

More pictures of el Jaripeo are here.  I googled Jaripeo, which translates as "horse show."he best description was embedded in the Wikipedia article, "Regional Styles of Mexican Music."  It says, "Jaripeos are popular local musical bullriding events featuring young bullriders, a 12+ piece brass band, cattle hands, rodeo announcer, dancing, clowns, families, kids, village officials, and drunks."  I want to go.