JAKE DE PAUL: NOW THAT'S A TACO >>>

I suspect most Americans’ first taco encounter happens at Taco Bell. I should make it clear that I’m not a staunch supporter of Taco Bell â€" or as I think of it, Taco Hell â€" probably having something to do with the unfortunate fact that I grew up with Chihuahuas as family pets. Taco Bell should make tacos from those little beasts.

I’m not a fan of hard, crunchy corn taco shells filled with tasteless ground beef topped with tasteless shredded iceberg lettuce, tasteless yellow cheese and tasteless tomatoes.  They usually explode all over the front of my shirt the minute they hit my mouth. Premature tacolation.

Thankfully, we have a couple Tacos Guaymas in the area. Tacos Guaymas has changed my way of thinking about tacos permanently. No hard taco shell. No lettuce. No ground beef. No cheese.  In fact, there was nothing at all to resemble a classic American taco. Thank goodness.

Instead, I was given two authentic Mexican tacos. Each consisted of small morsels of charcoal-grilled beef topped with cilantro-rich pico de gallo and salsa, encased in a double wrapping of soft, warm, fresh white corn tortillas about the width of a softball.  The tacos are $1.95 each. The fish and tongue tacos are $2.50. Once you’ve had the real deal, you’ll never go back.

Happily, it’s not difficult to get these real tacos in Tacoma.  Tacos Guaymas is at 10105 S. Tacoma Way next to the Great American Casino in Lakewood and at 2630 S. 38th St. by Borders Books in Tacoma.

LINK: South Sound Mexican joints