Top 10 Needed Commodities of the Island...

I don't get this TB mania. You can make better tacos at home so easily. Burritos, too. And all the ingredients are readily available on island. Avocadoes are so plentiful, you can make tons of fresh guacamole. Now more authentic Mexican food is another story.

I don't get this TB mania. You can make better tacos at home so easily. Burritos, too. And all the ingredients are readily available on island. Avocadoes are so plentiful, you can make tons of fresh guacamole. Now more authentic Mexican food is another story.

For many of us, it's just that we far prefer it to McDonald's, etc. and if we can have several of those on the island, why can't we have even ONE Taco Bell? TB is the same company as KFC and Pizza Hut and we have both of those, too, neither of which I want to eat at.

I know we're never going to have a really, really good Mexican food restaurant here, so figure TB is the one realistic thing to ask for.

I'm guessing you live on stt if avocadoes are always plentiful. Couple of weeks ago I went to five store looking for some, wouldn't normally go to those extremes but it was a dinner party. On Stx I never know if plaza, pueblo or any of them will have them and if they do they may be a week or two away from being ripe. But that is usually the only hard to find ingredient when making Mexican.

As Alexandra said, taco bell is not about being Mexican, I never even ate at one until I went away to College, it's addictive fast food. It's a treat much like donuts or anything else bad for you. Before we left the states, we probably ate it maybe 3 times a year, tops. But now it's one of the fist places we hit when we go home. On top of A LOT of Mexican and Sushi.

maybe we just need a good mexican restaurant?

It doesn't have to be a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts to make good donuts -- just a baker with the right attitude -- and maybe croissants too!

It doesn't have to be a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin Donuts to make good donuts -- just a baker with the right attitude -- and maybe croissants too!

The Pastry Hut on Centerline out west has amazing bakery goods, including donuts, very similar to Krispy Kreme. It's a great place. They also have fried chicken (OK, but not great) and a limited selection of health foods and products, plus the best bush tea!

They make wonderful cakes, but you can't order in advance. Also, they are closed on Saturday (7 Day Adventist), but open on Sunday.

AMEN!!! exitzero

That's exactly why I'd like a Chipotle on this island and think it would do well. See for yourself if you haven't experienced one: http://www.chipotle.com/en-US/fwi/fwi.aspx

It's also why In-N-Out burgers are so popular on the West Coast (and they don't even have freezers, microwaves, or heat lamps in their restaurants): http://www.in-n-out.com/freshness.asp

Neil - Exactly! When was the last time you ate at a restaurant where the food prepared didn't include anything that had been canned, dried, pickled or otherwise processed and artificially preserved before being used as an ingredient? I'd say that experience was pretty rare. Go into any commercial kitchen and you will find all kinds of processed items used in their menus, whether as seasonings, thickening agents, etc. Even basic things like rice are treated to prolong shelf life and prevent rot. Fruits and veggies are often sprayed with chemicals while growing and then protective coatings prior to shipping. Meats are treated with antibiotics and growth hormones. I hardly object to a little "filler" that is probably grain byproducts given all the other processed additives that have become the norm in the food industry.

Given the choice between Taco Bell and many of the restaurants on this island... I'd choose Taco Bell more often than not. Although if I could eat at Bacchus for the same price, they'd win every time. lol

Here's a follow up to the Taco Bell lawsuit comment.

Imagine ordering: "I'd like a taco meat filling burrito please"
Taco Bell "meat" is 64% filler and binder

Taco Bell is horrible gut rot. Chipolte and Qdoba style joints that prepare the meal in front of you is the way to go. At least you can see that they have nothing to hide.

Dear Chefy.... Which of these natural ingredients are you defining as "horrible gut rot" ??

Beef, water, isolated oat product, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, tomato powder, oats (wheat), soy lecithin, sugar, spices, maltodextrin (a polysaccharide that is absorbed as glucose), soybean oil (anti-dusting agent), garlic powder, autolyzed yeast extract, citric acid, caramel color, cocoa powder, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent), natural flavors, yeast, modified corn starch, natural smoke flavor, salt, sodium phosphate, less than 2% of beef broth, potassium phosphate, and potassium lactate.

Let's not all pretend to be surprised that our processed foods aren't "whole" foods.

Well I'd prefer to see: Ground beef, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic, diced onion, salt, pepper

I realize that convenience and consistency is vital for Taco Hell but it's unfortunate that fast food places don't actually cook anything anymore. Warm it up, cut open, dump into trough and serve.

I was referring to the whole Taco Bell experience as horrible gut rot, not just the filling. I actually like the simple beef tacos, but some of their Grilled stuft burritos or 7 layer burritos are just overkill. I'm sure everybody is getting hungry reading this.

Taco Bell
Taco Bell’s website didn’t have much emphasis on health. Under the nutrition guide, at the bottom, was a link to Keep it Balanced, a token nod to health. It had no serious information on how to really eat healthy. They recommend foods like pizza and tacos (no surprise) because they may include ingredients from several food groups at once. Including several food groups does not necessarily mean it’s a healthy food.

The seasoned beef, carne asada steak, spicy shredded chicken and even the rice all include autolyzed yeast extract (hidden MSG). Disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate are flavor enhancers used in synergy with MSG. Therefore, menu items with disodium inosinate and/or disodium guanylate also contain MSG. This includes the avocado ranch dressing, southwest chicken, citrus salsa, creamy jalapeno sauce, creamy lime sauce, lime seasoned red strips, pepper jack sauce and seasoned rice.

According to Wikipedia, dimethylpolysiloxane is optically clear, and is generally considered to be inert, non-toxic, and non-flammable. It is used in silicone caulk, adhesives and as an anti-foaming agent. Appetizingly enough, it’s also included in Taco Bell’s rice.

We all know Taco Bell is not good for us. I don't think anyone lives under that delusion unless they are delusional.

re: "dimethylpolysiloxane"

According to Clark Griswold:

It is an antifoaming agent for use in processing foods in amounts reasonably required to inhibit foaming. It is an antifoaming agent which is used in fats and oils. It prevents foaming and spattering when oils are heated and prevents foam formation during the manufacture of wine, refined sugar, gelatin, and chewing gum, molasses, soft drinks, sugar distillation, skimmed milk, wine fermentation, syrups, soups, rendered fats, and curing solutions.

Care should therefore be exercised not to eat a Chalupa while drinking rum and chewing gum at the same time. 🙂

All I know was when I was stateside I went to taco bell as it was near where I was staying. I got a taco with lettuce and tomato fresher than what I can find on STX, a big burrito with steak, a quesadilla looking thing with chicken, and cinnamon twist dessert things that were awesome with a 20oz+ drink for $5. I was full, my wallet was too, and I didn't get sick from it, in fact I enjoyed the hell out of it and I didn't gain a pound as I'm generally very healthy (gym etc.).

The ingredients to make the equivelent amount of food on St. Croix would've cost around $20.

I echo comments about Chipotle and a "good mexican restaurant."

Sean

maybe we just need a good mexican restaurant?

I miss eating every Tuesday night at El Papagayo that used to be a Tillets 🙁

Googles.... what is this? Is this restaraunt still around, and does it have decent Mexican?

El Papa Gayo

Schooner Bay Market has excellent croissants.

How about rental housing that people don't have to work 2-3 jobs to afford? I know most people on this board are middle to upper-middle class, but that's not really reflective of the general population of the territory. Most people in the VI are struggling pretty hard just to pay the rent, and that's before even looking at WAPA. That's why I had to come back to the states--I just couldn't afford it.

Affordable Rental Housing is not a Commodity! There is no Middle Class in the USVI, only Poor, Working Poor, lower upper class, Rich!

Most of us seem to miss some sort of food.

Hmmmmm....interesting. I thought long and hard about this, and came up blank.

Things that crossed my mind, though:

* Tire recycling...maybe turn those used tires into rubber tiles, rubber mulch, etc
* Scrap metal plant...whatever are we going to do with all of the decrepit SUV's in a few years...use tham as planters?

I guess I think mostly in terms of waste removal. Think about it, all the trash that has ever been created on St. Croix is still here.

Heck, we even have trash that was NOt created here, like "poorthang" for example.

We don't need Taco Bells, WalMart (ChinaMart), Starbucks, etc. People who complain about the economy and then go shop at WalMart are braindead and without redemption, and if you tell them so they will want to kill you. They will support, to the last breath, the outsourcing of American middle class manufacturing jobs to China...when was the last time you bought something that was "Made In America"?

Don't get me started.

Affordable Rental Housing is not a Commodity! There is no Middle Class in the USVI, only Poor, Working Poor, lower upper class, Rich!

...and the Poor and working Poor want a WalMart and a Target and a CostCo so that they can continue to contribute to the huge trade deficit with China which is helping to keep them from becoming lower upper class or Rich.

Amazing how well the system works.

I had to respond- you do not want a Walmart . I lived in PR at the time the first Walmart moved in. What it did to the small business community in a very short amount of time was horrible. I never thought of myself as someone who would not want a certain business to start up or move into my area but after living with the change first hand it is not worth the cheep prices. The fact that these things are not in STX is one of the reasons I bought a house here. I am worried enough about Home Depot.

Great to know about CVS. But I agree with STJ- I moved here because those things are not!

are you serious???
My husband is provides security as his career.....
Hmmmmmm

Taco bell
Hobo stab insurance.

Nobody missed having Trader Joes, that is number one on my list, second is recycling, we recycle cans and I only buy cans now! 3rd would be CVS or Target. otherwise forget everyone else, Nordstrom and LandsEnd delivers!!!!