名厨做高档菜，下班后却爱吃塔可钟

A famous chef cooks high-end dishes, but after work he loves eating Taco Bell.

In New York, there is a restaurant called Cafe Commerce.

In the restaurant there is a chef named Harold Moore.

One dish he makes costs ninety-nine dollars.

This dish is a whole chicken, with herb butter placed under the chicken skin, and it comes out of the oven very fragrant.

This dish also comes with bread and mashed potatoes; the bread is crispy, and butter is added to the mashed potatoes.

It sounds very high-end, right?

But this chef also praises Taco Bell's Crunchy Supreme taco.

He says that in one bite there is everything.

He says that in one taco there is hot, cold, crispy, and also soft.

There is spiciness, but the sour cream makes it milder again.

He says this is a very complete experience.

Think about it: a chef who makes ninety-nine-dollar dishes loves fast-food tacos — isn't that a bit interesting?

There is another chef named Bricia Lopez.

She co-runs an Oaxacan restaurant, and a critic once praised this restaurant.

She also likes Taco Bell.

She says the crispy, the oily, and the sour are all together, just to make your mouth happy and get your brain moving.

You see, these chefs are not just saying it casually.

They really do like it.

In the United States, Taco Bell is a brand that people both love and hate.

Some people laugh at it, saying its food is not high-end.

But many chefs and people who cook just love to eat it.

In Nashville, there is a chef named Dung Vo.

He co-founded Noko Hospitality.

He goes to Taco Bell and buys a chicken quesadilla, then adds steak and beef.

He says this combination is like the perfect choice for a meat lover, and you can eat it in the car without making a mess everywhere.

In San Antonio, there is a chef named Jennifer Dobbertin.

She runs a restaurant and has also received three James Beard Award nominations.

When her employees are about to leave, she holds a farewell party.

At the farewell party, she often buys Taco Bell — a lot of it.

She says that for many people who work in restaurants, Taco Bell is an everyday thing.

Last year, Taco Bell's Crunchwrap turned twenty.

This Crunchwrap is a hexagonal flatbread with meat and cheese folded inside, and the outside is grilled until crispy.

Last year, it sold more than one hundred million of them.

Many chefs also make their own versions.

They do not use Taco Bell's beef and cheese sauce, but instead use meat and sauce they make themselves.

For example, some use Korean barbecue, some use Mexican braised meat, and some make their own salsa.

Dobbertin spent many years in Thailand.

She made her own crispy roll, filled with marinated chicken, plus Thai Khao Soi coconut curry, along with a sauce and crispy noodles.

Vo also imitates Taco Bell's Crunchwrap.

He makes a grilled cheese sandwich in his own restaurant.

He says you pick it up with your hand, take a bite, and there is truffle mayonnaise, the saltiness of ham, and the buttery crispness of the bread.

He says this is very similar to the texture he likes.

The relationship between Taco Bell and chefs actually began a long time ago.

Taco Bell's founder is named Glen Bell.

He used to run a hot dog stand in San Bernardino, California.

Across from him there was a restaurant called Mitla Cafe.

The people at Mitla Cafe introduced him to the crunchy-shell taco.

Later, he started Taco Bell.

Taco Bell has a person who does food innovation, named Brett Pluskalowski.

He says that in 2012, Taco Bell made a Doritos taco, with a Doritos crunchy shell on the outside.

He believes this taco got many people to start thinking: anything can be made into a taco shell.

Now you can use baozi, use Indian flatbread, use pita, use seaweed to make tacos.

Pluskalowski has recently been thinking about using the crispy crust of Persian rice to make taco shells.

Crispy rice is the layer at the bottom of the pot that turns crunchy.

He has not succeeded yet.

But if he succeeds, many chefs will want to try it.

Think about it: why do these chefs who cook high-end dishes like Taco Bell?

There is another reason: Taco Bell lets you choose for yourself.

You can add this, add that, and make the flavor you like yourself.

Vo is like this: he adds steak, adds beef, and makes a very large quesadilla.

Dobbertin is also like this: she makes her own Crunchwrap.

So Taco Bell is not just fast food.

It is also a place that lets chefs play.

They can find new ideas there.

For example, the crunchiness of the Crunchwrap made Vo think of his grilled cheese sandwich.

Pluskalowski is also trying to use the crispy crust of Persian rice to make shells.

These ideas then go back into their restaurants.

A chef who cooks high-end dishes will also look for new ideas in fast food.

After you finish work, do you want to cook a complicated meal, or buy a fast-food item you love to eat?