To be or not . . .

In order to be a true foodie some believe that one must be willing to eat anything.

It is with this thought that we gather at one of the best taquerias in Durham. Named after the cow that sits on its roof, La Vaquita offers up a long list of unintimidating fare - carnitas, al pastor, azada, even a "Hawaiian torta." But today, today I am here to test my love of food. I am here to challenge myself and my notion of what food should be. I am here for la lengua and la cabeza. That's right, the tongue and the head. The order is placed - uno taco barbacoa (beef), uno taco lingua and uno taco cabeza.

I hesitate and scarf down the taco barbacoa (barbecued beef) first. Satisfied with the rich flavor of the beef, I eye the cabeza hungry for more. My husband and I giggle nervously. First bite, it's surprisingly good, meaty of course, a little more flavor than the barbacoa, and not a bad texture at all. Now I'm feeling bold and as my husband finishes off his second taco al pastor, it's on to la lingua for me. Though I didn't like it as well as the cabeza, it still had that rich, meaty flavor and I finished it all, scrapping up every last bit from the styrofoam container in which it came.

There, true foodie or not, I had done it. Next time . . . the dreaded tripa (intestines).

(Though after some research, I did find out cabeza is actually part of the cheek, which is a lot less hard core than the brain I'd imagined I was eating.)