I hate Taco Zone, but I really enjoyed this latest Midnight Snack. I hope you feel the same way about both.

socalfood:

Midnight Snack: Taco Zone with Jonah Bautista and Kristin Lorey

At 826LA, I’ve seen field trips where kids create stories through the guidance of 826LA leaders. I’ve seen their excitement when they leave with their very own book. Creating that happiness from achievement might not meet our highfalutin “genius” label because those moments occur in classrooms across the world, but it’s as beautiful as watching “Citizen Kane” and as inspiring as a Horatio Alger story.

This week, I met with two such creators of genius: Jonah Bautista, AmeriCorps VISTA Member and 826LA Volunteer Outreach and Support Assistant, and Kristin Lorey, 826LA Echo Park Programs and Outreach Coordinator. We went to Taco Zone, a taco truck that arrives around 8 p.m. near the corner of Alvarado and Montana in Echo Park next to a Vons parking lot. It is a place where, no doubt, plenty of drunk hipsters have found genius in a well-prepared burrito.

Jason: What is it about Echo Park that you like?

Jonah: Much more so than in any other part of the city, I think it has the most small town vibe. I like running into people who are co-workers or running into our friends whenever we stop by the grocery store, and I feel like that’s not something I would have originally expected of an L.A. life. When I walk down the street I can say hi to all my friends who are also my neighbors.

Kristin: Yeah, totally. We have friends that live right across the street from here and I think that everyone I know in L.A. is in a three-block radius. It became a very fast community here and I think 826LA is a large part of that.

Jonah: And they have Taco Zone.

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(Source: kcetliving, via katherinespiers)