"I'd be OK with even less than 88 percent beef in my tacos. As long as there's plenty of cheese and extra hot sauce, who cares where the beef is?"

- Politics Daily correspondent Sandra Fish, concluding her "Ode to Taco Bell," composed in light of recent controversy surrounding her favorite 99 cent. Fish is neither shocked nor disgusted by the assertion that the meat Taco Bell uses is less than 100 percent beef (be it 88% or 36%), and points out that, considering the meat quality at other fast food chains, a taco filled with mostly soy and oats might not be so bad. In fact, she guesses it's this mixture that makes the tacos so tasty in the first place. Though two Taco Bell tacos and an order of nachos may add up to more calories than a cheeseburger and small fry from McDonalds, the tacos are trans-fat free, which can't be said for a McDonalds burger. 

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at cdickson at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Caitlin Dickson