Foodie Friday! For our fun this week, let’s consider the taco. Not the Taco Bell sort of dish but the real deal one can find everywhere from food trucks to bars to restaurants. They come in many varieties with different types of wrappers. I’m a fan, mostly because you can order a couple of one type, a couple of another type, and not be overly full. I’m also a fan of finger food and tacos meet that criterion as well.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tacos de asador, tacos de cazo, tacos dorados (flautas to you!) – that’s just the start to a list of the dozens of varieties that exist. They all share one thing. They are some sort of filling encased in either a corn or flour tortilla. The meat may be marinated and grilled, fried, or boiled. Fish may be grilled or fried. The taco may be soft or hard, flat or puffy. There may or may not be guacamole or salsa or onions inside. But there is also a business point in there.
The proteins in the taco are the star of the show. As you eat them you’re probably thinking about the flavor and texture of the meat or fish. What you might not realize is that the tortilla is what makes the dish. First, without the tortilla you’ve got a salad (or a very messy hand!). But it’s the subtile flavor and crunch (or not) of the tortilla that brings the dish together. That’s my business point.
We tend to focus on the “stars” in business. The CEO, the productive salesperson, the marketing genius. We forget sometimes that without the support staff – the tortillas – they would not be able to bring to the business what they do. More importantly, just as the “wrong” tortilla (what the heck are puffy tacos anyway?) can run perfectly cooked and flavored filling, disgruntled staff can kill a star performer. Try a taco with a fresh, homemade tortilla and you will understand the importance of the wrapper in making up for any flaws in the “star”. Run your business with a happy, productive, supportive staff and you’ll find out how much better the “faces” of the company become.
Make sense?
Consult Keith 