TacoTime with Evan Susser (LIVE in Portland)

*"*TacoTime with Evan Susser (LIVE in Portland)" is Episode 36 of the premium content podcast, *Doughboys Double*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "TacoTime with Evan Susser (LIVE in Portland)" was released on November 6, 2017.

## Synopsis

Friend of the podcast and screenwriter Evan Susser (*Fist Fight*, *Sonic the Hedgehog*) returns to review TacoTime, a Mexican eatery native to the Northwest.

Recorded live at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, OR.

## Nick's intro

"*You have died of dysentery.*"

This grim notification of death via waterborne illness doesn't seem family-friendly on its face. It is perhaps the most iconic line from a computer game that served as the most popular entertainment for schoolchildren of the '80s, '90s, and '00s: *The Oregon Trail*.

The program traces its origins, not to the Beaver State, but rather the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, Minnesota, where in 1971, public schoolteachers Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger created a card game simulating the experience of settlers traversing the continental U.S. The trio of amateur designers pooled their collective computer-programming experience to convert it into a text adventure and, as CPU horsepower improved over the years, graphics were added helping it teach kids the dangers of fording the river and the importance of caulking their wagons.

The game, of course, ultimately owes its existence to the literal trail blazed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark in 1803, which provided a lifeline from the Eastern United States to the frontiers of Oregon's Willamette Valley. Over the next half-century, French fur trappers and American colonists would flock to the area, displacing the native population, and in 1846, Eugene Franklin Skinner arrived with a party of 1200 settlers, founding a trading post that would later be incorporated as a town named after him.

A century later, Eugene, Oregon-native Ron Fraedrick, having served in the Navy in World War II, moved to Southern California for civilian work, where he grew to love the cuisine of nearby Mexico. After returning to his hometown and graduating from the University of Oregon with the help of the G.I. Bill, Fraedrick realized his new dream of opening a Mexican eatery steps away from his alma mater, mortgaging his home to afford the real estate.

The South of the Border flavors were a hit with co-eds and second and third locations followed just two years later. By the time Rawitsch, Heinemann, and Dillenberger huddled to design their educational software, Fraedrick's chain had 48 franchises in seven states. Today with almost 300 restaurants across North America, this eatery founded at the endpoint of the Trail has done some territorial expansion of its own.

So will this Oregon take on Mexican fare be a hit with visitors from sunny SoCal?

Or will it result in the same intestinal distress that befell the simulated settlers in *The Oregon Trail* video game?

This week on *Doughboys:* does everyone know what time it is? TacoTime?

## Fork rating

* Big Juan Burrito
* Mexi-Fries
* Crisp Pinto Bean Burrito
* Taco Salad
 Mike Mitchell
* Big Juan Burrito
* Crisp Meat Burrito
 Evan Susser
* Crisp Chicken Burrito
 shared
* Crisp Taco
* Taco Cheeseburger
* Bavarian Cream Churro
* Cinnamon Crustos

## Snack or Wack

In Snack or Wack, the Doughboys have a snack and decide if it is 'good' or 'bad.'

In live episodes, they often bring an audience member to join them; today, it was "Big Juan" (just like the name of the TacoTime burrito).

For this episode, they have two of the more popular Voodoo Doughnuts: the Voodoo Doll and the Bacon Maple Bar. Mitch also had a Voodoo Bubble.

 Mike Mitchell
 Evan Susser
 Ivan "Big Juan"

Voodoo Doughnuts Voodoo DollVoodoo Doughnuts Bacon Maple Bar

## Quotes

**Nick:** You're right. You haven't seen a beaver since we've gotten here. It would be great if there were beavers just hanging out. Especially if they had like top hats and monocles like they were old townfolk. That would be fun.

**the whole crowd**: SALAAAAAADDDDDD!

## #hashtags

* #CaffeineCutoff
* #WigerStrong
* #BunnyWasFunny vs. #NoMoneyForBunny

## Related Episodes

* 418. Voodoo Doughnut

## Photos

Taco CheeseburgerCrisp Burrito Tri-ForceTaco SaladBig Juan BurritoDoughboys Live Tour Poster