TIJUANA.- To call Tijuana a bizarre city is an understatement. Even if you come from other cities in Mexico, Tijuana or "TJ" is different in many ways than the rest of the country. The food is unlike any other in California or other cities in Mexico, but a combination of both, it has a strange public transit that navigates through the maze of streets with no clear indication of how and the main language is Spanglish. The lifestyle in the border city truly is unique.

Tacos are obviously in the diet of every Mexican and almost every American by now (Taco Bell doesn't count). Anything that goes inside a tortilla can be considered a taco and that's what Tacos Varios are all about. The literal translation is "varied tacos" and they have of every kind. These type of tacos are more commonly known in the rest of Mexico as Tacos de Guisado (stew tacos) and they are usually in a restaurant type setting instead of street cart. But TJ likes to do everything their own way.

There are many Tacos Varios stands that operate at different hours all over Tijuana. You could eat in two different stands each day of the week in downtown alone. Some stands operate without a permit, so their location might be different each time. But no matter what, you will find a good cheap meal at whatever hour.

Tacos Varios la Sexta is one of the most popular stands on the weekends, thanks to the close proximity to the bars. It is usually operated by just one guy that most people call "el güero," but in busy nights he has one assistant to collect the money. El Güero's real name is Javier Torres and he has been operating in the same corner for 11 years. He was born in Michoacan and moved to Mexico City when he was young, but like many other laborers, he moved to Tijuana to try to make it to the USA. Javier lives two blocks away from the border wall and pushes the taco cart for a mile to the corner of 6th street and Madero every afternoon (except Sundays). You'll find him there from 5:00 pm, until he runs out of tacos, sometimes until 3 am.

I asked Javier how many tacos he sells per day - "N'ombre, imaginate güero! Si los viernes traigo 20 kilos de tortillas y el sábado 22," ("No way, can you imagine güero! In Friday I bring 20 kilos of tortillas and on Saturday 22!" Javier calls me "güero" as well, which means fair-skinned. A kilo usually has 30 tortillas, each taco is prepared with two, which means Javier sells around 600 tacos per night. For $1-$1.50 you can get the double tortilla, rice, beans and the stew that you choose. El Güero has competition, half a block away, another taco stand operates in a similar manner.

Simply approach a stand and ask "de que tiene?" (What you got?) And they will open their containers one by one showing you their options. The stews change daily but there's a couple of standard tacos that most will offer. "The ones I always have are chile relleno, milanesa, bistec con papas y pechuga de pollo, the others change daily. I have lengua (tongue), chicharron (porkgrinds), pollo con mole, pollo en adobo (chicken stews), guisado de huevo (egg stew), carne deshebrada (shredded beef), and tortita de carne (meatloaf). I don't make the stews, I just sell the tacos, someone else is in charge of cooking all of it."

Güero tells me that the person who I ate the most was a big guy who was drunk, the record stands at 12 tacos, 1 soda and 1 water. "He still wanted more, but his friends took him away. Another guy, skinny just like you (referring to me), ate 10."

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