In this bonus episode, we update you on our move to Colorado. I also come to this moment in my podcast journey to see what my "WHY" is. I'm passionate about tacos and the culture. But what I'm more passionate about is the word TAQUERO. I believe the word TAQUERO should be elevated to that of Executive Chef. No disrespect, but I feel a taquero is more than just a taquero. Join us on this bonus episode and find out why I am super stoked. I also want to apologize for not releasing episodes in the l...
Feb 19, 2021•14 min
Do you remember when you learned to brush your teeth? Do you remember who taught you how to tie your shoelaces? If you're as old as me, that may take you a while to recall those things. But the truth is that perhaps those are the little things that we forget, and as life goes on, our brains do those little things for us automatically. But how important is that? And, how important are the other things that you've learned to do that contribute to a better life for you today? For me, learning how t...
Dec 22, 2020•13 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Imagine being able to get credit to buy as much food as you can from a taco truck. Imagine not having a credit limit. Also, imagine not having to have a background run on you to get this credit. If you cannot imagine a world where this exists, then you may want to listen to this episode. My father used to have a notebook in the taco truck. We would often refer to it as La Libreta. This notebook had in it all the names of people who my dad extended credit to. This meant, those who could not affor...
Nov 23, 2020•18 min•Season 4Ep. 3
What does a street (avenue) and wearing a mask have in common? McCreery Ave is a street in East San Jose that we used to use to get to that infamous corner to sell tacos every weekend. And because it was narrow, having to pull to the side to let incoming cars go through helped me see that being considerate was such an important part of making a living. Download this episode to get a different perspective on why we should wear a mask. TAQUOTE : “The Friendship Economy flourishes when we’re consid...
Oct 28, 2020•14 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Welcome to our fourth season of 10,000 Tacos! While we were away, we lost a sail of our podcast. Juan Salas, my father, took his last breath on May 12, 2020. This podcast is about him, my mother, and my siblings. This podcast is a collection of stories and experiences around how growing up in a taco truck shaped the wonderful life I have today. This podcast is a tribute to them, my parents. In honor of his passing, we are dedicating this season to what we call "The Friendship Economy." My parent...
Sep 29, 2020•16 min•Season 4Ep. 1
How do you flip tortillas? For me, it’s always been normal to flip tortillas with my bare hands. I’ve always thought that flipping tortillas with tongs, or any other device (a forklift) is not normal. But somehow, I’ve got it flipped. Today on this episode I tell you why I think it is normal. And how and why it’s important to flip tortillas with your bare hands. I guess people play it safe by using tongs. I guess people just don’t want to get burnt. It turns out, flipping tortillas with your bar...
Sep 07, 2020•15 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Today’s episode originally published in JUNE 2018. It’s also my father’s birthday. So today we take some time to look back at the connections that brought my siblings and I to this country. We go back to a time when I went to a World Cup match with my dad. The year was 1994. It was a special time because - not only was I celebrating my dad’s birthday – I also was in attendance while the US National Team was up against one of the best soccer clubs in the world – Brazil National Team. All this on ...
Jun 24, 2020•24 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In loving memory - Juan Salas 06-24-36 to 05-12-20 If you wish to help cover funeral expenses, you can contribute to: 10,000 TACOS Podcast https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=iICQO7qptLnckAnQlqrLn7pzJZr9euIW_ogcpwcCocLYTzrB6QIjdKKJL0V-JjyOPM--AW&country.x=US&locale.x=
May 16, 2020•18 min•Season 3Ep. 12
With the ongoing and fast-changing COVID-19 pandemic, I'm shortening these episodes to take less of your time. This episode speaks about the questions we ask that serve us no real purpose. And it stems, for me, at least, from a time I'd been robbed while working in the taco truck. "Questions that Waste Time" What are the lessons I learned from the day someone took 5 dollars from my hand and ran away? TAQUOTE : " Be kind to one another and be kind to yourself " Please subscribe www.tenthousandtac...
Mar 31, 2020•12 min•Season 3Ep. 11
Would you get into a self-driving car? If you say no, then you are not alone. As for me, I would. I actually do it every day. You see, I do it as a full-time job. I drive an autonomous vehicle every day as part of my job. It's a pretty cool job. Sometimes a bit scary, but for the most part, it is fun. I get to be part of the generation that helped get that started. When I applied for the job, I had to meet several requirements. I had to have both a clean driving record and a clean (non-criminal)...
Mar 09, 2020•20 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Today on the show, we dive right into "Forgiveness" – in Spanish, it means Perdon. Perdon is usually used to say, "Excuse me" or "Pardon me." That's not what we're talking about. We are referring to forgiveness. Forgiveness, in many cultures is seen as weakness. It's seen as a weakness because of the perception it assumes that the person who hurt you is allowed to get away with it. That by forgiving means you've allowed those who hurt you to take advantage of you. I used to believe in that too. ...
Feb 07, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Have you ever dreamed of winning the lottery? Today on the show, I'll tell you of a time I was in a conversation with an ex-coworker where the subject was just that — winning the lottery and my perspective of what it means to me to have won the lottery. To win the lottery, one has to be extremely lucky. What is luck? It is success or failure brought not by one's actions but by chance. My parents meeting one another, making children (having us), and eventually migrating us to the US to start a ta...
Jan 21, 2020•18 min•Season 3Ep. 8
It’s that time of year! If you look around you, almost everywhere you go, you will see festive lights, crowds gathering at Christmas parks, packed ice rinks, and, of course, tons of suckers, I mean, people at shopping malls. Yes, the holiday season is in full swing! But there is another season that is in full swing. A type of activity that involves tons of minutes of prep time. Perhaps tons of pair of hands and definitely tons of love, graciousness, and tons of gratitude. The season I'm referrin...
Dec 29, 2019•21 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In today's episode (bonus), I'm a guest on the podcast called "Between 2 Mics" with hosts Zach Moreno and Rock Felder. They are not just hosts. They are CEO and CFO , respectfully, of SquadCast – A professional – and arguably the best way to - platform that allows you to record remote interviews in studio quality. Zach and Rock ask me about how the podcast got started, my journey in storytelling, and, most importantly, why I'm podcasting about my Taco Truck Life. For more interviews and informat...
Dec 11, 2019•39 min
Today on the show, I want to tell you about a young lady named Maria. A young mother from a central town in Mexico. More specifically, I want to tell you about the time Maria took her four children from the home they ever knew and traveled north. They traveled north to reunite with her husband and to start a new life in the United States of America. There were many obstacles in her way. And many of those were well within Maria’s will to overcome. But there was one obstacle that presented a chall...
Nov 21, 2019•25 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Today on the show, we tell a story about a couple, a young couple who met at the night club where we used to sell tacos all those years ago. A story of love, tragedy, and perhaps forgiveness without having to say it. A story that helped me understand the importance of being a listener when someone is going through a dark time. We tell you a story of being susceptible to making mistakes. We all make mistakes. Some are just more tragic than others. Finally, this story reminds me of the valuable sa...
Oct 24, 2019•22 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In today’s episode, find out why I hate GUAC! Now, don’t take this the wrong way, I love Guacamole. I have a deep respect for Guacamole. It was imperative for us to offer it and not charge extra for it to our customers, and because of that, we had to make it every day. So my love for Guacamole goes deep. But I hate that people refer to Guacamole GUAC. I have a problem with that because it reminds me of when I was growing up. I have a difficult name to pronounce, so I got used to people trying to...
Oct 10, 2019•21 min•Season 3Ep. 4
What is the first thing you think of when you hear that name, Birthday Sauce? You can whisper it to me. I promise I won't judge you. But what if I told you it has nothing to do with whatever you were thinking. Today on the show I'll tell you how switching to this name brought me a lot of luck in my fantasy football league. And not just fantasy football, Birthday Sauce has brought me success in other parts of my life. So download the episode, or tap listen (if you're on the 10Ktacos.com site) and...
Sep 25, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 3
There are two schools of thought when it comes to tacos. There is the Taco Bell (the American taco) thought and the REAL (traditional) taco. Today on the show, we talk about these two schools of thoughts and how that leads people to feel the need to distinguish between the two. Some people think that they have to say “soft shell tacos” to describe the traditional tacos. I don’t believe that a soft shell taco exist. It simply is just a taco. You cannot have a taco without a tortilla. So what we a...
Sep 11, 2019•21 min•Season 3Ep. 2
The word Taco is being Columbused. To find out more about what is “Columbused” please download and listen to it. But this time, the word taco is being Columbused by, not just FACOs who claim their Tacoma trucks are Taco Trucks. I have a problem with that. On this episode, we talk about what is NOT a Taco Truck and what IS a Taco Truck! We’ll share with you a short story on how I found out #tacotruck (hashtag) was being used for Toyota 4x4 Tacoma trucks. As you can imagine, I was none too pleased...
Aug 22, 2019•21 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Today's episode was originally published in April of 2018. It's one of my favorites. We wanted to replay it right before launching our 3rd season. It's about one of the hidden ingredients that went into making the great tacos we made, offered, then served. You'd never think it, but it was that, trust!
Aug 01, 2019•17 min•Season 2Ep. 17
As we get ready to launch Season 3 of 10,000 TACOS, we introduce you to a new character on the show. It's a fictional character by the name of FACO or FACOS. As we get ready to launch Season 3 of 10,000 TACOS, we introduce you to a new character on the show. It's a fictional character by the name of FACO or FACOS. FACO represents the people who make it a habit to misrepresent what a TACO really is. But it's not just tacos. Why are we doing this? Well, it's because there is a problem. Not a big p...
Jul 17, 2019•14 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Today is my father's Birthday. He turns 83 today. Though we are very lucky to still have him in our lives, he suffers from a wide array of ailments. One of those ailments, or conditions, is dimentia. But today I'd like to ask all of our listeners for a favor. If you can record Happy Birthday on your device's voice memo app and send it to us at "comments@10ktacos.com" or text, if your mobile plan allows it and does not charge you extra, to 646.926.2490. Don't worry if you cannot sing very well. T...
Jun 24, 2019•13 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Today’s episode is a replay of one of my favorite episodes. On this Father’s Day 2019 I tell you why my dad was one of the baddest taqueros ever to roam this earth. It’s the last episode of a three part series that was published back in January 2018. Join me as tell you how my dad was always GAME! This episode is difficult because - now that my dad is nearing his 83rdbirthday - it’s hard to see him age. I’m thankful for having him around even though his health has deteriorated. But we are very b...
Jun 16, 2019•18 min•Season 2Ep. 14
On this bonus episode, I want to thank all of you for helping me get to this milestone. Yes, in many other instances (podcasts) 10,000 downloads is not a lot. But to me, it's a significant number, and I don't take it lightly. It is difficult just to get one download, let alone 10,000! You cannot have a podcast called 10,000 TACOS and not commemorate 10,000 downloads! There are no downloads without YOU ALL! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!
May 20, 2019•9 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Having just one call to make, not to bail you from jail, but to get you out of a tense or drastic situation, who would that call be to? I'd venture to guess most of you would call a dear, trusted friend. Or most would call a family member. Someone who they knew would answer that call. But have you ever wondered if the call would be answered? Would that someone answer the call? Today on this the last episode of Season 2, we tell you about a time I had to make this call - in order to get bailed ou...
Mar 26, 2019•28 min•Season 2Ep. 12
"You get what you deserve" What goes through your mind when you hear that? Is it Karma? Do the hairs on your arms rise when you hear someone say that to you? No, don't worry, that is not what this episode is about... This episode is about the concept of working for what you earn. Or better yet, the power behind having something because you have worked for it, and thus you have earned it... Today on this episode we go back to a time I was overpaid on my first ever Corporate job pay check. Even th...
Mar 12, 2019•24 min•Season 2Ep. 11
How do you know when it’s time to leave? How do you know when it’s time to get out? What is it that tells you, “You have to get out of here!” Like a bad relationship, in which you want to get out but you can’t seem to find the strength and will to do so, what I’m talking about is a job, a place of work. On this episode, we take you to a time where I was sitting with a sickening feeling. A feeling that lead me to resign from a job that I was really enjoying. Though I was new to that line of work,...
Feb 26, 2019•26 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Imagine being able to get credit to buy as much food as you can from a taco truck. Imagine not having a credit limit. Also, imagine not having to have a background run on you to get this credit. If you cannot imagine a world where this exists, then you may want to listen to this episode. My father used to have a notebook in the taco truck. We would often refer to it as La Libreta. This notebook had in it all the names of people who my dad extended credit to. This meant, those who could not affor...
Feb 12, 2019•25 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Have you ever wondered how restrooms at public places get cleaned? More specifically, who cleans these restrooms? What about those who clean our roadways, drains, and gutters? Is that something you would do? If you were in need of employment and this is the only job offered, would you do it? If not, why not? Today on the show I tell you of a time when I took a job that I felt was degrading and embarrassing. I wanted to quit. But a little voice – a humble bee – told me to stick it through. And re...
Jan 29, 2019•23 min•Season 2Ep. 8
