Burrito-town

"Black beans, steak, mild salsa, both cheese and sour cream." \nIf you have a burrito-making speech memorized then you're hooked. McDonald's has a Mexican-American cousin and we're obsessed. Chipotle is rocking our taste buds on a daily basis.\nA Chipotle-loving friend of mine is convinced the restaurant puts crack in the sour cream. But we'll leave that for nutritionists to investigate. \nAs addicting as Chipotle is, some people just can't seem to get the name right. My roommate is certain it's pronounced Chipolte (chip-ole-tay), no matter how much I correct him. But my favorite is Chiptole (chip-toll). \nChipotle might be hard to say, but it's even harder to say no to. Taco Bell fans might want to have a seat for this one: Chipotle's food is made from scratch and cooked fresh daily. The restaurant even use bowls made out of recycled newspapers.\nHowever, the rice is still white and I get my burrito tortilla-less (in a bowl) because Chipotle's flour tortillas aren't very traditional (nothing but corn tortillas here). Nonetheless, at least the cheese isn't cheddar, I dry heave at the idea of cheddar cheese over Mexican ingredients. So Chipotle's somewhat authentic. \nBut authenticity doesn't matter since nobody knows who made the first burrito. It's like the margarita; its origin is clouded in mystery somewhere near the border. Many have surmised that it's an American creation. That's right; burritos are not a traditional Mexican food. \nMy mom never once made me a burrito for dinner. I didn't have one until this past summer. At first I was reluctant. I thought the idea of all that food mixed together in a tortilla was disgusting. But I was so wrong. \nNow, I'm an addict as much as the next guy. I had a burrito yesterday and I might have one tomorrow.\nI even introduced my parents to their first burritos this summer. Initially they thought it was a crazy concoction but it passed their test. Although my dad likes Taco Bell, so he lost all credibility long ago, but my mom liked it, too.\nBurritos are popping up everywhere. Bloomington is just one of the latest cities to taste the tortilla-wrapped goodness. The craze has already spread across 22 states. \nBurritos are quickly becoming the new cheeseburger. Mobile burrito vendors are stuffing tortillas in the streets. And around the country local and national burrito restaurants and chains are popping up. It's good to have something else to choose from instead of the same old fast food places. \nChipotle, Moe's Southwest Grill and Qdoba are among the most popular places. The create-your-own burrito system is what's making burrito restaurants really take off. People can personalize their meal the way they like it. \nMcDonald's might be a company with a "special sauce" past but it made the right choice by taking a chance in the burrito business. (McDonald's owns 90 percent of Chipotle). Chipotle's 460 restaurants are believed to be worth more than $400 million, according to a Sept. 23 article on BusinessWeek Online. \nIf burrito lines continue getting longer, greasy french fries might be a thing of the past. So eat up those gigantic wads of Mexican goodness.