September 12, 2004

According to the StateofOregon.com website, the city of Bend sports over 100 restaurants - although I've read somewhere that the true number is much higer. In any case - not bad for a city of roughly 50,000, right?

Right. So in the spirit of always experiencing new taste sensations, I went yesterday in search of a place I hadn't eaten before. On the premise that often times small hole-in-the-wall places serve the best food, I stumbled into the "Super Burrito" restaurant in downtown, just across from the well-known Thai place "Toomies".

I remembered that a friend had told me a while back that they serve a mean burrito for real cheap - and sure enough, the instant I set foot into the tiny, darkish place, I felt transported back to Mexico. Fond memories of deliciously home-cooked meals, devoured hungrily after hours on the dusty road, sprung to mind.

So I ordered a burrito and Jeff got a dinner plate. As I bit into the hot, tortilla-wrapped goodness, flavors of cilantro, chilis and tomato delighted my palate. I was just about to comment on how authentic the flavors of this meal were - when it happened.

There, on the woodboard-covered wall right above our little table, sat possibly the most hated animal in the universe: a cockroach. It was brown, about an inch long, and quite obviously a youngster (I've come across adult cockroaches in my travels, and they are significantly larger).

My first reaction was one of astonishment. Then, as I fully realized what I was looking at, there was horror and deep disgust. I instantly dropped my burrito. Jeff dropped his fork.

We were out of that joint faster than you can say "cockroach". Worst is - you just *know* that that little roach wasn't a loner. I bet there is a Mama Roach, a Papa Roach, and several, if not hundreds, of Sister and Brother roaches. Maybe even an Uncle Roach, and a Grandpa Roach.

So now - what to do? Who to tell? The health inspector would be a logical first place. But the website says nothing of who to contact in case of a roach encounter. Sure, the is a food illness complaint page, that advises you what to do in case you get sick. But neither of us got sick from yesterday's food. Not yet anyway.

And also - how can we proof we even saw the roach? It will be the "Super Burrito" owner's word against ours.

While I will try and investigate further, in the meantime I'll advise anyone not to set foot into the "Super Burrito" restaurant.

If you, the alert reader, has any ideas on how to proceed, please email me.

Addendum: Looks like they also haven't renewed their business license in a few years. Thanks to Jake for the tip.

2nd Addendum: According to an article in today's Bulletin, Bend currently has 290 restaurants. Thanks to Barney for the tip.