This is a silly thing to write about. Really, its mostly for entertainment, but cyclists need to eat. And when youre on the road, or coming back from the trailhead post-bonk, you can get a little desperateIm usually shocked when the Jack-in-the-Box taco gets brought up in conversation. The conversation usually involves people asking the same two questions: Is that meat? And, whats with the American cheese? Regardless of the answers for those two questions, it always resolves with everyone agreeing that those tacos are delicious.Jack in the Box taco (left) Burger King taco (right) (Photos / Ron Frazelle)Both are legitimate questions, and I dont have an answer for either. I still eat them. I mean, I do, albeit occasionally, a few times a year. And, to quantify a few times a year, I would say more than 5 but less than 10.What can I say, sometimes those lil gut bombs hit the spot. They especially hit when its after midnight in the wee, early morning hours. You know, when youve been out drinking while watching your wife do a lil karaoke, or youre just out for a night on the town. Thats when those tacos, (I use the term taco very loosely here) are downright tasty.Then, this HappenedMy wife is a fan of a good cheeseburger. Shes honestly a bit of a self-proclaimed connoisseur. We were out running errands, and she had a craving for one of her guilty pleasures, the Burger King Whopper Jr., so we stopped by and grabbed one. When we were in the drive-through, I noticed that they had tacos that looked eerily similar to the Jack in the Box tacos.I ordered some, I ate them, and found them surprisingly different, and yet unexcitingly the same. I was giving my wife my thoughts when I was eating the pair of tacos, and she thought it would be a funny review for the site so, here we are.Lets dive in.The Jack in the Box Taco: A Culinary PhenomenonFirst, lets start with some pretty hysterical findings from a Google search, using the search prompt: Whats the deal with Jack in the Box Tacos?The Jack in the Box taco innardsObjectively questionable but subjectively delicious. And: Jack in the Box tacos are famous for their cult following,polarizing opinions with their unique, deep-fried, crispy-yet-soggy texture, mysterious meat filling (beef, chicken, soy protein), single slice of American cheese, lettuce, and tangy sauce, creating a nostalgic, inexpensive, vile and amazing fast-food experience, often enjoyed late-night or when sober, despite their questionable ingredients and unconventional style.These are my thoughts on the Jack in the Box taco, I like it. OK? Im not proud of it, but I like it. I dont buy it with the thought that Im buying a taco. I actually dont even eat it, thinking Im eating a taco. Its just called a taco. And I order it and call it a taco. But its not a freaking taco.Jack in the Box, first bite inIt tastes nothing like an authentic taco, but for some damn reason, I like it. I really like the taco sauce that comes on it, and you can get more in packets if you need to drown your sorrows in taco sauce.God, why do I like it?Jack in the Box Tacos Retail & DetailRetail: $2.49 (pair)Unique texture and flavorMystery meatSimple toppingsCult followingVery high salesNot your typical taco2 tacos come out to 340 cals, with 12 grams of protein for the pair, 32 grams of total carbohydrates, and 640 milligrams of sodium. Burger King Taco: The Surprise Contender?Lets take a look at this taco. Im calling the Burger King taco the surprise contender in this comparison simply because I didnt know they even existed until I saw them that fateful day. And Im not suggesting that the BK taco could even get close to de-throning Jack in the Boxs late-night taco-thing king.The Burger King taco innardsBut, Im here to tell you that the BK taco is pretty damn good. And just barely different enough from the Jack in the Box taco to do a comparison. Some of the major differences with the BK taco are a different meat stuff filling that carries a more taco-meat-like flavor, and the sauce. The sauce is a little on the sweet side for me, but tasty.The shell on the BK taco is a little better than the Jack in the Box taco. Its crispier and lighter through and through, and doesnt carry nearly as much sogginess as Jacks.Burger King taco first bite inAll in all, its a decent contender, but it falls weirdly short in the taste department. I think its the taco sauce; it rubs me the wrong way.Burger King Tacos Retail & DetailRetail: $1 (pair)Light and crispy shellNot as much of a Mystery MeatTexture is a Gooey, disappointing, confusing mess.Claims grated cheese, still just a melted American cheese sliceSavory taco sauce2 tacos come out to 340 cals, with 10 grams of protein for the pair, 38 grams of total carbohydrates, and 820 milligrams of sodium.In ConclusionOut of these two horrible food choices, Id go on public record to say that they are both very similar. Each has its own highlights that are better than the other. For instance, the Burger King taco has a way better shell than the Jack in the Box taco. But the JITB taco has better taco sauce.When it comes to the meat in both tacos, the taste of the Burger King meat feels/tastes more like actual meat than the meat on the Jack in the Box taco. But I dont trust it. Not that I really trust the Jack in the Box meat flavored paste, but I dont know, Ive been eating them for a longer period of time, so I guess its familiarity as opposed to trust.Look, Im not proud of the fact that I occasionally partake in either one of these tacos. But Im not the only one. For Jack in the Box, their taco is one of the restaurants best sellers, and has been for years. For Burger King, their taco is a regional menu item that appears occasionally on their menu (Editors Note: Ron is based in California a place where Jack in the Boxs are plentiful, and Burger Kings apparently have tacos). And, honestly, it tastes like it. Their commitment to make a shitty, yet delicious taco doesnt match Jacks commitment level.So, in my opinion, the Jack in the Box taco inches out the Burger King taco if only because Im so familiar with it. So, to sum it up, the lesser of the two evil tacos is the Jack in the Box taco. Im not proud of myself. I hope you kinda enjoyed this ridiculous review, I had fun doing it. It was refreshing to write about something other than the next $10,000 bicycle.Im excited to see where this column goes. JackintheBox.comBK.comThe post Beyond the Bike: Testing the Best of the Worst Tacos Burger King vs. Jack in the Box appeared first on Bikerumor.