Mexican food — or at least a Japanified version of it — is having a mini moment in convenience stores. More limited-edition items riffing on hard-to-find items are arriving in stores, with mixed results.
Seven-Eleven Japan has been at the forefront of this nascent trend over the past year, with taco rice bowls and tortilla wraps. One of the chain's most recent offerings is the taco meat wrap, which takes seasoned, spicy ground beef and combines it with a sauce and lettuce (¥321 after tax). In theory, this should make for a passable attempt at a taco — far from authentic, but somewhat satisfying. The problem is it’s meant to be served at room temperature — no microwave instructions at all! — and that makes it feel like a sad bachelor meal. The flavor is (basically) there, but the temperature unsettles.
FamilyMart at least understands the importance of keeping a taco warm. Its awkwardly named "Faru Maki" line of spring rolls now features a "taco meat" variety encased in a turtle-green wrap (¥120 after tax). Don't let appearances scare you away though, because the actual spicy meat and cheese within is pretty good. Coupled with the crispy shell, it makes for a nice — albeit a bit small — snack. It's no Mexican food breakthrough, but it's a small-scale step in the right direction.