Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Churros question

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Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 07-30-2002, 10:18 PM:

Hi all

I have a question regarding Churros - a tasty treat that one cannot get in Melbourne. How deprived we are!

Does your Drive-in, or your local Drive-in, serve Churros? I am curious to see in which states of the US and elsewhere Churros are on the menu. Is it purely a Californian treat? Do Californian Drive-ins (those that are left) serve Churros? I'm surprised that this bit of Americana has not made its way down under - especially the cinnamon and flavoured versions.

cheers Peter

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 07-30-2002, 10:52 PM:

quote:
I'm surprised that this bit of Americana has not made its way down under - especially the cinnamon and flavoured versions.

I was not aware there was any kind other than cinammon. Those are the only ones I've seen.

Is Drive-In the name of a chain? Never heard of it.

Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 07-31-2002, 06:58 PM:

No Ken

I mean your Drive-in Theatre or local Drive-in Theatre. You may not have heard of these beasts as so few remain. Essentially a drive-in theatre is where someone finds a car park, erects a really, really big screen and projects a film up on the screen. People drive to the car park, pay an entrance fee to watch the film from their car, and then pay heaps for overpriced, often lukewarm food at a hastily (and cheaply) built snack bar on site. In spite of the above, going to said establishments is often lot of fun. Its a bizarre concept but it works.

In 2000 I visited Califormia and was introduced to Churros and root beer and yes - you could get Churros in other flavours ie rolled in raspberry sugar. Yum. One place you can get these is San Diego Zoo.

I was curious to see whether Drive-in Theatres in the US sold Churros and whether that was just in California or in other states as well.

cheers Peter

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-31-2002, 08:16 PM:

What the heck is a churros? I'm going to California this weekend and might want to try one.

Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 07-31-2002, 09:13 PM:

Dear Adam

Churro (singular)
Churros (plural)

What is a churro? It's a Spanish/Mexican donut. It's not round with a hole in it though. It is like a long sausage except that if you were to cut one crossways you would see that it has a sort of star shape.

These things are made, fried and then coated in cinnamon or other flavoured sugars. They are really yummy. Perhaps some of our Califorian readers could direct Adam to where he can try some tasty churros?

Here's what one looks like
http://www.tacojohns.com/low/churros.html

Here's some relevant churros links
http://mrchurrosusa.com/
http://yumfood.net/recipes/churros.html
http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/01/rec0159.html
http://www.churros.com/main.htm
http://www.backofthebox.com/recipes/breads/churros.html
http://mexicanfood.about.com/library/recipes/blrr180.htm

Churros - the perfect drive-in theate food (with root beer)! Pity one can't get either in Australia though.

cheers Peter

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 08-01-2002, 12:40 AM:

Try Rubios Baha Grill. They're all over so. california.

Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 08-01-2002, 02:22 AM:

They serve churros at Disneyland too, from a little cart. I think its just a Californian thing. Elsewhere in the country they serve funnel cakes, (batter drizzled into frying oil and coated with powdered sugar or jam), indian fry-bread (not sure what this is, but its usually covered in peanut butter or jam. It looks like a tortilla), and "elephant ears", but I think those are just indian fry-bread with a more PC name. Anyway, churros taste like those cinnamon twists from Taco Bell, except chewier. For my money, though, its funnel cake or bust!

-adam

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 08-01-2002, 09:27 AM:

I've seen churros elsewhere. It's not just a California thing. And yes, I know what a drive in theater is. I just thought that since you capitalized it, it was a proper name, as in the name of a chain or something.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 08-01-2002, 09:40 AM:

Hey Adam,

If your going to California, Try an In and Out Burger or a Tommy Burger while your out there. I hear they are quiet good.

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 08-01-2002, 09:44 AM:

Churros are indeed a Mexican treat. They are often eaten for breakfast and dipped into an almost pudding-like cup of hot chocolate. There is a local chain in the Twin Cities that serves what I assume to be a pretty crappy version of churros, served with either honey or chocolate sauce. I am still looking for the real thing. Perhaps I won't find them until I get to Mexico.

If you're feeling ambitious, here is a churros recipe from one of the foremost experts of Mexican cooking in the US, Rick Bayless.
http://starchefs.com/features/aphrodisiacs/volume_05/html/recipe_08.shtml

Posted by Josh Jones (Member # 447) on 08-01-2002, 11:05 AM:

Taco Johns carries churros up here and they are quite good. At least I like them

Josh

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"Film is made of silver, video is made of rust"
'nuf said

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 08-01-2002, 05:31 PM:

I knew what it was! When I took Spanish in high school (11th grade), the name of our textbook was "Churros y Chocolate"!

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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Information Site

Posted by Peter Berrett (Member # 672) on 08-01-2002, 09:48 PM:

At Victoria markets here in Melbourne there is a van that sells 'Spanish Donuts' which are much the same sort of thing however the spanish donuts are much less sweet than the churros I tasted in Califonia and not as nice.

cheers Peter

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 08-01-2002, 11:00 PM:

When I lived in Miami and opened the Dolphin Mall Theatre last year there was a Churro place right downstairs. They always had lines out into the mall. A very popular food among hispanics.

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"Running through life at 24 frames per second"

Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 08-02-2002, 02:23 PM:

hmm... I recall that my high school's a la carte often had churros, and they are indeed tasty! Mayhaps its a little odd that they had churros, with Maine is a long way away from Mexico, and not very culturally diverse in its population! Odd, but good.

Also odd - you don't find funnel cakes in Maine. You do however find fried dough! mmmmmm A glob of dough fried, then brushed with melted butter, add cinnamon & sugar (or powdered sugar), yum yum yum!

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In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.