Let me first say that I consider myself a huge Chipotle fan. I’ve been completely infatuated with the famous food chain ever since it took up residence in my hometown.
Even when majority of the boys from my high school pledged their loyalty to Moe’s (stating that they had “bomb” queso) I always stayed faithful to Chipotle. Naturally, I’ve dropped my fair share of bills on that place. My dad even gave me 100$ worth of Chipotle gift cards one Christmas that I finished before the end of break.
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It is safe to say that I was a wreck when I heard the news about the E. coli and food poisoning outbreaks that were occurring at my favorite restaurant. It felt like someone had broken up with me. Was I just supposed to stay away from the one thing that gave me joy, as everyone seemed to be advising me?
And so, I am here to tell my story. My name is Jaclyn Phillips and it’s been four months and seven days since my last Chipotle Burrito Bowl.
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The first few weeks weren’t so bad. I had high hopes that Chipotle would get their shit together and I’d be diving into a pile of guac in no time. But as the weeks went on, the withdrawals began.
At first, they consisted of cold sweats at night. Next came a recurring nightmare about a world that was black and white where Chipotle didn’t exist. Then came the full on hallucinations. I would see burritos wrapped in that beautiful silver casing everywhere I went. I saw them behind the sandwich bar at the dining hall, in my professor’s hands in place of white board markers, and even at the gym laying where there used to be free weights. It was safe to say I was going bat shit crazy without my weekly Chipotle fix.
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Although it was a prolonged and strenuous four months and seven days, I got through it. I gathered a greater appreciation for Chipotle’s burrito rival, Moe’s, and binge ate guac until I started hating avocados (lol JK). I patiently waited for the PSA that would tell me it was ok to spend my weeks paycheck at Chipotle again.
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Although Chipotle has been hard at work figuring out what has caused the outbreak of E. coli in 11 states, they have not been able to conclusively identify the ingredient that was responsible. Despite this, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reports that these breakouts “appear to be over.”
So here’s the question: am I really willing to risk symptoms of E. coli for a burrito bowl?
(The author went to get a burrito bowl shortly after writing this article.)
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