The above image comes from imgur, via a heroic reddit user operating under the handle Cheez4444. Cheez4444 frequents a Taco Bell in Bakersfield, Calif., where the Mexican-inspired American fast food chain is apparently testing something called the “Naked Chicken Taco,” which is a taco made of fried chicken. To clarify: It is not a fried-chicken taco. The taco itself is fried chicken.

Here’s a photo of the menu, also from the illustrious Cheez4444:

Peter Pham at Foodbeast.com was able to confirm with Taco Bell that such a thing exists. It’s a taco made of fried chicken, so it will probably test well, and you should look out for it at your local Taco Bell after the inevitable preceding rash of massive Internet hype.

This might explain the swift and somewhat mysterious disappearance of the crispy chicken items from the Taco Bell menu. I imagine it shook out something like this in one of the conference rooms at 1 Glen Bell Way:

TACO BELL BOSS: OK, we had a lot of success incorporating Doritos into our tacos, and generated a lot of publicity by making waffle tacos and biscuit tacos, but we can’t stop there. What’s the next step here? What else can we turn into tacos? I want ideas, ay-sap!

TACO BELL R&D PERSON: People love fried chicken, sir. We could make fried chicken tacos.

TACO BELL BOSS: Yes! That’s it! Fried chicken tacos, fried chicken burritos, fried chicken biscuit tacos! JIMMY WHERE ARE YOU? Jimmy, send 100,000 breaded chicken cutlets to restaurants around the country. Now, Jimmy! Right now! We’re putting fried chicken in tacos, and we’re doing it yesterday.

TACO BELL R&D PERSON: Sorry, sir, I think you’re confused. Just to clarify, I meant we make the tacos out of fried chicken.

TACO BELL BOSS: OH MY WORD THAT’S SO MUCH BETTER! Jimmy, call off the cutlets!

JIMMY: Sorry, sir, I already placed the order. You said “now!”

TACO BELL BOSS: NOOOOOOOO! I am a victim of my own impatience!

Something like that, at least.

Currently, the Naked Chicken Tacos seem to feature only lettuce, cheese, tomato and sauce, but they should clearly also include Taco Bell’s seasoned beef. If you’re making a taco out of fried chicken, you might as well go for it. Heck, throw some of that bacon in there too. No one’s here to mess around.

The #DoLoThroDo is coming

The gentlemen of ProgressiveBoink.com hold an annual Doritos Locos Tacos eating contest. This year’s event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12. Bill Hanstock has more details:

This site encourages readers to participate if they so choose, but cannot formally endorse eating lots of Doritos Locos Tacos because Doritos Locos Tacos just aren’t nearly as good as plain old Taco Bell tacos. If only the Volcano Taco still existed, this would be a whole different ballgame. Sleep well, sweet prince.

Behold: The Taco Bell Drawing Club

Cool story in the New York Observer about a New York City artist named Jason Polan, who draws real people that he sees at the moment he sees them and hosts a group called the “Taco Bell Drawing Club.” The headline of the article alone is worth the price of admission (which is nothing): “Jason Polan Has Made the Union Square Taco Bell Into a New Salon of Visual Art.”

Polan’s Instagram is quite good: