For years now we’ve been besieging the unicode foundation, the non-profit group that handles emoji, and asking them to include a taco emoji. Periodically, different emoji proposals would spring up and they would never include a taco. It appears that finally they have woken up to the fact that world wants, nay demands, a taco emoji. What we’ll actually do with this particular emoji, who cares? Not having the taco emoji has made us desperately want the taco emoji.

Now that the taco emoji appears imminent (It was listed in a table of “most popularly requested emoji”, see below), we should perhaps find a new thing to request. So we’ll start with this– to the artists who will create the Apple / Android / etc. emoji, please try to make your taco emoji as authentic as possible. The image above, which is what the Unicode Foundation used in their announcement of all the new possible emoji, is not what we’d like to see. (update– we made an example)

Our own taco-related art also often uses “gringo” tacos, with hard shells and orange cheese because these visual elements work well when you need to represent a generic taco that is easily recognizable and pops with color. With that understanding, we ask that the artists use something more like a jalepeño for “green” instead of lettuce. Lettuce is not usually very good on tacos, and you won’t find lettuce on most tacos outside of Taco Bell. Also red salsa or red chili peppers are better and more authentic than tomatoes, which are also rarely seen on authentic tacos. Onions and cilantro are bright white and bright green, could work perfectly on top of grilled and not ground meat. Color is great and important, and detail is what makes (especially the Apple) emojis good, but please default to traditional toppings and not Taco Bell’s Americanized taco, which was based on making a taco more like a hamburger. A balance must be struck between a recognizable taco, and a depiction of an authentic taco with traditional ingredients. If anyone from the design firms tasked with the new emoji are looking for free advice or feedback, we’d be happy to provide it.

We must not allow the Taco Bell taco to become the Taco Emoji!

List of Most Popularly Requested Emoji:

HOT DOG TACO BURRITO BOTTLE WITH POPPING CORK POPCORN TURKEY UNICORN FACE CHEESE WEDGE