Well, it’s November and the sunsets are starting to line up like commuter planes on the tarmac at Dallas International. This dawn delight graced the sky last Sunday morning down at Lighthouse Point. I love being down at the beach at daybreak when the sky turns from dark to light while the waves crash along the shore. Throw in pelicans, cormorants and gulls running fly patterns and the sound of sea lions barking like Lassie with Timmy stuck in the well and you get the picture. It’s a truly satisfying and enjoyable feeling, unlike anything I experienced during second half of yesterday’s Cowboys-Giants game. But what I love most about the early mornings is watching the clouds turn into spectacular pillows of color. This is a major turn-on for me, along with poetry, long romantic walks and triple overtime games.

Here’s a story I found interesting a few weeks back. For the first time in 15 years, Taco Bell is reopening stores in Mexico. Defenders of the Mexican culture see the chain’s re-entry as crowning insult to a society already overrun by U.S. chains including Starbucks, Subway, KFC and Chuckie Cheese.

According to pop culture historian Carlos Monsivais, “It’s like bringing ice to the Artic.” Or sand to Palm Desert. Or chocolate covered macadamia nuts to Hawaii.

The company’s branding strategy-“Taco Bell is something else”-is an attempt to distance itself from any comparison to Mexico’s beloved taquerias, which sell traditional corn tortillas stuffed with an endless variety of fillings, from spicy beef to corn fungus and cow eyes. I’ve always like my cow eyes with just a smidgen of guacamole.

Taco Bell made its name promoting a menu to Americans as something straight out of Mexico. But it’s a very different dynamic south of the border. Here, the company is projecting a more “American” fast-food image by adding french fries topped with cheese, sour cream, ground meat and tomatoes to the menu at its first store which opened in late September. Also new is soft-serve ice cream and customers being quizzed on the NAFTA agreement before ordering.

Taco Bell failed with an earlier, highly publicized launch in Mexico City back in 1992. Since then, free trade and growing migration have made U.S. brands ubiquitous in Mexico, influencing everything from how people dress to how they talk. McDonald’s has modified it’s menu to offer eggs “a la Mexicana” and hands out packets of jalapeno sauce with its hamburgers. In contrast, Taco Bell advises customers of offerings that are “spicy” instead of the Spanish picante. Which reminds me of the Woody Allen line from “Play It Again, Sam” when Diane Keaton asked him “Don’t you cook anything besides frozen dinners? “Who bothers to cook them?” replied the Woodman.

According to Monsivais, “Taco Bell wants to take advantage of the perception that if something comes from the United States, it tastes better. It’s an absurd idea, and given that it’s so absurd, it may just be successful in the upper-class areas.” Mazel Tov!

Speaking of Bells, the tallest man in the United States, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, is 7-foot-8 sheriff’s deputy George Bell. That makes him two inches taller than the NBA’s current tallest player, Yao Ming, but stands below the Ukraine’s 8-foot-5.5 inch Leonid Stadnyk and China’s Bao Xi Shun, who is 7 feets, 8.95 inches. While making a guest appearance at a recent jockey’s convention, Stadnyk was shown a picture of George Bell and remarked, “Who is that shrimp?”

Bell played basketball in college and with the Harlem Globetrotters but lost interest in the sport when he was 30 and switched to law enforcement. About being so tall he says, “I have no choice but to like it. I’ve been dealing with a small man’s world since I was a kid.” Instead, he focuses on the perks of being tall, like getting free upgrades to first class on flights and always being the first to know when it’s raining.
Bell credits his late, great-aunt, Etonia Johnson, for having a positive attitude. “She always told me, “Don’t feel ashamed of yourself. Stand tall. God made you. Be happy and show your pride.'” I hear you. Just don’t sit in front of me at the movies.

That’s our Monday experience. Caught a beautiful sunrise Saturday morning that we’ll check out next week. Enjoy the day and enjoy the rise.