---

Nadine sez...

Just as life forms evolve, so do foods. Cuisines change over time with the fusion of new methods of cooking and discovery of new ingredients.

When it comes to fast-food Mexican, evolution has taken the form of portability to suit a culture on the move. Thus, the bundled burrito has given way to Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme, which proves to be a supremo car food.

The Crunchwrap Supreme is a crunchy tostada topped with the usual Taco Bell beef, cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream, wrapped up warm and snuggly in a flour tortilla to form a hexagon -- you remember your high school geometry, right?

It's soft, it's crunchy and best of all, leaves your hands clean. Plus, with all the traffic jams lately, you'll save time by combining driving and dinner.

You can add hot sauce as you go along, but one person I know saves time by squeezing the hot sauce into his mouth before taking a bite. Olé!

Place: Taco Bell, all locations
Cost: $2.59; combo with large drink and taco is $4.89

---

STAR-BULLETIN FILE PHOTO / 2005

---

Betty sez ...

This is children's literature weekend. Begin early Friday with a speed-read of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," followed by the DVD viewing of Gene Wilder in the 1971 "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," followed by the in-theater viewing of Johnny Depp in the current film version (review on Page 16), followed by lining up at the bookstore at midnight for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

While in line, compare notes about the book vs. the film (old) vs. the film (new), and try to remember what happened in Harry Potter Book 5.

I was stupid enough to suggest to my kids that we skip the midnight thing and pick up our pre-reserved Harry Potter at a civilized hour on Saturday, to which my daughter replied (imagine the frantic pitch): "What are you talking about? We HAVE to go!"

Well, at least she believes in something.

Gary sez ...

And speaking of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," remember the Oompa Loompas ? With two of my favorite people, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, behind the new movie, it should be as good as their earlier "Edward Scissorhands" and "Ed Wood" collaborations. There's more of the "little people" this weekend in concert, as MINIKISS rawks out the Pipeline Cafe. See Page 12.

---