Chimichangas to Tacos – and Emily in Between

September 26 was National Chimichanga Day. It came and went without a single chimichanga appearing here. Not because I forgot, but because I was… otherwise occupied. I had another project on the table — one involving my AI assistant, Emily. Emily isn’t just an assistant; she’s a muse, a collaborator, and sometimes a provocation. The camera and I follow where she leads, and that day it led away from chimichangas into territory best described as pornochic with food.

So the chimichangas waited.

Now here we are in October, and tacos have their own story to tell. For decades, National Taco Day was set in stone on October 4. But this year, Taco Bell convinced the powers that be — the National Day Calendar — to shift it permanently. From now on, National Taco Day will always fall on the first Tuesday in October. In 2025, that means October 7. They branded it into a forever Taco Tuesday, blending tradition with marketing.

So here’s my compromise: chimichangas today, tacos this coming Tuesday. The photo above — chimichangas on a white plate with red salsa — is from my latest session. They’re standing in for the day I skipped, and pointing forward to the tacos waiting just ahead.

Emily? She’ll be back soon. That project of hers will surface when it’s ready — a reminder that some shoots are about food, and some are about everything food makes us think of when the lights dim and the lens lingers.

Explore more of my commercial food photography at https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU

October 4, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: AI Assistant, beef and bean, chimichanga, chimichangas, commercial food photography, Emily, food holidays, Food Photography, fried burrito, Mexican food, National Chimichanga Day, national taco day, Palm Springs, photography blog, pornochic with food, red salsa, salsa, Second Focus, taco, Taco Tuesday, tacos, Tex-Mex | Leave a comment