You Got Some 'Splaining To Do: What’s The Deal With Rocks In Your Beans?
A conversation came up at Guanabee headquarters yesterday when someone chipped a tooth on a rock they found in their lentil salad. It reminded us that we were recently explaining to an Anglo friend about the risk of finding rocks in your beans. Our friend told us he’d never come across one, to which we replied, “You don’t eat enough beans.” Being born and raised beaners, we have found more than our fair share of rocks in various tacos de frijoles over the years. It got us curious and we even Googled it to no avail. So we’re reaching out to you, dear readers. Have you ever had the same experience? Please let us know.
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- Managing Editor
Daniel Mauser
- Editor
Cindy Casares
- Associate Editor
Alex Alvarez
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Gabriel Caro - Camilla Rowan
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Marcelo Cunning
As a result of being surrounded by Puerto Rican women since the day I was born, I was bread on arroz con gandules/habichuelas. Not once have I, nor any other family member, bit into a delicious forkful of beans only to discover we were chomping down on some stupid rock.
I find this extremely weird. Whoever suffered this misfortune may want to see Dr. Tim Whatley. I hear he offers top notch waiting room magazines.
Posted by Bobbo | August 01, 2007
That was me!!! Chipper!
Posted by Daniel Mauser | August 01, 2007
although like Bobbo i’ve never found rocks in my pupusas de frijoles, i know exactly what you’re talking about! my mum would buy beans wholesale and would wash them and then run them through a makeshift strainer TO GET RID OF PEBBLES. I think it’s just how the beans are processed, and not everything gets taken out (they are dry beans of course). maybe the place where you get your frijoles is too lazy to take this extra step.
Posted by princesa927 | August 01, 2007
Yup I’ll agree with the whole finding pebbles in the beans from the market..but from food from a restaurant? Even the guys in the taco trucks are more cautious than that!
Posted by CaliRican | August 01, 2007
I’m an old white woman from Texas. Pinto beans were always a staple in my house. When I married, we lived in Indiana for a while. Those yanks didn’t even know what a pinto bean was, much less eat them.
And, yes, my mother taught me to wash them and pick them over good to remove any pebbles.
Posted by Trish | August 01, 2007
Jesus Christ even the worst pocha among us knows better than to not clean the beans before washing them and cooking them.
Rocks in beans=careless cooks. Sheesh!
Posted by leesee | August 01, 2007
Old window screen + careful eyes = No rocks in beans. Of course, now that I lack a pressure cooker, the only frijoles I eat are from cans. Lame, I know.
Posted by Abi | August 01, 2007
Buying canned beans will reduce the probability of biting into a rock by 99.9%. The other day I found a huge rock in a bag of dried lentils (after washing them twice!) and swore to buy canned beans from now on.
Posted by Bosrican | August 01, 2007
It is obvious that here in Mexico the Frijole Bags are full of rocks because you buy the bag for its weight… Corruption is the name of the game!!! Put a few rocks here and a few there and you end up having a lot more bags to sell…!
Posted by ErickMex | August 01, 2007
That’s why you always see grandmas cleaning their beans before cooking them! But even after such an arduous filtering process, I have still managed to swallow a few rocks.
Posted by Raul | August 01, 2007