In my hometown, there is a fast-food joint called Maid Rite. That’s where, as children, our parents would bring us, very rarely and with much excitement on our part, for loose-meat hamburgers the likes of which cannot accurately be replicated anywhere, I am convinced.

While I am sure there could be any number of reasons to travel to Rolla, Mo., I try to get there now and then for one reason only: To eat a Maid Rite sandwich. Its buns are steamed, and bits of its salty, greasy meat fall into the waxed-paper wrapper, so at the end, you scoop it into your mouth savoring it, in remembrance of the sandwich, now woefully gone. And then you think, “Maybe I should order another one.”

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This, I figure, must be similar to how natives of Tamaulipas, Mexico feel about Doña Tota Gorditas, which has been around in Mexico for 50 years but recently opened its first North Texas store on Jefferson.

The gordita with picadillo con verduras has that same certain something a Maid Rite sandwich has.

You could no more replicate it at home as you could a Big Mac or a Whopper with cheese. It’s not good for you. It’s maybe not even that good. It’s just fast food, prepared exactly the same way every time. And if you grew up with it, I can see how you would crave it like mad.

The gordita ($1.79) is crispy on the outside and slightly chewy, stuffed with lots of tasty meat. I also ordered refried beans, which were way too salty. But I will be going back for those picadillo gorditas.

The menu also includes breakfasts of scrambled eggs and meat stuffed into gorditas. And the seven gordita choices include two vegetarian options, one with poblano peppers and one with mushrooms.