"Why are we here? What is the meaning of life?" It's a question philosophers and dreamers have been asking for centuries. I don't claim to have the answer, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Mexican Food.

It's a little known fact that the purest form this genre of food has ever taken was not to be found in Mexico. Instead, it took shape in a small restaurant in San Francisco, run by Ray LeFevre and recognized by the sign on the front reading "Mucho Mas #10."

Mucho Mas was a heavenly place. The freshest ingredients were mixed perfectly into enormous portions. Ray's culinary brilliance was matched only by his kindness and willingness to chat with the customers (even us high school kids who would come by every day). He was the sole employee, and with the store open from 11am to 8pm, six days a week, he must have devoted most of his time to the restaurant.

My order usually consisted of:

• Steak Mucho Mas Burrito, no sour cream
• Salmon Taco
• Chicken Tortilla Soup

The steak was better than anything in the world. Its flavor was so intense it put to shame not only every other mexican restaurant, but most steak houses as well. The burritos came in three sizes: Regular, Especial, and Mucho Mas (under which read "One Big Burrito, Amigo!"... It was truly gigantic). The fish tacos were served as half a salmon steak, a big sliver of avocado with a sauce that tied it together perfectly. And the tortilla soup had pieces of fresh chicken, tortilla chips and melted cheese all mixed in an excellent broth.

Mucho Mas made us happy for four years, and was our main reason to return to SF after leaving for college (sure, it was nice to see family and all, but one needs to have one's priorities). That is until the worst day in existence, when it was taken from us. On September 10th, 1998, I received the following e-mail:

Subject: i've been in denial all day

but i guess i'll have to let you all in.  this might be the worst news ever
in the history of ever, and antoine, brace yrself.  shit, i feel bad just
having to be the one with the news.  okay okay, here goes...

so I'm getting my brand new glasses (calvin kleins, styl-ish and tiny, but
cool) today over at 21st and mission and I'm getting the hunger right,
haven't eaten all day.  Fuck, I can't do it this way, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.  okay
what it boils down to is that I went to mucho mas and it's gutted.  menu
gone, pictures gone, everything is gone, there is no sign, there is no
nothing.  i called and the phone just keeps rining.  there's what looks
like some construction stuff inside by not like they were trying to keep
the place clean.  I can only pray that ray is remodeling, but I would think
there would be a sign or he would have told antoine last week.  in case you
are like, what is he trying to say.  Mucho Mas doesn't exist!!!!  there is
no reason for me to be in sf ever again.  ever.  this is truly one of the
saddest days for food.  I'd like you all to take a moment for the fine
purveyor of fish tacos and machaka.

why Ray, why?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why oh why...

(I really hope I'm just being dumb and someone just forgot to tell me that
mucho mas is moving to olympia...)

-aaron

I had eaten my last Mucho Mas meal only a week before, but have had to live my life since constantly questioning what might have happened. Clearly, the forces of evil were at work here, but we have had no idea how to right the situation. Why did Mucho Mas close? Why didn't Ray tell us our fate at our last meeting? And, the biggest question of all, where is Ray now and is there a new Mucho Mas?

These questions have gone unanswered. If you have any information that may help us in our quest for truth and justice, please let me know! Or, if you too were a victim of this horrible tragedy (and really, who wasn't?!?), we'd all love to share in your pain.