On Olympia, Riot Grrrl, Kurt Cobain, and Tacos California

When in Olympia, rock out and eat a burrito like the locals do.

One of life’s small misconceptions is that Riot Grrrl – the eighties/nineties feminist punk movement – originated in DC. While it is true that the scene found early footing there, its beginnings can be traced to the other Washington capital: Olympia.

In many ways, Riot Grrrl was a precursor to grunge, if only for a short time span. Counterculture DIY flourished during its ascendance, and feminist zines like BUST went from being flimsily photocopied publications to receiving mainstream magazine makeovers. Riot Grrrl may not have the same name recognition as grunge, but its cultural significance cannot be understated.

You can dig into the Riot Grrrl scene fairly deeply – find some links at the bottom of the post – but in short, it’s a fitting example of how Olympia often gets unfairly slighted.

Bikini Kill: Zine and leading Riot Grrrl band.

This all is a rambling digression to get to my initially intended thesis. For its size, Olympia has a legit food scene, one that includes my favorite taco truck:

Tacos California

It’s all in the burritos or, perhaps more accurately, the meat. While many trucks deliver serviceable carne asada, Tacos California serves something more elevated, something closer to a proper pepper steak. The meat is tender and cleanly spiced with black pepper and requires little in terms of sauces and other accouterments. You can get those, of course, if you go with something like the “Supreme Burrito,” but if you want to keep it streamlined, stick with the subtleties of the regular one.

A well-prepared tortilla on the left. The tacos on the right – enjoyed by Intern Jon – give you an idea of what the meat looks like.

This is where I was going to pivot and wax poetically about Quality Burrito as a second stop on a burrito bang-bang before learning that the place shut down just a month ago. It’s a bummer, and if a place upheld the Riot Grrrl vibe perfectly, it was the QB. To wit, these were the types of portraits that covered their walls.

They literally had hundreds of these.

So, for now, check out Tacos California – in this case, the one on 4th Ave – and, if you’re feeling saucy, try a few pizzas, too.

Meanwhile, Just Up the Street…

During grunge’s infancy, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain spent time in Olympia, sporadically sharing a house with Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna. It was here “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was coined after Hanna graffitied “Kurt smells like Teen Spirit” on a wall. Cobain wouldn’t actually learn that Teen Spirit was a deodorant until after they released the hit song.

The house, which is on the Olympia Historical Society’s pop-culture list, is located at 114 Pear St NE, a few blocks from Tacos California. It’s not a super exciting visit, but it’s worth the two-minute walk nonetheless. You can even Airbnb it.

An old rocker stands in front of Cobain’s house, fittingly with a maxi-single of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in hand.

For More Rioting

Moxie

Amy Poehler directed an adaptation of Moxie, a coming-of-age comedy that centers on a new generation’s relationship with Riot Grrrl. The film is set in Spokane and even has a shout-out to the city’s storied record store, 4000 Holes. Moxie – and its banging soundtrack – streams on Netflix.

A Couple of Good Articles

NME’s “A Brief History of Riot Grrrl” may indeed be brief, but it is also comprehensive. New York Times’ “Riot Grrrl United Feminism and Punk“ playlist is worth a look, too.

Riot grrrl. (2024, December 28). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot_grrrl