They say that "food is best enjoyed with friends", and I experienced that tonight. Albeit new friends. ...even if they do know your friends, haunted your haunts, dream your dreams, and speak your language!
We recently met this couple who, years ago, actually lived in Guadalajara at the same time as my husband, were friends with his friends, ate at the same places, experienced so much of the same life as him, and they never met. Until now. I don't know how the whole 6 degrees of separation thing works, but I think it's really a matter of timing and miles. We all live on this great big globe and have sooooooo much more in common than we think!
I am generally shy when I first meet people. No, not shy - scared to death (if I'm going to be honest about it). I'm so nervous to make new friends that I might not even really be all with it at first. This happened to me tonight. I could watch myself frozen. I can't seem to comprehend social cues correctly - laugh at the right thing, say the right thing, say what I want to say. (And on top of all that, trying to watch my toddler!) But, I can cook them a mean meal. I put three days into the tamales I served tonight, and not only were they eaten up instantly, but the woman actually said something to the effect of, "So this is your spiritual gift, isn't it?" And I was honestly really relieved that she saw that. (Not many people do.) It seemed to mean something to them that I put a lot of effort into a meal that they enjoyed, which sparked conversation about days in Mexico... even if they thought I was a bit of a babbling idiot.
When I say I put three days into these tamales, I mean three days of my child watching Bubble Guppies so that I could wash corn husks and banana leaves, make four masas, cook chicken and make a sauce, boil strawberries down for a glaze, stuff tamales, and steam and bake four batches of tamales with a jerry-rigged steamer! I LOVED IT!!!!!! Tamales are extremely time-consuming and, honestly, pesky and temperamental creatures. But these turned out amazing. I was really scared they wouldn't and was prepared to be really disappointed! So, I'm really proud of myself =)
This is one of those recipes that you simply can't convey in a few simple steps. You need to hang out in the cocina with a Mexican lady for awhile to pick up on a few skills. And if you can't find a Mexican to teach you, I hope to be teaching classes in the near future!!!!
(AKA: I'm too tired to write out 4,000 steps tonight and I didn't take any pictures!)
Those tamale were fantastic! And you weren't a babbling idiot even in the least bit! They loved your tamales and you.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely come to a tamale-making class. I always order tamales when we go out because I figure I should order something I can't make myself. I'd love to learn how because they're my favorite!
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