Parking lot Tamales

      I may have mentioned that I live in Southern California. If you were to ask me for a recommendation for authentic Mexican food, you may be surprised when I direct you down Bear Valley Boulevard to the Dollar Store parking lot and tell you to walk up to the light brown van parked there and ask for Fernando. His family makes the best tamales in town. Parking lots and tamales may not sound like a good combination, you may even think it sounds dangerous, however, I have found them to be amazing. It is not at all uncommon to be walking toward a store and have someone call out to you, "Tamales?" My friend Tamala once thought someone knew her because this happened. The man asked her, "Tamales?" And she thought he somehow knew her and was calling her name with an accent, so she answered, "Yes?" and her then told her "One Dollar." She quickly figured out that she had just agreed to a tamale purchase. I don't know if she went home with dinner or not, but she certainly should have. I swear on my beagles life, this is a true story. Now before you go out there in hopes of scoring some dinner, there are some guidelines you need to know about. And since I am such a sweetie pie, I'm going to help you out with a few of the basics. First, never follow someone into a back alley with hopes of getting a tamale bargain, it's just not going to end well. Second, get the pork. (My husband was offered a mozzarella tamale once, I'm not too sure what that was all about, but being the smart man that he is, he quickly refused the offer.) Thirdly, never approach someone who you think is selling tamales, let them approach you, unless it is Fernando at the Dollar Store parking lot, (otherwise you can get into a whole heap load of trouble, take my word for it.)  Never buy tamales from a gas station parking lot. I don't have a good reason for this, it just seems nasty to me. And lastly, don't buy from a Gringo. They just can't pull off an authentic tamale, as hard as they may try. The only exception to this rule is if it is a Texan Gringo. They know a thing or two about Mexican food. Well, I hope I have helped to ease the fear of parking lot tamales for you, if I have, then I know in my heart that I have served society well. You just can't beat a homemade batch of steamed parking lot tamales. But don't just take my word for it, find out for yourself.
     Till next time,
     Tamales for dinner tonight,
     Miss Jodi