Is it a tamal, or is it bad?
The title is the only dad joke my Mexican father ever told me. In English, it means “Is it a tamal, or is it bad?” It’s funnier when spoken. However, it speaks to a longstanding traditional dish seen throughout many Latinx cultures: tamales. By far one of my favorite foods in my culture. A simple and elegant dish comprising of a doughy mass seasoned with spices and stuffed with similarly seasoned filling of choice (chicken, beef, pork, goat, beans...) all wrapped up in a corn husk and steamed. It’s a tedious process to make, but the rewards speak for themselves. Often tamales are made for special occasions, particularly Christmas and The Feast on the 2nd of February.
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