On 5 Apr 2014 15:14:20 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2014-04-05, jmcquown > wrote:
>
>> For me it was tamales. Tamales are really a multi-person assembly line
>> process. Without a lot of help they take forever to make.
>
>....and are mostly poor ppl fodder, simple filler food.
>
>I was shocked when I helped a very traditional older Mexican lady make
>tamales. I figured, since the tamales are not being sold for $$ to
>stupid gringos, these will be meaty and satisfying. Wrong! The
>masa/chili mix was fully 50% manteca and the mixture made up at least
>85%-90% of the tamale! Despite these tamales being made for her
>family, the meat mixture was still only a smear of flavor in the masa
>crust. Only a few grams of actual meat made it to each finished
>tamale. I love a good tamale, but "good" means it has some serious
>meat in it. For the most part, traditional tamales do not. Merely
>the tease of meat.
>
>nb

It is possible that the woman was making tamales for an large extended
family and could not afford enough meat to make them like the
"gringos" think they should be. If you have plenty of money or are
making them for a limited number of people you can use as much meat as
you want.


--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)