Posted on 12/05/2004 4:28:37 AM PST by Arrowhead1952
One family's tamalada marks its 32nd year.
By Suzannah Gonzales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, December 05, 2004
The aproned women crowded around a square table in the kitchen of the Balcones home Friday night, their hands busy and eyes focused on the work in front of them.
Piles of masa-covered ojas (corn husks), bowls of masa (corn dough) and containers of pork roast obscured the tabletop. With paint scrapers, some of the dozen or so women spread a thin layer of masa on the shucks. Others put a few spoonfuls of meat in a thin column on each masa-covered oja, rolled them and folded them.
While they worked, the women talked about school programs, pregnancy and what utensil spreads masa best.
For the descendants of Gonzala Ruiz, the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend mean family and tradition — and tamales.
The family's tamalada— a gathering to make tamales, a Mexican American Christmastime staple — has come a long way since the first one in 1972.
Ruiz, originally from Tamaulipas, had died the year before, and four of her granddaughters didn't want to see her tamale recipe lost.
During that first gathering, Ruiz's eldest daughter, Esther Ancira, better known as Tía Tela among family members, passed down her mother's tamale recipe to her daughter, Ruth Madonna, and three of Madonna's cousins, Esther Stern, Yoli Ruiz and Carmen Tyler.
"Teach us what Grandma taught you," Tyler, 56, recalled them saying that day.
"They knew nothing," said Ancira, now 85. "They only knew how to eat (a tamale). But they were writing."
On a small piece of paper, the women scribbled a list of proportions of the ingredients Tía Tela never measured. The note has yellowed with age and is now kept in an album alongside photos and typed and handwritten notes from tamaladas past.
"Dec. 1972. 1. 8 1/2 lbs of pork roast 2. 1 hog's head 3. 53 lbs. of masa," the note reads. In 1996, "We won the National Championship. We beat Nebraska."
In 1997, guidelines — attendance rules, eligibility and an ad hoc hierarchy — for tamalada participants were established. In 1999, they welcomed 6-pound, 1-ounce, 20-inch-long Baby RJ. In 2002, they celebrated the tamalada's 30th anniversary and what had been a record output: 233 dozen tamales.
By Saturday evening 2004, there were 238 dozen and counting. On the grocery list were 20 pounds of ojas and 150 pounds of pork roast but no hog's head. The group switched to pork roast after one decade and after Madonna's heart surgery.
The women, descending on Austin from points as distant as North Carolina and as close as Round Rock, began about 9 a.m. Friday. They went until 11:30 that night but stayed at Tyler's house for an hour more, talking, counting and bagging tamales.
They started again about the same time Saturday and expected another late night.
Some tamales will be set aside for the big family gathering on Christmas Eve. The rest will be divided among tamalada participants.
The group waits to share big announcements until the tamalada each year. This year's news included four babies on the way and two engagements. The participants laugh, catch up and talk as if they see each other every month.
The tamalada is not to be missed and has never been canceled, persevering through a dozen births, four deaths, five weddings, three divorces and surgery.
Three generations sit around the table now. Kids who once played with their cousins during tamaladas are adults now and are part of the tamale-making process.
For Carmen Stern, Esther Stern's 25-year-old daughter, this year's tamalada was her first official one as a newly appointed "foil star member."
The foil star group is the bottom tier of the tamalada hierarchy, under the bronze and silver star members.
The "gold star" group has the four original students: Madonna, the elder Stern, Tyler and Yoli Ruiz. Their teacher, Ancira, is an "honorary platinum member."
Each group has its designated duties. The gold star members put meat on the masa-covered ojas. The younger Stern cleaned ojas, went to the store and was told to fetch lunch.
Being an official member of the tamalada is a lifelong commitment, the younger Stern explained.
"I'll come every year for the rest of my life for two days," she said. "Someday, when I have daughters, I'd like for them to join."
How long will the tamalada go on?
"Forever; I don't know," Madonna said. "I can't imagine not coming and making tamales."
BTW, speaking of traditions, I thought this was pretty neat!
When I was stationed in LA, one of our AF officers,Jose had his LA familia make them for our party. He said it was a special occasion because of the group chore. He also said if a Mexican restaurant does not have them,walk out. And judge restaurants based on their quality of tamale. I find it hard to leave any restaurant.
Now in Maine,there are growing numbers of Hispanics who come and/or stay for blueberry raking(harvest). Now there is a Mexican store and restaurant. The owner says she is Honduran and makes both kinds of Tamalis.
Reminds me of the days all the Ukrainian Aunts and Baba's would get together and make pirogies,borscht,petishka, (little buns stuffed with sauerkraut)paska and other dish's for the Ukrainian Christmas feast.
So many times conservatives write about family values, family traditions, worrying about the low birth rate, etc. Well, here you have not only a recipe for tamales, but a recipe for keeping families together, and encouraging families to have lots of children. If Mama's not happy, nobody's happy, and these women sound *happy* doing domestic things, keeping traditions alive, etc.
Rosa a lady where I work sometimes brings me home made tamales. :O)
Dip the tamales in Borscht! :o)
Tamales are still very tasty. I would never find the time to make them from scratch but you can buy good fresh tamales --- they're certainly not a health food though especially if made right.
Tamales are a tradition of SW Americans --- not just Mexicans.
I know. You can get those tacos cooked in a tiny amount of vegetable oil but they aren't worth eating --- they can never compare with those where the lard is dripping down your arm off your elbow. Same with refried beans --- it's got to be real lard or don't bother.
BOOKMARK!
I love church tamales!
A woman at my office has a tia or an abuelita (I forget which) who makes tamales for holidays. Pork and turkey, regular or spicy . . . I always get two dozen of each, spiced way up. Oh, MAN, is that ever good. I had some for lunch yesterday and will no doubt duplicate the feat today.
Nothin' beats Mama's family recipe of homemade tamales!
Thanks for the great recipe and taking the time to type it out for all of us.
I like Kung Po chicken a lot better. Thus all illegal Chinese should get amnesty
Oh, come on. Mexico is not a "third world country." Anyway, except for the deceased great-grandma (maybe), everyone in the story sounded like an American.
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Mexico is most assuredly a 3rd world nation. That's why it is clamped on like a lamprey to this 1st world nation
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