Tamales: History, Regional Differences, and Family Cultural Interpreta

Tamales History, Regional Differences, and Family Cultural Interpretations Introduction impost has been said to mirror a way of life. Observation has concluded that participants in impost actively construct as well as reflect culture and community (Sacks 275). For most sight in the 21st century, tradition only reveals itself during special times or certain seasons. For others it is simply a way of life. The foodways of Mexicans and Native Americans are of particular interest in this check because of the food that grew from necessity and is maintained as sacred or speechless for only special occasions. The tamale is one such food. Significantly changed and altered throughout register it has remained a food of commonality and prestige at the homogeneous time. The tamale represents a nation that thrived as a people and has continued to make it on through the traditions created hundreds of years ago by women who strive to break-dance their community, their men, and the general way of life and welfare of their people. Native American people are the backdrop of southwestern history and as such we much look to them for answers regarding the past. The past provides acts as vault filled with a wealth of information concerning a great number of cultural artifacts. My personal history with tamales is filled with thoughts and memories of family, fun, love, and laughter. I began making tamales with my mother, grandmother, and aunts at a very early age. In the beginning, I was not allowed to participate too deeply. As I grew older and began to appreciate the delicate balance of spreading, filling, wrapping, and steaming, my hands and my soul became truly imbedded in a tradition so deep it almost ove... ...s concomitant to each other is created through the events that occur in the kitchen. Works Cited Bensinger, Ken. angry Tamales vs. Happy Meals. Art News Art in America. 10110 (2002) 56.Girardin, Carmen. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Gutierrez, Nieta. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Lasater, Nicole. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Martinez, Melanie. The Molino. quaternate Genre Explorations in Non-Fiction. 7.1 (2005) 1-8. Sacks, Maurie. Computing Community at Purim. The Journal of American Folklore. 102.405 (1989) 275-291. Sanchez, MaryEllen. Personal Interview. 11 July, 2007. Soto, Gary. Too Many Tamales. New York Putnam and Grosset, 1996. Tapp, Alice Guadalupe. Tamales 101 A Beginners Guide to Making Traditional Tamales. California, Ten Speed, 2002.