In Search of a Tasty, Crunchy Tortilla
“Why don’t they give us things we can actually use?
I don’t need a thinner phone. You know what I need?
I need a tortilla chip that can support the weight of guacamole!” So said Ellen DeGeneres.
The same might be said of a tortilla, the humble foundation for the heavy-laden taco. For millions, this versatile, Mayan creation is a substitute for the fork, spoon, chopsticks, sandwich, and napkin.
Backyard Tortillas
The best tortillas I ever ate were in Tulum, Mexico, and made by the woman pictured above. She turned out hundreds of them in her backyard, all cooked on a fabricated stove top (an oil drum lid).
“I’ll Take a Kilo”
I bought a kilo for 50 cents. I’m not sure what a kilo is, but it was a good-size stack. We made the transaction with her speaking one language and me another and using lots of hand signs.
As I counted out the coins, she shooed away several chickens from her outdoor kitchen, and unpinned a used, plastic bag from the clothesline overhead. It was unclear what other uses the bag had been put to, but for the occasion, it had apparently been washed and dried in the sun.
Tortilla Shopping in the Midwest
I’ve now come upon a sturdy, tasty tortilla on this side of the border. Schnuck’s, Dierberg’s, and Shop n’ Save offer Tortilla Land, a fresh, uncooked, gluten-free, stone-ground, masa tortilla with no preservatives, cholesterol, or lard.
They can be cooked on a non-stick skillet without grease for 30 seconds per side and then stuffed with your favorite fillings. At 60 calories each, you might want to check these out.
Robin tells me there are small, Mexican groceries that carry the homemade variety much like what we had in Tulum. (Though they are likely cooked on a stove top rather than an oil drum lid, which I’m sure would influence the flavor.)
My favorite: Tortilla Land
Taco Thought for the Day
“It’s good to know that a conversation about tacos will always engender a sense of comfort and happiness. If only we could sit down at a big round world table and eat tacos in a spirit of love we might begin to work on world peace!” ~Denise Chavez, A Taco Testimony
