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Ricardo Erik Corona

Professor Kim Lacey

English 111

19 September 2019
The Tricky Corn Husk

Throughout my whole life, I have been raised around Mexican dishes, but the one dish

that stands out most would be tamales. There are many flavorus dishes that my mother would

make for my family and I from homemade beef tacos to quesadillas. Tamales are usually made

for special occasions or celebrations because of how difficult they are to make. They are a savory

dish that can be accommodated for just about anyone. There is so much that goes into making

tamales that only one person making them is certainly not enough. Tamales are also very tricky

for someone who has never eaten them before. I had always seen my mom, aunts, or family

friends work together to make the tasty tamale, but I had never made one myself. This changed

on my eighteenth birthday when there was no one left to help my mother, but me.

I never really helped in the kitchen as I grew up. In Mexico where my parents were born

and raised women are usually the ones who cook and clean, while men do work on the farm or

around the house. My parents follow these customs still here in the United States, even if they

are not the norm here. I usually found myself outside with my father doing work around the

house or outside playing sports with my neighbors while my mom and sister prepared food for

my family inside. My sister had no choice but to go under my mother's wing and learn how to do

things in the house like cook and clean. My mother is a very generous and giving lady, she

always wanted the best for my sister and I, and she always pushed us to learn as much as we

could. She always wanted me to learn how to clean and cook as well, but I would never listen,

especially since my father would let me off the hook on those types of things. As a child, I had
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no interest in cooking or knowing how to cook certain meals. I was dependent on my mother to

cook for me and I did not want to learn how to. Although, as I grew older cooking became more

appealing to me. It was something that became a bit more interesting over-time, something that I

did not know how to do, but eventually wanted to learn.

It was about when I was sixteen, my mom and aunts were preparing our Christmas dinner

that started with tamales, I began to ask what they had to do to make the tamales. They began to

list step after step and I was lost on what was needed to be done. My mom yelled saying, “Salte

de aquí andamos haciendo la comida y estás estorbando”. This translates to “Get out of here we

are making food and you’re getting in the way” I grew up speaking both Spanish and English

since my parents knew little English. After this occurred I walked out, but speculated from afar at

what was being done. The corn husk were sitting in a bowl while my mom and aunts filled them

with masa harina, known as cornflour in English. After that, they would fill them with either

pork or chicken for a sort of filling and wrap them up to finish. Lastly, they let them sit in a deep

baking dish for over an hour before they finish cooking. While the aroma of cooked masa floated

around in the air, I sat aside and wanted to learn how to cook, how to do things for myself. I was

unsure of when this day would come, but I knew one day I would learn.

Then my eighteenth birthday came around, as usual, my mom wanted to make a meal we

do not have all the time. She insisted on making tamales for my birthday celebration, knowing

that there was going to be a lot to do, still, she insisted on making tamales. We celebrated my

birthday on a Saturday because it was the only day my mother had off of work. Both my father

and sister were at work for the day, and I was at home with my mother. I remember waking up

early that morning to a beaming light from the sun through my window. Spring was finally here

so it was not hot nor cold outside, it was the perfect temperature. I walked to the kitchen to the
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smell of freshly cooked bacon and scrambled eggs. My mother had prepared a quick and simple

breakfast for me. As I ate my breakfast she then asked, “Me quieres ayudar hacer los tamales?”

which translates to “Do you want to help me make the tamales?”. This was a no brainer, it was

something I never saw coming, I was up and ready to make them in a heartbeat. She then started

to make the masa and I watched as she did, then I took over for a bit and made some myself.

After this we began to get the chicken and pork ready, she would let me know what to do, step-

by-step. After we prepared the chicken and pork we began to unwrap corn husks. We unwrapped

husk after husk, it seemed to be never-ending. Finally, after we finished unwrapping the corn

husk we had to fill them with first the masa, then the filling either chicken or pork, and then

some more masa. After this we would wrap them up, this was a tricky step because you had to

have a gentle hand while wrapping them to finish. This final step with filling the tamales was

very difficult for me. I could not wrap them once I was finished and it took a lot of work for me

to get comfortable doing it. After we put them aside in a deep pan that they cook in.

This was an experience I will never forget, it was a bonding moment with my mother and

what she has come from. Her life has not been the easiest, which is why she does the things she

does for my sister and I to have the life she never did. The tamales for my family and I are not

just-food. They represent much more, they represent where my parents came from, and teach

those who learn how to make them that life is not easy, but it surely can be worth it. The outside

of the tamales are tough because of the corn husk, but you do not eat that part. You have to

unwrap the corn husk to allow yourself to find what is inside. A nice fluffy, soft, warm tamale

with tons of flavor. They may not be easy to make, and may be problematic for someone who has

never eaten them before, but they are worth it. I am glad that the day of my eighteenth birthday I

was able to make that dish with the most important person in my life.