The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-11-28
A MEXICAN TAMALERO,
Chat With One of These Curious Street
Corner Merchants.

Corner Merchants.
Juan Gonzales. q vender of chile con
carne and tamales-the latter looking
like poultices-is Mexican far above
the intelligence of his guild, and is the
inventor of device of keeping his
dishes warm. Juan, who is a cashlered
Mexican army officer, speaks Spanish.
of course, and is as garrulous as bar
Der. Dishing out dimes worth of
tamales last night he discoursed about
his business in the United States, say
ing: Mexican dishes are rapidly COM
ing in favor here because they are
healthy, and in the interest of economy
and reform. This is a sort of city
council translation of Juan's Spanish.
You see the garlic in them kills the
worms; the pepper slaves off malaria,
and then the scraps of meat that are
thrown away at dinner will make
enough chile con carne or tamales for
breakfast and supper and leave few to
pass around to the neighbors. When l
came to Dallas six years ago there were
only six tamaleros in the city, or town,
as it then was; now there are about fifty
of US, and there is any amount of inquiry
from Mexico about Dallas"
"What does it cost to make tamales?"
"Well, we get our meat for about So
cents a pound, our corn for 80 cents
bushel, lard costs about ten cents a
pound, and the corn shucks to wrap the
meat in we can get at the feed stores for
nothing. A dollars worth of raw ma
terial makes about $50 worth of tamales
and like amount of chile con carne.
Where business is brisk it pays equal to
a bar-room without license. Tamales
sell better here and are less costly to
make than in Mexico. Over there they
are put up in this way: The corn is
scalded with lime, which has the effect
of destroying its bitter fibers. 1t is then
ground in metal, sort of mortar made
of a ferruginous sterre. 1t is next mixed
with pork or chicken and seasoned with
chile, garlic, oregano and caminos-this
is the seasoning described by Horace
used at the table of the patricians of
ancient Rome-after which it is
wrapped in corn shuck and is then
ready for cooking. When first came to
Dallas l sold these regulation tamales,
but Americans soon after went into the
business and made compound of corn
meal, red pepper and beef which seemed
to answer just as we'll, and Icing cheaper
would have run us out of the market if
we had not resorted to the same
cheap preparation. Chile con carne
has been subjected to like de-
generation, and is made of cheap
beef, chile and grease without fine
seasoning. Notwithstanding this the
consumption of both these arti-
cles has increased in Dallas even above
it's population. When first came here
the business did not run over 81, 900
year; now it runs over $780, 600 year.
A party of us are thinking of starting
regular Mexican restaurant here with
bill of fare consisting of chile con carne,
tamales, tortillas, enchiladas, calrita
and such drinks as pulque and mezcal.
This is President Diaz' bill of fare, and
it is hard to beat. The trouble with
AmeFicau cnolsi Or 10 that it does not sit
gently on the stomach In not climate.
The grease with which it is saturated
either leads to fat or dyspepsia, while
in our cuisine the seasoning counteracts
the grease and leaves the person thin
and muscular, and with his stomach al
ways stimulated and free from foreign
organisms. You can travel all over the
terra callente of Mexico without find
ing fat man. And yet the people there
are possessed of wonderful endurance,
so much so that the troops have fire.
quently made fifty miles day in forced
marches, and it used net to be an I'M
common thing to sec a man start out
from Tuxpan or Tampico on tramp of
nifty miles with sewing-machine on
his back. Buenos tardes, senior. dallas
Tex NoWS