The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1907-03-15
Evening Telegram.

Evening Telegram.
"Hot Tamales.',
How many people in this city
are familiar with that call and have
time and again purchased one
or more of the hot little cornhusk
packages from the dusky peddler
at two for a quarter?
Imagine yourself to be the pur.
chaser.s With what inticipations
have you unwrapped the steaming
packages which have disclosed to
you mixture of white cornmeal,
and yellow pepper sauce, in the
center of which was morsel of
chicken, or an imitati of chick.
en-, and a picked olive. When the
spicy aroma from the steaming
morsel reached your nostrils, your
appetite became 80 sharpened that
you could scarcely wait for the dain-
ty bit to cool, and you proceeded to
enjoy it with your mug of foaming
beer or your cup of hot coffee.
But did you ever stop to think of
what, when, where and by whom
these delicscies were made? If you
did and you knew. the truth, you
certainly never ate any more ia
males.
Three-fourth of the tamales con-
sumed in Portland are manufac-
tured in surroundings so dirty and
filthy that your imagination would
have to be extremely vivid if it de-
picted the real connitions.
Recently visit was made tc' the
places where at least so dozen ia.
males are made each day.
One of the favorite makes Is the
Eagle Brand of tamale, manufac-
tured by Guy Chew, $40 East O. K
street The factory is in the rear
of his store, in shed, that is used
also as a woodshed, drying room
for clothes, and storeroom for old
boxes and other traps.
Two visits were made to this es-
tablishment. On the first, large
washtubs Of cooked cornmeal and
the pepper sauce stood on the floor
in the shed, covered with dust and
dirt, and over the mixture hung
lot Of wet underwear rece ntiy
washed. The dirty, soapy water
dripred iato the tamale filling.
Pans and kettles were filthy. All
sorts of dirt and litter covered the
floor, and tamales were spread in
large trays everywhere.
The tamales were wrapped in
another room which wes somewhat
cleaner in appearance. Doing the
work we're three Cinnamon and q
woman. Corn husks with which
the tamales were made were in q
pile on the floor, where they were
tramped upon by every body. The
spice mill was covered with a horse e
blanket.
Guy Chew was advised to clean
up the premises, and at the next
visit the place bai undergone rem.
ovation, but 1t was none too clean.
H. made all sorts Of excuses for the
fitthiness of the premises on the
former visit, and said that hereaf-
ter he would "kleep muchee klean. "
At III North Seventh street the
most filthy place where tamales
were made, was discovered. 1t
wac in dark, damp musty base
ment. The door was partially op.
ened, and it was so dark that moth
ing inside could be discerned.
Pushing into the place in the
dim light were disclosed seven AT.
ghans making tamsles. After con.
siderable persuasion, one of the
men lighted coal oil lamp and an
investigation Of the premises was
made, The room had no air ventil-
|ators, and "a damp, dark and FL.
thy. There was small stove, on
which the tamales we're cooked. and
the scanty cans and tubs In which
the various mixtures we've made
were dirty and piled around the
floor.
Tamales were scattered every
where under the table where the
men were tramping on them and
and 10 various Iecep.acles which