The San Francisco call., 1908-05-17
CALIFORN|ANS find
DELIGHT IN TAMALE
ExiIes in New York Hail DiscOy-
ery of Delectable MOrsel
at Restaurant

The following appeared recently in
the New York sun 1t was written by
Robert L. Ritchie, a we'll known San
Francisco newspaperman and formerly
a member of The Call stan:
''The tamale came to Pearl street on
Saturday night. Came also to Pearl
street a-seeking it about 125 eager
Californians who had been diligently
running it to its lair since first they left
their home land to settle more or less
permanently on these barbarous and
tamaleless shores. AS result Of the
conjunction the tamale was sufficiently
fieeced by the Argonauts.
THE tamaIe. it 1aust be explained is
not an exotic fruit, nor yet is it hot
house flower to be set In vahaze on
the piano cover The tamale is the
realization of some forgotten culinary
dream of one of the long dead padres
who basked in the sunshine of Cali
fornia in the mission days before ever
the gringo came to the land. It's es-
sence is hot sunshine and its core is
golden with the CLINT of red gold. 1t
is to eat not hastily or with raven1ng
fingers but piously and with reverence
as If one were keeping sacrament
with the past. 1t lies temptingly in its
shell of yellow corn husks, treasure of
white meal and prickling chile. to be
sought delicately with fork and fingers.
'It so happened, so the tale was told
on Pearl street Saturday night, that q
restless Californian whose palate had
not forgotten the SAVIOR of Matias'
Mexican cookery in san francisco
shoddy Broadway had stumbled upon
the only New York lair Of the shrink
ing tamale He supped and then went
forth from that little Pearl street res
taurant with joy in his heart and the
glad tidings skipping from his lips to
all fellow exiles who remembered the
tamale when 1t was good on the mid
night street corner in San Francisco.
ColVin Brown, whose business here is
to boom everything pertaining to Cali
fornia, even tamales, mimeographed
| 800 copies of the articles of discovery
! and sent out these invitations to all
! Californians within the limits of
! Greater New York. Saturday night was
to be the night when memories were
| to be stripped with each leaf of the
captive tamale and a segment of the
| feet celebration in San Francisco was
! to be translated bodily TO the gloomy
vault beneath the Second avenue ele-
waited where Wall street crosses Pearl.
"Seventy-five were expected and about
| 125 came They came from the club,
from the parlors of uptown hotels and
! the Harlem fiat, some in evening
clothes that dazzled the eyes of the
|
skyscrapers. The procession that
picked its way down Wall street after
! dark and over the piles of cobbles
where the pavement had been torn up
| had all of the lingering panhandlers of
the financial district rubbing their eyes
in astonishment. The proprietor of the
captive tamale passed from stage OF
mild protest into high Spanish calm
when all seats were filled. and still
NIL Inns of the
sacred tamale.
1T would be unfair to reveal the
names of Fsome of those who appear in
the blue BOOK of society and who found
| enjoyment in getting place at the
tables. If even on top OF beer crate
screened with newspapers. Some found
that the butt end of a clothes basket
moved against a few spare inches at a
table corner gave an exciting vantage
point for the attack upon the tamale.
1t wabbled and gave every indication
| of being alive.
The tamale came and was welcomed
! to our city. After that some other hot
and Mexican things. then wine from
the red hills of Napa county and talk.
There used to be place before the
fire (not the earthquake, mind you) out
in San Francisco where all of the light
spirits of the town gathered on Sat
urday nights to play horse on the
sanded floors. Sanguinettis was the
name; the word still remains in the
vernacular of the town as a synonym
for everything that is carefree and un-
conventional. When Colvin Brown got
up at the coffee stage and mentioned
the hallowed name all of the hundred
odd tamale fed Californians forgot th<
near presence OF Wall street and the
environs of New York and turned or
the fun tap.
Bob Davis told how he once ordered
all of his dinner at Sanguinettis anC
an extra bottle of wine. and ther
waited for some friend TO come in ant
} pay the score. John B. Parish told how
Jim Keene traded in kisses when HI
was in knickers. Then there were othel
stories and songs until the bier of tht
sacred tamale was fully honored anC
it's wake duly celebrated"