Jamal brought fried okra! OH NOES!!!!

[XCashier]

Jamal is this 20year old kid from Baton Rouge who came out here to live with relatives and go to college last year. He brings authentic southern food to every potluck we have, and he is a damn good cook, so everyone gets all excited about what he brings. He's made red beans and rice and Jambalaya for us before, and this time, yes, he brought fried okra.

:drools:

So...where do you work again, and are you hiring?

[PorkChop]

Damn you people! I miss southern food. I love my Nana's cookin. Chicken fried steak with gravey and biscuits and corn.

But, the wild west cooking is good too. Pennicle Peak in Tucson AZ has the best BBQ pork ribs in the west! Mmm, with buttered Texas toast and their famous baked beans. After dinner, go see the stunt show, it is hilarious!

[ThePhoneGoddess]

But, the wild west cooking is good too. Pennicle Peak in Tucson AZ has the best BBQ pork ribs in the west! Mmm, with buttered Texas toast and their famous baked beans. After dinner, go see the stunt show, it is hilarious!

You're in Arizona and you've been eating Tex-Mex instead of Southwestern food? What is wrong with you?!!!

Just kidding. I moved away from New Mexico several years ago and I still get intense cravings for Huevos Rancheros in the morning, and I jones for Green Chile Stew on cold nights. The other day I had a dream I was in Santa Fe during Indian Market and I could still smell the roasting chile as I woke up. I had a moment of nostalgia so intense it was physically painful.

[marasbaras]

If fried chicken, watermelon, and corn bread is a "black thing", then in this white boy's opinion, blacks are smart. That's seriously yummy food!

[Pezzle]

Haha lord have mercy. We used to grow Okra in our garden, and I personally prefer it raw off the plant as opposed to fried. But, in this great state of NJ, I go to the Cracker Barrell on 130 just for the occasional fried okra. I had no idea it was a stereotypically black food until I moved here, actually. I just thought it was an awesome fruit.

I find the customer's reaction hillarious. That's like someone getting offended because my co worker Marie brings a hatian/creole dish to work which i just find impossible.

I could see it now. ZOMG SHE HAS A SLIGHTLY FRENCH ACCENT AND SHE IS OF A DARK SKIN COLOR AND SHE IS BRINGING IN JAMBALAYA HOLY CRAP YOU RACIST.

[Dreamstalker]

I moved away from New Mexico several years ago and I still get intense cravings for Huevos Rancheros in the morning, and I jones for Green Chile Stew on cold nights.

That reminds me, I should ask my dad if I can come visit again soon...I <3 Horseman's Haven level 2 green chile... A few days ago I dreamed I was back at college and could smell the chile roasting at the supermarket across the road. I found a can of green chile stew for lunch, but canned just is not the same (I swear that in NM even the canned stuff tastes better).

Being a broke chile addict living in the northeast is no fun at times

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Horseman's Haven!---

When I was a naughty college girl me and my dorm mates used to go there hung over and do shots of level 4 while egging each other on.

Friday afternoons we'd go there and every table would be filled with Johnnies. We'd take over the place and dare each other to do chile shots and generally make a lot of noise until the waitress got exasperated, then we'd apologize and organize a big tip for her and the cook.

[Gawdzillers]

Don't forget the Kool-Aid either.

Was that too far?
I'm sorry.

[PepperElf]

i had some fried okra the other day. it was yummy.

maybe i'll buy some okra next time i go shopping. bf won't eat it but that'll just mean... more for me muahahahaha

[PorkChop]

You should of seen me trying to eat my first tamale! At the hotel I worked at, we had a couple of Mexican ladies who brought in tamales for a potluck. I was curious so I tried one. Heh, I tried cutting through the corn husk to eat it. The ladies laughed at me and said no I had to unwrap the tamale to eat the meaty goodness.

Now, I am a big sucker for tamales! The regular customers at my store brought in a lot of tamales over Christmas. I gained 5 pounds by eating them and other assorted chocolately goodness too.

[AnaKhouri]

This reminds me of a time in high school when my best friend was telling someone her sister-in-law was Mexican.

A guy overheard and went off on her about how it was so racist and she shouldn't use the term Mexican etc etc.

The best thing? My friend's sister-in-law is FROM MEXICO.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

You should of seen me trying to eat my first tamale! At the hotel I worked at, we had a couple of Mexican ladies who brought in tamales for a potluck. I was curious so I tried one. Heh, I tried cutting through the corn husk to eat it. The ladies laughed at me and said no I had to unwrap the tamale to eat the meaty goodness.

I admit, if I had seen that I would have laughed too. It is strange to me, but then I realize that other parts of the country are not like out west---it is strange to me to encounter Americans who know very little of Hispanic food or culture. I have lived around it all my life. I had a friend in college from Chicago who'd never eaten Mexican food before he came to New Mexico for college. He was really into casseroles and mac & cheese type of food so I made him Chilaquiles. He made me write the recipe down so he could take it home and teach his Mom how to make it.

Oh yeah, and I am also a tamale addict. If I hear Women going door to door in my complex selling them during the holidays, I will stalk them.

[PorkChop]

Meh, I want tamales now!

I am originally from KY. I moved to AZ after going through Air Force training. I've been here for 6 years now. When I lived in KY, there was no hispanic culture at all. I overall, do not care much for Mexican food. But tamales is the best.

My co-worker told me that hispanic families make 500 tamales at a time! Apparently it takes a lot time and work to make these.

[worddork]

Apparently it takes a lot time and work to make these.

It's an all day event for my family.
First you have to buy the masa, the day before or else your stuck in line all morning long. Next you have to cook the meat in the chile sauce for 2-3 hours. While all this is going on you have to soak the corn husks in water to a) clean them and b) get them soft enough to fold.
Now that every thing is ready, you get to whip the lard (this is why they are so fatting and good) until a small drop of it will float in water. Mix the whipped lard into the masa. Speard some masa on a corn husk, add a fork full of meat and sauce, fold and repeted. Once you have used up all of the masa, place the tamales in a steamer to cook for 1-3 hours.
That's why my famliy makes tamales once a year, in large batches, and with every one's help. (Grandmother, mother, aunt, cousins)

[daleduke17]

This reminds me of a time in high school when my best friend was telling someone her sister-in-law was Mexican.

A guy overheard and went off on her about how it was so racist and she shouldn't use the term Mexican etc etc.

The best thing? My friend's sister-in-law is FROM MEXICO.

When I was at the grocery store I went into the cash office to ask if someone could help "the Mexican lady" at the front counter. The head cashier said "Don't call her Mexican, she is a Latina. You don't know she's from Mexico." I replied to her "Uh...yeah I do. She has a Mexican ID card and a Visa saying her home country is Mexico." The head cashier said "You're not supposed to call them Mexicans. They could be offended" I just rolled my eyes and walked off (no wonder I usually got irritated at that particular head cashier).