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It's a common myth that convenience stores don't exist in Mexico, but it's just a myth, as anybody who has visited any Mexican city will recall the national chain of convenience stores, Ixxo... which are alive, well, and thriving. Yet the chain fades when you venture into the rural areas, to be replaced by small mom and pop operations, which can be quite interesting and rather colorful. Such was my experience during my visit to Tamales De Elote, located at the intersection of Baja Highway 1 and State Route 23, in Maneadero, just south of Ensenada, Baja California. Sunday, September 29, 2007 found myself heading south, on my way to a delightful visit at Meling Ranch, but when I saw Tamales De Elote, I did a double-take, and I knew that I just had to stop, as I love these small, rural, "convenience stores," as each one is quite unique, and how could you pass on a place that advertises corn tamales?
Photo: Note the "rustic" construction of the building, as Mom stares at me while I take this digital photo. I love the racks of salsa and olives. Note the dried nuts for sale on the counter. Tamales De Elote is located at the busy highway junction in a crudely-constructed, gaudily-painted plywood shack, and it staffed by a mother-daughter team. In addition to corn, meat and cheese tamales, they sell dried nuts, canned olives, canned salsa, helados and soft drinks. The restaurant, if you want to call it that, does feature sit-down dining inside the shack, at a couple of dusty, plastic tables. There is no electricity or running water, and the food is cooked over propane, and illumination is provided by kerosene lanterns. You could say that this is quite quaint and rustic. Leave your English on Av. Madero in Ensenada, as no English is spoken at Tamales De Elote. When I walked in, Mom and Daughter looked at me like I was a man from Mars, and they reminded me of a couple of deer caught in headlights. Naturally, I greeted them with a cheery "buenas tardes," which further induced an awe-struck look onto their faces. I was a little surprised, but I kept my composure, and asked if they had corn tamales for sale, and what was the price? Mom looked surprised and blurted out, "¿Habla Usted Español???" and of course I replied, in Spanish that I do, as why would you visit rural areas of Mexico if you don't speak, at least a bit of Spanish? I ordered a corn tamale for the small price of MEX $10.00, and Daughter pulled one from a big pot that was simmering a back burner and handed my tamale to me. I sat down at one of the dusty plastic tables, unwrapped my tamale, stared at it for just a moment, and then started to dig in.
Photo: Just like deer-caught-in-headlights, Daughter and Mom allow me to take their photo. Behind them is the kitchen, where the tamales are made. Note the large pots that contain ready-to-eat corn tamales. If it wasn't for the small amount of lard in the masa, a corn tamale would be a delight to a vegetarian, or for that matter, a hard-core vegan, as there is no meat, only sweet, savory, delicious corn and masa dough. My corn tamale was sweet, delicious, and by the presentation and the taste of it, I could tell that Mom and Daughter have been in the tamale business for quite some time, as my tamale was simply perfect! As I paid for my tamale, I attempted to navigate Mom or Daughter into conversation, but both seemed quite shy. I managed to get out of them that gringos NEVER patronize their restaurant, and they were very surprised to see me, due to the fact that I'm a gringo, and they were even more surprised that I speak the language and that I seemed to be comfortable with the local culture. I assured them that, yes I am a gringo, but I've spent a bit of time in Mexico and I do know my around, and yes, I prefer local cuisine over the stuff served in chain restaurants. After a bit of prying, I got them to admit that all of their wonderful tamales are made, in-house, at the restaurant, with local ingredients. After a bit of conversation, they warmed up a bit, and even allowed me to take their photo, although the deer-caught-in-headlights syndrome is reflected in the photo.
Photo: Corn tamale, up-close, personal, and ready to eat. Delicious! If you love tamales and a rather unique experience, Tamales De Elote should be on your must-see list when visiting the Ensenada area. Tamales
De Elote Copyright(c) 2007 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custon photography for any occasion...
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