I am an old time tamale
pusher born and raised on tamales . I am from southern California where i was born and raised by my parents and grandparents, and all my cousin''s and uncle''s and aunt''s . I am 6th of 7 children I am now single but I have 5 children of my own. My mom used to cook and sell tamales to all the neighbors for lunch or dinner. She would take several order''s over the phone and then have us go over to that neighbors house and pick up the money for the order''s and also at the same time deliver
their tamale''s that had been ordered by the individual over the phone. After awhile it was routine and the neighbor''s became regular customer''s . Oh everyone loved her tamales and she would make them special with the kind that you wanted for the special occassion such as birthday''s, anniversary''s, wedding''s, etc., The special of the week would be red chili or green chili or cheese or raisin''s etc., Most of her client''s would call week''s in advance to place a special order for that special date that was soon to be here . So every week and during the week-ends , myself and my sister''s would be working from the time we got home from school to the time the sun was going down, say about 31/2 hours of work we would put in after school a day. My mom in return would buy us clothes and shoe''s and keep us well dressed everyday of the week with our pay. I am older now and do not wish to follow the tamale tradition of making hot tamale''s for the Holiday''s for the family and to sell. So i can make a living, but I will alway''s be fond of the tradition at hand. Maybe who know''s my children will know the
receipe''s for hot tamale''s and carry on the family tradition that my mom their grandma
used to have with her very own children. As i used to say ! HOT TAMALE''S, GET THEM WHILE THERE FRESH AND HOT. Cost was $6.50-1/2 dozen or $12.00 a dozen
or $12.50 mixed.