Chely, at the party
This year I gave a party to celebrate Candelaria, which falls on February 2. I had no idea of the religious or secular meaning of the day, and I’d never made a tamale, the essential menu item at Candelaria parties.
I said I’d host the party because I found the baby Jesus figurine in my piece of Rosca de Reyes, the special sweet bread served at my friend Lynn’s Three Kings’ Day party. According to Mexican tradition, the person who finds the plastic baby is supposed to invite all the same guests for Candelaria. I wanted to be a good sport; it was a way to learn about a Mexican tradition; and Lynn and Chely, one of Lynn’s Mexican guests, said they’d help.
The preparation of tamales sounded complex. Little loaves of masa, a corn-based dough, are formed around a filling of chicken, pork or cheese, tied up in a corn husk, and steamed in a deep pot. Not something I wanted to try for the first time when 20 people from Chely’s family were coming for dinner. I knew that Eva, proprietor of a popular taco stand, makes fine tamales, so I decided to contract out the job to her. Chely said she’d bring atole, a thick, warm drink that traditionally accompanies tamales, and refried beans. Lynn signed up for dessert.
The party food was four-star. Eva did a great job with tamales of chicken, pork rib, and strips of poblano chile with cheese. And even the people who don’t like atole liked Chely’s specialty, which was flavored with sweet, perfumey guayaba. Lynn’s made-from-scratch cupcakes were the perfect high-carb finish for the meal.
I did my best to make the Mexican family feel welcome. The women were interested in a house tour, and the kids occupied themselves with my grandchildren’s Lego blocks. I enjoyed myself, though it was hard for me to keep up with my guests’ fast-paced Spanish.
At the Three Kings’ Day party there had been a lot of talk about the kings’ names and which king brought which gift -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- to the baby Jesus. But what was Candelaria about? No one mentioned it the night of my party. I checked on the web and found out that in English it’s called Candlemas, when Christ was presented at the temple 40 days after his birth, and when candles were blessed. It falls at the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox -- what I know as Groundhog Day. I’m glad I didn’t try to bridge the cultural gap by explaining Punxsutawney Phil to the Mexicans.
I said I’d host the party because I found the baby Jesus figurine in my piece of Rosca de Reyes, the special sweet bread served at my friend Lynn’s Three Kings’ Day party. According to Mexican tradition, the person who finds the plastic baby is supposed to invite all the same guests for Candelaria. I wanted to be a good sport; it was a way to learn about a Mexican tradition; and Lynn and Chely, one of Lynn’s Mexican guests, said they’d help.
The preparation of tamales sounded complex. Little loaves of masa, a corn-based dough, are formed around a filling of chicken, pork or cheese, tied up in a corn husk, and steamed in a deep pot. Not something I wanted to try for the first time when 20 people from Chely’s family were coming for dinner. I knew that Eva, proprietor of a popular taco stand, makes fine tamales, so I decided to contract out the job to her. Chely said she’d bring atole, a thick, warm drink that traditionally accompanies tamales, and refried beans. Lynn signed up for dessert.
The party food was four-star. Eva did a great job with tamales of chicken, pork rib, and strips of poblano chile with cheese. And even the people who don’t like atole liked Chely’s specialty, which was flavored with sweet, perfumey guayaba. Lynn’s made-from-scratch cupcakes were the perfect high-carb finish for the meal.
I did my best to make the Mexican family feel welcome. The women were interested in a house tour, and the kids occupied themselves with my grandchildren’s Lego blocks. I enjoyed myself, though it was hard for me to keep up with my guests’ fast-paced Spanish.
At the Three Kings’ Day party there had been a lot of talk about the kings’ names and which king brought which gift -- gold, frankincense and myrrh -- to the baby Jesus. But what was Candelaria about? No one mentioned it the night of my party. I checked on the web and found out that in English it’s called Candlemas, when Christ was presented at the temple 40 days after his birth, and when candles were blessed. It falls at the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox -- what I know as Groundhog Day. I’m glad I didn’t try to bridge the cultural gap by explaining Punxsutawney Phil to the Mexicans.
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