Sagging Tamale Sales Hint at Fewer Christmas Gatherings as COVID Surges
Telma Lopez (L) and owner Milbet Del Cid prepare tamales at Amalia s Restaurant, a Guatemalan Restaurant in Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. Tamaleros say they aren t selling the same number as they did in years past, possibly meaning fewer family gatherings this year. And while some still hope for a Christmas miracle, others say they re pessimistic given the skyrocketing number of COVID-19 cases. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
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What the ‘tamale poll’ says about coronavirus, Christmas and large gatherings By Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times
Published: December 20, 2020, 11:57am
Share: LOS ANGELES-CA-DECEMBER 4, 2020: Workers including Maria Franco, center, and Lucy Torres, foreground, make tamales at Tamales Liliana s in Los Angeles on Friday, December 4, 2020. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times/TNS)
LOS ANGELES – It looked like business as usual on the assembly line.
Four men behind the counter of Tamales Liliana’s in Boyle Heights were scooping up masa with their hands and smearing it on opened corn husks. Six women then filled them with slits of green chile and cheese before folding and wrapping them in baking paper. Nearby, Juan Manuel Santoyo took stock of the ritual.
What the tamale poll says about coronavirus, Christmas and large gatherings bakersfield.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bakersfield.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It looked like business as usual on the assembly line.
Four men behind the counter of Tamales Liliana’s in Boyle Heights were scooping up masa with their hands and smearing it on opened corn husks. Six women then filled them with slits of green chile and cheese before folding and wrapping them in baking paper. Nearby, Juan Manuel Santoyo took stock of the ritual.
“I spend a good amount of time making tamales to sell during the week of Christmas,” the 67-year-old restaurant owner said. “It’s what we rely on to get us through the year.”
For many Mexican and Central American families, a Christmas without tamales feels like culinary heresy. The last month of the year is filled with Latino holiday traditions and festivities such as