Who goes to Portillo's and orders tamales? Well, a family member of mine did, and now I'm wondering if they need psychiatric evaluation.

They really don't taste very good. I don't understand why Mexicans would even like them, when there is so much better Mexican food.

You haven't had a good one.

You need the homemade ones they sell on the street on Friday mornings. Real ones. They're awesome.

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You know me like that.

I love tamales. They aren't really hard to make just time consuming. Brookhaven in Burr Ridge has good ones for a grocery store. Portillos has gone down hill. I wouldn't blame somebody for trying them but really shouldn't be a standard order. I have no baseline beef and that is upsetting still!

Real Mexican or Tex-Mex tamales are awesome. About four years ago I was in McAllen for work just before Christmas and my client insisted that we stop and pick up boxes of tamales to take home. He had placed an advanced order for three dozen for Christmas dinner.

I got two there for a snack and other two that I ate that night on the flight home as my dinner. Outstanding stuff.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

I want to go on a food tour with you. We could film it and put it on YouTube.

I love tamales, the best I've found was in the bronx..but locally is 105th Ewing or 88th escanaba

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One of our facilities in Texas has 2 different breakfast burrito trucks come by each morning.

They make about 13 different kinds of burritos and put them in the insulated truck (not like a current food truck - an old-school lunch wagon). They are all homemade with fresh peppers, brisket, beef, almost anything you can think of - each for $2.00. They are fantastic. All work stops when the burrito truck comes by.

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You know me like that.

Great now I have to invest in a five minute drive today to try the place on Escanaba. 7am and I'm stuck on tamales.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

It is illegal to take food that was cooked in a residential environment, and sell it in a commercial environment. That's because that food cannot be properly inspected or tested. Guys, I'm trying to stay calm here but when I see unsafe food being sold and people potentially getting sick, I get angry!

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I don't embrace excuses. I embrace solutions.

A good tamale is hard to beat. We had a lot of Mexican kids in the area I grew up in and some of their moms/grandmas could make some amazing homemade tamales. SOOOOOO good.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I tried Marianos tamales the other day. I thought they were good. The checkout lady also endorsed them, and her qualifying statement was "and this is coming from a Mexican "

not a fan of tamales. Probably my least favorite Mexican food. Would never choose them over anything else that was available.

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Great carnita too

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Hey Jon, they sell them on street corners in paper bags and butt funnel the customers to the vendor.

Try to shut that down!!!

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You know me like that.

Exact same this happens at Caller Bob's office when the "burrito" truck stops bi.

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Used to buy homemade ones from a friend of the family until one of our friends found a roach in theirs - now I'm with Jon Taffer!

I have chased an old mexican man down an ally and bought all the tamales out of his bike saddle bags, We've knocked on shady homes in shady neighborhoods for tamales. We once approached a person who made tamales (on a hot tip) for a bunch of ladies that worked at a salon in the salon parking lot and she couldn't refuse double the price. the salon ladies were livid.

one day a lady came into our office and said that she had heard that we might be interested in tamales. the secretary came into my office and rolled her eyes as they told me there was a lady here wondering if we'd buy tamales. 1 group slack message later and we'd bought all of her tamales. she couldn't believe it. we told her to come back ever week and we will buy them. and she did.

There is a place in indanapolis called The Tamale Place. They make like 20 different varieties of tamales. its my favorite place in the world.

That said, I also enjoy the canned Hormel Tamales as well.

I generally mean this in the nicest way possible, but you're the dude picking food out of the garbage...I'll go elsewhere for my food recommendations.

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So funny story. we have friends who live in omaha. a few blocks from their house is a restaurant district of sorts will all these restaurants. they go through the dumpsters at night and find bagged bread and all sorts of unused produce all the time. when they first mustered up the courage to do this, they saw they were saving 50% a month on their grocery bills. they've now done this for half a decade. He is a underwriter for Mutual of Omaha and makes like 200+k per year and she was a chef for many years before they had children. they are difinitely a bit hippy-ish.

needless to say they are my people and we are good friends.

I'm not above enjoying those gringo tamales from Portillos and every other hot dog stand. Get the tamale boat with some chili poured over them

but those are to tamales what Chipotle is to mexican

I love good tamales. There is a place on clark in Rogers Park that is great but many others. The Tamale Guy sells from farmer's markets around the city and always sells out. He sits there collecting the money while his wife hustles preparing the order. I like that guy.

An in law said she was making tamales for a christmas eve pot luck and I was all excited. She's from Honduros. Apparently everywhere south of Mexico they make their tamales with raisins and other cruddy sweet stuff. WTF? I bit into it and had to pretend to like it then spit it out when she wasn't looking.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

That reminds me of why I don't particularly care for Thai food. I don't need a sweet component to most main meals. And while I like raisins, I'll never understand the need for their insertion in things like tamales...or potato salad.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

like grapes in chicken salad

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

That's just trying to be cute. I can't believe that anyone really wants grapes in chicken salad.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Who the hell puts raisins in potato salad?

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I've seen it on cooking/tv shows but have never seen it irl.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

This comment here puts a major stress on our friendship. I'm heartbroken that you've never had quality Pad Thai.

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tamales in south america are often a desert. raisins and stuff. there is one they do that is basically a corn casserole tamale. its pretty sweet and really good.

It's like I mentioned to young Indian woman years ago, I live far south and the (Indian, Thai) stuff we have around here generally isn't that great. And I rarely get way north nowadays for the good stuff. I'd really love to enjoy them both with all of the fresh vegetables.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.