Thomas Shey
Legend
Here are three fundamental truths about Mexican-American food.
1. If you're in New Mexico, Arizona, or Texas, and someone's grandmother brings you a bag of homemade tamales, you have just been visited by an angel. If you aren't moved to tears by this gesture, you are unworthy of such a kingly gift.
2. Corn or flour, yellow or white or blue, none of that matters. What truly matters about a tortilla is that when you dip it into your bowl of chili, you don't tear pieces off of it first. You're supposed to roll it up and dip it, what's the matter with you?
3. Pico de gallo is Spanish for "rooster beak" and nobody knows why, or what it has to do with fresh salsa.
Hey, that's pretty much true in Southern California, too.