["Jingle Bells"]
- Graciela Sánchez: When you think of Christmas
in San Antonio, you definitely think of tamales.
I have memories that begin with my grandparents
making tamales.
And then they shared that knowledge with my parents
who are now in their mid 80s.
- Isabel Sánchez: You want a little chili?
- Enrique Sánchez: Hmm?
- Graciela: They continue this tradition,
and they do it the original way.
- I went to town with the chili.
I wanted the tamales to look a little red,
not sick-looking like sometimes I see people make tamales.
- Graciela: To make tamales, you need to make the nixtamal
from the masa, the corn.
- Taste.
- Graciela: Some people might say it's not healthy food.
- Yeah, it's good.
- Is that all right? - Yeah.
- Graciela: You know, they might use lard.
I'm not sure, we'll soon find out, I guess.
- What I need is a little more lard.
Think you're gonna-- - Okay.
- Should be enough.
- Aren't you glad you're not on a diet?
- Get out of here!
There's no such thing as dietetic tamales.
- Don't you want the broth now?
- Enrique: You're the boss.
- You know, they're not hard to make, except it takes time.
- Graciela: And then my parents put the nixtamal
onto the corn shuck.
- Isabel: Will you check the meat, please?
- Enrique: Yes.
- Graciela: Then, you know,
somebody's having to make the meat,
and that takes a while to boil and cook,
then add all the ingredients to it.
And then they have to put the meat inside,
and you have to wrap the tamale.
It's a long process.
- Enrique: I love to do this.
- Isabel: I know. - Not every day, but...
[Isabel laughs]
- Graciela: But it's a family affair,
and there were six of us in our family.
So we'd share the work.
- Come on, Isabel, you're slow.
- I know, you're always faster than I am.
- I remember the first time that we ever made tamales
that was in Chicago,
and she fixed up the meat and all that.
And then, when we bit into that tamale,
it was kind of like we biting into sand.
- But you know,
surprisingly, friends of ours that we invited,
they said, "They're so good, they're so good."
So, they either didn't notice,
or they were very polite. [laughs]
- Okay, tamale.
The last one for today.
I feel sad that the younger generation's not doing this.
Instead, they go to the store and buy 'em.
But really, homemade tamales,
there's nothing like a real homemade tamales.
I always have trouble getting this, ah, now we got you.
- We don't go Christmas shopping for each other,
we don't give each other gift.
This is our togetherness for Christmas, you know.
["Jingle Bells"]