I was strolling along 4th Ave. in Sunset Park, in unforgivable cold weather, and saw this sign in the storefront of a tiendita that had a straight-up Arabic name above the awning. The sign says:
“Tamales Oxaqueños…$2.00 Calientitos”
Though it’s probably spelled “Oaxaqueños”, it reminded me of the recording you always hear in D.F. The tamale guys and girls that all the expats think is so cute. They come out at night on makeshift bikes with a small soundsystem attached that plays the same looped announcement calling people to come out of their homes and grab a bite.
Take a listen:
You can probably read about this in a ton of travel guides and gringo expat experience novels and blogs.
What I didn’t know was that it was a sort of meme. You can find renditions of the gastronomic chant all over the web.
channibalsmith.com 