The Eater

Off the Tortilla Charts with Spic and Span

By Emily Esterson, 9-19-06

After you've lived in New Mexico for awhile, a funny thing happens. Instead of buying bread at the supermarket, you buy tortillas. It doesn't even occur to me to buy bread. I go straight to the Albuquerque Tortilla Factory stand just beyond produce, and purchase two bags of the flour version (my husband, however, prefers corn).

Somedays, when I'm home alone, I like to have butter and apricot jam (from the local feed store) on my tortilla for lunch. And maybe a snack, too. In fact, I've been known to have such a treat for breakfast, and the New Mexico version of grilled cheese for lunch (a.k.a a quesidilla), and perhaps another jam/butter tortilla for snack.

Over the weekend, though, I learned of the inferiority of what I thought were pretty good tortillas (even if they are somewhat uniform in shape and tend to turn to rubber after too long in the fridge, they are still much better than Wonder Bread). Friends living in Las Vegas, NM turned us on to Charlie's Spic and Span, where I may have had the best green chile cheeseburger of my life. On the way out the door, I impulsively purchased a bag of their homemade tortillas. This, to quote Anthony Bourdain in last night's "No Reservations" is pillowy-goodness. Wow. My husband and I killed off that 25-count of tortillas in two very short days. I think I doubled my average daily intake. These were tortillas to die for.

They were surely misshapen, but they tasted like lard and flour and the smoke of the tortilla griddle all at tthe same time. They have nice tan spots, like the hides of roan-colored paint horses. They were thick in some places and thin in others, but that's what made them so good. When I touched that package, I wanted to just lay my head against it.

My husband and I, despite stringent exercise routines, haven't been losing weight. Periodically we say, at the supermarket, "no more tortillas! That's the reason!" Now that we've discovered tortilla heaven, but it happens to be 120 miles from here, maybe it will be easier to swear off the state bread. Once the memory of the Spic and Span tortillas fade, will we go back to the Albuquerque Tortilla Factory version? Somehow I still believe we'll settle for the more uniform, less pillowy version, at least until we can get back to Las Vegas.

[End of article]

Yes you have found Tortilla Heaven....Charlie prides his self with keeping to the old recipies of goodness from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains...The minemeat pies "enpanaditas" are wonderful there. So is the Spanish food...That is one place in Las Vegas you never know who you will run in to..Govenors, moviestars, politicials or just common ranchers from Mora, San Miguel or Santa Fe County.
A must stop when going down 1-25...Tell them the Colonel Sent ya!! ;)

Dear Emily,

People who are that addicted to white flour products generally have an allergy to wheat. You crave it, eat it and crave it more. Only the problem is that it causes inflammation in the body, you get a constant toxic reaction and your tissues swell. Most
Americans are highly addicted to white flour & wheat products because they are allergic. Also, regular, nonorganic wheat is so highly processed and loaded with chemicals that reactions to those additives add to stress levels in the body.

When people eat according to their whims, generally their nutritional needs are not met. Wolfing down torillas and jam for lunch is a carbohydrate disaster. You are headed for diabetes.
Stop eating all wheat products for one week and then eat some and see what happens to your body. Also, go visit NewsTarget.com and read about white flour. You may change your mind about pleasure eating. And yes, it is true. Those torillas are a sure way to die and go to heaven.....

Emily,
It sounds to me like you just ate your first actual hand made tortillas. Your discription is exactly how we talk about the ones our mothers made, and the ones that a smaller and smaller bunch of us still make on occasion. It isn't really that hard to do, but it does take some time and practice to make them come out round. My grown sons always bring up the ones I have made that look like maps of Alaska and Texas, of pairs of jeans. They never turn one down, no matter how funny they look.
Oh, and about that thing of heading for disaster, life is short as it is, and we need to grab as much pleasure as we can while we can. Here at our house we like to eat homemade tortillas with butter or peanut butter and homemade jam or our home grown honey. It doesn't get much better than that.

Dear Marcia,

Eating flour torillas laden with fatty foods and sweet sticky things is one way to ensure that your life will be even shorter. And perhaps our government prefers it that way---less social security benefits to hand out.

Of course, the occasional torilla won't kill anyone, but a steady diet of them is quite questionable. They are a very recent food addition to the modern diet---traditional corn torillas being a wholesome food and a mainstay of the Native American diet.

Why not take small pleasures in things like a sunny day, communing with nature or engaging in physical exercise? The endorphin rush from a good work-out beats the temporary sensation of a floury calorie laden "treat" with almost zero nutritional value except for calories. And what's wrong with just eating beans with torillas? They provide the necessary fiber, vitamins and protein the flour torilla lacks.

They have been eating Tortilla for centuries..with a smile..I'll keep eat'n them and go to heaven if that what it takes...;)

Wow, who knew a nice little story about tortillas could end up with such fiesty argument. I'm with Marcia (hey, can I buy some honey?) and the Colonel. I'm going to heaven on those pillowy wonders.

Honey..yeppers I want some too...or Choccherry jelley..sounds delicious!! Put an egg on my enchilada..Hummm

Oh for God's sake, people. Lighten up and enjoy the damn tortillas. BTW -- Taco Tote on Central does make a mighty fine handmade corn tortilla. I'm with Scott -- the corn is ever so much yummier.

I know this lady, believe me she looks like she eats nothing but Dunkin Donuts by the carload, pay not heed to her,she has never had any kids, she is turning into a bitter old lady. She is very judgemental,a very lonely nasty person who always goes for the jugular.She doesn't like to see others enjoy anything,poor Eunice.

Hi,

I'm here because I was searching for Eunice Farmilant, author of Macrobiotic Cooking and The Natural Sweet Tooth Cookbook and Google pointed me here where Eunice has posted recently.

I also looked up the name Michael L. Sokol who is a lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri.

That's not a nice thing to say to about someone who has extended herself online to help other people, Michael!

I've had and used her books for many years and I would like to get in touch with her (Richard Earle says Hi!)

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

How dare you call me a lawyer, what an insult, I'm just an old hippie living in Montana, I have know ms. Farmilant for 30 years, she is a know it all who knows nothing. She wants to cure everyone however I don't think she ever took a college level bio. or any other class in her life.She has the worst affliction any human being can have,supreme arrogance.She has just moved to Montana, maybe she will now join the human race.

I am sorry for all the negitive stuff however I did put my name on it, she on the other hand sent a email to my nerve act,.very nasty however she didn't sign it,everything I wrote is true, however I did it to get even.

The comments from the health fanatic were a bit self-righteous and actually silly, considering the article about fresh tortillas was just a nice, human interest type of story. I love the fresh tortillas at the Frontier in Abq., which I have told you about many times, but that certainly doesn't mean I have an addiction problem or that I'm danger of imminent death from diabetes.
I would resent anyone who responded to my love of fresh tortillas by telling me that nonsense about how deadly they are. I hate people like that. Having said that, though, I do think your comments come across as unnecessarily harsh, to be honest. You could have made your point in a slightly less nasty manner and it may have been more effective. You wanted my opinion and that was my first impression.

Michael,

There is a lawyer in St. Louis called Michael L. Sokol who must be sorry that he is not an old hippie in Montanna. :-)

"You got any spare change, man?... Peace!"

friend of Michael's...Hate is an extremely strong emotion! Hate is often the motive for commiting violence! Maybe a word less extreme like "uncomfortable" or an expression like, "not liking" might be more appropriate. It's not like you would physically assault the lady if you saw her in public. Please tone down your rhetoric!

Yes, Eunice has stong opinions about food but apparently many of you have strong opinions about people who have strong opinions about food.

My guess is that most people who read and post here are into enjoying food, not worrying about it so maybe it is inappropriate for anyone to interject about the negative aspects of any foods, here.

Here's a nice place to read about tortilla's: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortilla

and one on making flour tortilla's:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/flourtortillas.htm

And if any of you want to enjoy a good tasting tortilla that is more nutritious, try these:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-whole-wheat-flour-tortillas/detail.aspx

Maybe Eunice can have some of those and she'll feel better.

Michael, if you could please let Eunice know that I would like to contact her, I would really dig it, man!

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine