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Honduran Family Shots and Tamalitos
The family portraits are of some friends in Tela, Honduras. Jess took the photos with her Mamiya. The family were my neighbours during my time living in the small Caribbean coastal city of Tela a few years ago. On our recent visit, we managed to call in for a feed, catch-up and an impromptu photo-session. I’ll never forget the friendliness of Nora and her family. The following story attempts to re-create some of the frantic action that constantly consumed her house. She cooked tamalitos for us while we visited, and they were off the charts delicious.
A pile of corn husks 3 or 4 deep cover the tiled kitchen floor. Pots of boiling water boil over all 4 burners on the stove. Nora stands by a blender, holding it with her two hands as it whirls a mass of corn kernels into a thick paste. Beads of sweat form on her brow, despite the fan she has pointed directly at her. She wipes the salty liquid away with a small portion of towel.
A group of kids streak through the kitchen, kicking the corn husks as they go. One of them is her own, one her grandson and the others their friends. The flow of children through the house is constant, a meeting place for the neighbourhood. She looks out the window to see her grandson throwing rotten oranges at a wall. He is laughing as they explode, leaving patches of slush. She turns the blender off momentarily to yell at him to stop, then continues her work. He sulks, bowing his head before finding some other pursuit. He is the son of her eldest daughter, now living illegally in the US, searching for a life of better opportunities. It has been two years since he has seen her.
Nora’s eldest son now stumbles into the kitchen to ask when the tamalitos will be ready. He is on an extended lunch break from his job as a taxi driver. He pours himself a glass of fresh tamarindo juice as she tells him that it won’t be too long. He wanders out again.
The corn kernels are now sufficiently blended, so she adds the rest of the mixture in, gives it a final blast, and prepares a set of corn leaves in a row on the bench. She gradually spoons plentiful amounts of the mixture into each leaf, and then folds them into neat little packages. Finally she drops them into the boiling water, leaving them to cook. Her family and friends will devour them almost instantaneously when she gives the word that they are ready for consumption.
As soon as the mess left is whisked away, preparation will begin for the next meal in a never-ending cycle.
A very lively family indeed. And the tamalitos got done despite all the interruptions. The best of travel is to meet and, if possible, live with the locals. Love picture #3. Happy New Year.
inka recently posted..For kids from 8 to 80- Munich’s Toy Museum
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Great story – sounds like my kind of cooking! =)
Andrea recently posted..Bungas’s Beer of the Week- Auckland
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Lovely!
Evan recently posted..Cambodia- Day 4 – Preah Kahn and more
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Nice pics. They have a good atmosphere to them!
Jozef Maxted recently posted..Sharks In South Africa & More
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Nice photos and really nice narrative
Happy New Year!
Michael Figueiredo recently posted..The Tournament of Roses Parade- A New- New Year’s Tradition
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great shots and a great story
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I really like those shots. They “feel” very warm and “familial.”
This seems to me to be a perfect example of what makes travel such a gift… the ability to connect with people all over the world and to experience what differentiates us and – more importantly – what unites us.
Happy New Year!
The NVR Guys recently posted..NVR – The Lowdown
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Nice story and I love the old feeling to the pictures. But the only problem is that now I’m super hungry, thanks
Todd | Todd’s Wanderings recently posted..Petra Jordan Photo Essay- A Walk Through History
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Absolutely lovely shots! Wonderfully shallow depth of field in the two headshots and great tones in all of them
Robin recently posted..Jigsaw
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Beautiful photos, I love the warmth that emanates from them. A great story as well. Travel is so much about the connections you make with others along the journey.
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great story and the photos are so intimate and warm- they do a fantastic job of illustrating your friendship with the family. and the food sounds amazing!
Lorna – the roamantics recently posted..Thank You and Happy New Year!
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Beautiful photos and narrative. I felt like I was right there in that kitchen.
Happy New Year! I’ll be following your adventures.
Cathy Sweeney recently posted..Lighting Up the Holidays
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Beautiful images and great writing. Sometimes I think the best travel writing is that which makes the lives of individual people seem alive to the reader. You’ve done that so well here. Great post!
Amy recently posted..The Long Bike Ride to Kuang Si Waterfalls- Laos
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Love how you picture this daily scene. The family shots are great too!
Norbert recently posted..2010 in Review
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Great pictures and those tamalitos sound delicious! That sounds a bit like my household, as instant as the food is ready it will be devoured!
Migrationology recently posted..Travels of Migrationology in 2010
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Great story! I love hearing about experiences like this. People around the world can be so open and giving. That is one of the best parts of travel for me. Meeting new people, and learning about their every day lives. Looks like you guys had a great day. Thanks for sharing the photos!
Christy @ Ordinary Traveler recently posted..Looking Forward to Another Great Year! 6
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Beautiful photos – you’ve captured a busy family life perfectly!
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The colors and the way you crop the photo looks so perfect! Looks like you had met many awesome local people while you travel there before.
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