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u/Wild_Wasabi9984 Sep 05 '26
I worked at a warehouse that had a number of Guatemalan employees. Everyday one of their wives would show up in a van with a bunch of homemade empanadas, tacos, burritos, or any number of Guatemalan foods for like 1 or 2 dollars each. It was amazing
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u/vgacolor Sep 05 '26
I worked in a bank in South Florida that was 30% Cuban and 30% Venezuelan. We literally had two people come in on a weekly rotation. The Cuban empanada lady and the Venezuelan tequeño lady. They will each come and the email would go out that they were in the building and half of the people would go into the elevators to the 12 floor cafeteria to buy a couple. Good times.
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u/Punkinsmom Sep 05 '26
I so miss working in South Florida because of the food! I don't miss living there but I miss, "My wife sent this for you because you are so nice." I ended up with so many recipes too! Unfortunately I lost the best flan recipe I've ever had (from Puerto Rico and just pure velvet) in move.
To pay back, I would bring pans of lasagna (I weighed them once and they were 10 pounds apiece), wings and huge NY cheesecakes. Love to cook, love to eat (especially other people's food) and love finding new wonderful foods.
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u/Successful-Grass-135 Sep 06 '26
Oh man. I just moved to Colorado after living in Tampa bay Florida my whole life, and really the only thing I miss is the Cuban food. I just learned how to make platanos maduros because I don’t think I can live without them. Thankfully, my mom just sent me my Mimi’s picadillo recipe. I’m sure there’s Cuban restaurants here but I already know it won’t be the same.
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u/NinjaCatWV Sep 06 '26
Denver’s HAVANA NIGHTS MARKET! It’s the last Saturday of the month in the summer and the last one is September 26!
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u/FatiguedShrimp Sep 06 '26
Yeah. Lived in Tampa for almost a decade.
The ONLY thing I miss is the restaurants.
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u/Ellienightshade Sep 06 '26
Love of food is the glue that binds us all to each other. Every country’s history is rich in its culture of food and transcends all our differences. When we sit down to eat together we are friends.
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u/Username12764 Sep 06 '26
Always make backup pictures of recipes, you lose them more than socks and it stings.
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u/Rayonjersey Sep 06 '26
I work at a courthouse. Our secretary made an announcement on the loud speaker that the tamale lady was here. I’m an introvert who keeps my door closed and my very social office lets me be. I go out to buy two tamales and she says she is only selling by the bag (12) because she’s heading out. I just bought the bag figuring I’ll take it home. I’m sitting in my office about to eat my tamale when there is a tentative knock on the door and four of my coworkers are all outside. They were late to the party and they were told I had bought the last bag. They hesitantly asked if they could buy my extras from me. As a gesture of goodwill I just handed out the extra ten. Those were some coveted tamales.
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u/Baking-smiles Sep 06 '26
From Texas, I used to work in the medical center with a similar plot.. when the "tamale lady" hit the building it was like the Devil Wears Prada "she's here!" Network!! Phonecalls would go out from the parking garage and we would be like fish waiting to be fed as the elevator went up through the floors!! Some would walk down twn flights of stairs to beat lower levels to make sure they had some delicious tamales!!.. the good ol days.
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u/beepbopboopps Sep 06 '26
The only thing I miss about working in Texas besides the awesome coworkers I had are their awesome moms and homemade tamales 🤤
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u/Difficult-Ad2084 Sep 06 '26
And you just earned the best kind of work karma brownie points ever. As a fellow introvert, this is a solid move. :)
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u/Joshtheboss732 Sep 05 '26
Florida is the place for some of the best Cuban food in the states. They were smart selling them because they are too good to resist lol.
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u/vgacolor Sep 05 '26
I really couldn't resist their meat empanadas. I am not Cuban but been in South Florida since I was a teenager so kind of grew up with the food. I would buy 2 of them get a diet coke and that would be my early lunch {still on the clock} that would allow me to take a real lunch late like at 2:00 PM. Like i said good times.
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u/the_crustybastard Sep 06 '26
I do love a cafecito, but not enough to go back to Florida.
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u/sonic_dick Sep 06 '26 edited Sep 06 '26
Sometimes I REALLY miss living in south FL. Then I remember it was basically only because of the food and my family.
I live in the moutain west and jfc i havent had a guava pastry, empanada or a legit Cuban in years.
We've finally gotten some half decent Mexican spots. But 90% of restaurants are white boy burger places.
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u/boopityboop94 Sep 06 '26
What State do you live in? If you live in Idaho there is a place called Antigua Coffee company that has guava pastries , I believe!
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u/BckOffManImAScientst Sep 06 '26
My South Florida working experience was like this too! We also had a flower lady. I miss it!
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u/zxylady Sep 05 '26
I love entrepreneurship🥰🥰🥰
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Sep 06 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ellienightshade Sep 06 '26
That’s how the world should work… so simple
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u/zxylady Sep 06 '26
... AND has the added advantage of people helping people🥰. We all do better when we all do better😁
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u/danuhorus Sep 05 '26
I worked in an shop where one of the front desk ladies' mom ran a small catering service just like this. Every morning she would tell us the menu, and by lunch, her mom would roll up in her minivan with containers of delicious goodness.
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u/BickNlinko Sep 06 '26
Oh man, I worked with a Guatemalan dude and one day he brought in these tamales that were made with like rice instead of masa/corn and it was the best thing I've ever had. I was very new to the area(moved from New England to SoCal) and also very new to Central and South American food, and he was like "Perro , you just wait" and his mom and wife whipped me up so much amazing Guatemalan food...it was amazing.
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u/Adjective-Noun-6969 Sep 05 '26
Empanadas are just the perfect food.
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u/suchalonelyd4y Sep 05 '26
I love that most cultures have a form of food that's meat/potatoes/veggies etc inside warm bread, thus proving it's the superior food delivery system
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u/Several-Ad1231 Sep 05 '26
So many different unique ways to create what is basically in spirit an elaborate form of sandwich. And they always turn out good.
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u/enaK66 Sep 05 '26
Can't beat a sandwich/burrito/gyro. No utensils, easily portable, easily nutritious.
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u/Adjective-Noun-6969 Sep 06 '26
they can be filled with anything, dont come apart as you eat them if they are done right, and can be easily eaten with one hand, wich makes them the ideal food for the 3 Ws, Working, walking and the other one.
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u/JerseyTeacher78 Sep 06 '26
100 percent. Meat, cheese, jams, veggies, or a mixture of those things inside dough of some kind and I will be happy in any country lolllll.
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u/tommyelgreco Sep 06 '26
One winter when I was home from college I got a job stacking boxes of oranges at a packing house. Every evening the Mexican ladies who worked there would go to the break 30 minutes early and make tacos or something for the whole crew. Those were some good freaking tacos.
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u/OneBillPhil Sep 06 '26
I’m all for women’s rights, equality, women being professionals, all of that, sincerely, I also love this.
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u/txhelgi Sep 05 '26
Burritos are the best and burrito making moms are amazing.
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u/machuitzil Sep 05 '26
One of the few perks of being raised without a mother is that all of your Mexican friend's moms will always make sure that the skinny güero gets enough to eat. I'd be nowhere without them.
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u/StreetofChimes Sep 06 '26
Are there multiple perks of being a motherless child?
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u/DigitalAmy0426 Sep 05 '26
The jealousy I am feeling right now bc I cannot try her cooking 😭😭😭
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u/mono__no___aware Sep 06 '26
Same. Somewhere out there, a Guatemalan mom is making the best burrito of our lives and we’re just here scrolling. :')
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u/jessdb19 Sep 05 '26
My co-worker's mom made me breakfast tamales cause I asked if she ever made them and my co-worker said her mom's eyes lit up and was like "well NOW I am!" (Sausage type filling)
Also her mom yelled at me when I first met her cause I did my tortilla wrong, but I ate the salsa that was "too spicy" for non-hispanics and we ended up besties after that.
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u/Suspicious-Shock-934 Sep 05 '26
I see your burrito and raise you tamales.
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u/txhelgi Sep 05 '26
There was a neighborhood gathering last year and someone brought tamales. They were so good that I still have dreams about them.
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u/dinosoreness Sep 05 '26
my favorite thing about living in california is when it's summertime and all the abuelas set up their homemade roadside tamale stands. i can't pass em buy without spending money. some of them also sell fresh fruit so you get a fully rounded meal.
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u/ResurgentClusterfuck Sep 05 '26
A lady my partner works with makes tamales for holidays and always sends him home with a big old gallon bag full
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u/SolidusBruh Sep 06 '26
I gained 2lbs reading this comment, but yes. Tamales are overpowered in their deliciousness.
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u/SherbetMysterious118 Sep 05 '26
I'm not going to expect to experience the real thing - but I'm in London, and there's almost always a very good chance you can get a legit version of the cuisine you are hoping for.
But I've never managed that with burritos. The predominant composition always seems to be giving the wrap and rice, and beans the priority..
This is just too carby, and not enough carne or taste for me.
Any hints on how to get a legit burrito in/around London, or even some recipes to make them myself? I'm a relatively competent cook.
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u/txhelgi Sep 05 '26
The key is to find the large tortilla that is fresh and tastes great. You can put anything you want in there, that’s the beauty of it. I’m also a fan of more meat and less rice. Other things in there are cheese, salsas, guacamole, if that’s your thing, hot sauce and any other sauce or ingredient you can think of. There are no rules. My favorite burritos are probably the breakfast ones to tell the truth.
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u/BabsSuperbird Sep 05 '26
Oh it sounds so good. Around my town, the tacos come with grilled onion and cactus on them, with lime. Oh so good.
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u/wally-sage Sep 05 '26
I grew up on the US side of the US Mexican border, traditional Mexican burritos don't use rice. They're usually a single ingredient (e.g. a stew like chile colorado or chile verde). Rice and beans alongside a protein and stuff like lettuce tends to be a much more American version of the burrito.
The big difference in making a good burrito is going to be making the tortillas or getting them from a tortilleria. The shelf-stable store tortillas don't taste the same nor have the correct texture.
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u/atreeismissing Sep 05 '26
giving the wrap and rice, and beans the priority
To be fair, that is the priority in almost any burrito from anywhere because meat is expensive and not necessarily part of a traditional burrito.
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u/ThrowawaycuzDoxers Sep 06 '26
The European continent as a whole has a severe lack of good Latin American food. (According to people I’ve met from the Americas)
Tragedy really.
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u/CloverdillyStar Sep 06 '26
Have you tried Trejo’s Tacos - Notting Hill? I looked at photos and they look like Super Burritos, not authentic, simpler ones, but I think that's what you're looking for.
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u/sykokiller11 Sep 05 '26
A coworker brought some of her grandma’s lumpia to share with us. Apparently my praise made it home to grandma and I got my own whole tray a few days later. Filipino grandmas are also amazing!
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u/cstoli Sep 05 '26
Home made lumpia is such a joy! My Philippina friends always make enough for everyone to take some home. They love our joy in their food.
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u/MrMooey12 Sep 06 '26
I’d kill for some lumpia and pancit right now. One of my childhood friends mom would make them for every get together they had and it quickly became my favorite food
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u/vanzir Sep 05 '26
Listen, as a white boy who grew up on the barrios, there is nothing like a latino mama when it comes to feeding someone. And if you compliment their cooking and give them respect, they will feed you until you need to be rolled out the door. If it wasn't for latin mamas i wouldn't have made it through childhood
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u/Torrossaur Sep 05 '26
Same with Vietnamese mums. A Viet mum decided i was too skinny and turned up with lunch for me 3x a week at ths pub I was working at while I was at university.
I've gone crazy trying replicate her combination of spices and lemongrass. Sooo good.
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u/MrGreg Sep 05 '26
Reminds me of this Simpsons quote:
"The year was 1968. We were on a reconnaissance mission to Cambodia. The company leaders had been taken out by a bunch of radical juniors. I was forced to subsist on a thin stew made of fish, vegetables, prawns, coconut milk, and four types of rice. I came close to madness trying to find it here in the States, but they just can't get the spices right."
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u/Resident_Kek_Poster Sep 06 '26
Easily one of my favourite jokes in the series, I can hear the bg music and cadence in his voice reading this ahaha
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u/TransGirlIndy Sep 06 '26
Black mamas, too. Auntie never let a child of any color, creed, nationality or ethnicity come through her door without making sure they were fed, clothed, loved, safe, and knew it.
She started taking care of me when I was 4 or 5, as a daycare situation, then she became my family when my own family was... not good. She looked after me, kept my belly full and my head full of good things when my world was dark and scary.
I'm 42 now and that woman is still looking out for me. 💖
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u/vanzir Sep 06 '26
I didn't know many black mamas as a child. But, as a young man in the military, one of the other fellas in my flight was married to a young black woman from Georgia. She cooked for all of us. First time I had potato salad i was shook. She would tell us stories of her mama doing the same for her daddy when he would come home from the navy.
they are still together to this day. And just recently had their first grand baby.
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u/TransGirlIndy Sep 06 '26
I love that so much. I've always felt loved and embraced by the Black women in my life, from my Auntie, who isn't blood but will always be family, to my cousin, who is blood, and used to carry me around on her hip at family gatherings and didn't let anybody give me shit for being too feminine as a kid.
While I do my best to look out for everybody around me (following Auntie's stellar example) Black women have always looked out for me, and I will always look out for the Black women in my life, especially. 💖
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u/AnguavonUW Sep 05 '26
My best friend in undergrad was Indian. His mom decided the same thing about me and sent me food a couple times a week. She called me दुबला-पतला Annie (too skinny/weak Annie...lol).
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u/United_News3779 Sep 06 '26 edited Sep 06 '26
I was temporarily adopted by an Indian mum lol I was working a project for about 3 months (14hr days, work 14 days and get one day off for 3 months), staying in a work camp in nothern Alberta (Canada). I was assigned a laborer from the local division of my company, and he lived in town and commuted out to the worksite. After 4 days of smelling the pure heaven that came from his lunch box, I asked him about it. Offered to pay him for any homemade food his wife made, as a change from the camps shitty food.
I gained weight on that project lol I'm 5'9 and 225lbs and was working an extremely physically demanding job while wearing a supplied air breathing apparatus for 10hrs a day. I usually lost weight during that kind of project, but his wife kept me so well fed that I was burning 4-5k calories a day and gaining.
Edited to add: my coworkers wife went into Mum Mode looking out for me despite the fact I was 5yrs older then both of them lol The drive is strong.
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u/pinklavalamp Sep 05 '26
Try going to a Turkish household. You can’t leave without having something new with you, be it food or otherwise.
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u/vanzir Sep 06 '26
My first crush was in the 2nd Grade. Her name was Ali. I literally can't remember her last name, but she was Hmong. Her grandmother used to make the best Lumpia. I am pretty sure i was more in love with her grandmother than I was with Ali, but hey, I knew then that i needed to marry a girl who could cook.
Hilariously ironic that the absolute love of my life, came into my life burning water. Though, today, she is a proper chef at home. So you know, no shade here.
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u/draculero Sep 05 '26
I'm sure they didn't need compliments; they thought you might be hungry and wanted to feed you. (I'm not crying, there's a speck of dust in my eye)
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u/Lich_Apologist Sep 05 '26
One thing I've learned is abuelitas love compliments from the white boys that wash up in their kitchen. It is definitely necessary if only so I get to bask in the grandmotherly love. It's like the best part.
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u/vanzir Sep 05 '26
It's this right here. I never met an abuelita that didn't command absolute fealty from every man in the house. And every abuelita I ever met, knew every man was the fucking same. You fed them, you owned them. I am not sure the color mattered so much, though I will say that I never met an abuelita that didn't think I was a good influence on their grandsons and more than a few that wanted me to marry their grandaughters. In fact i swore i was only gonna marry me a good mexican woman for years before i met my wife who sort of upended what i thought I wanted in a life partner all of her own accord.
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u/Dear_Chasey_La1n Sep 06 '26
Latino mums are the best. Buddy of mine is the only son among 10 (or 11) daughters. When visiting him it's basically breakfast sister 1, lunch sister 2, dinner sister 3, next day you can see where we are going.
And because they are married to husbands from different areas they picked up dishes from their areas, it's fucking amazing.
I grew up on boiled potatoes, boiled veggies, meat. As a Dutch person I would call it power food but reality is our cuisine and specifically my mums wasn't that great, effective and got you big big taste wise leaves a lot of space. Having Mexican home food is amazing. On top we visited a michelin mexican restaurant in Chicago and it was actually funny, the dishes were very much the same just way neater plated.
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u/hazyperspective Sep 05 '26
In the late 90's, I moved to Colorado from Florida. We moved to this cute little house, in Grand Junction. What we didn't know moving in, was that this house was in a primarily Mexican neighborhood. I was 21, not Mexican, and a punk. I walked most places back then, so here I was parading around this neighborhood with a bright red mowhawk, in my battle vest. For the first month, I caught some wild stares from people.
Then, our neighbor, this little old lady next door over (looking back she was prolly about my age now) was cooking one day and it smelled really good. So the next time I saw her I told her so. She said thanks, and said next time she made some she'd bring us a couple. I had no idea what a tamale was, but that plate she brought us was like a key to the whole neighborhood. After we made friends with her, we were friends with the entire neighborhood.
TLDR: Tamales could unite the world.
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u/ConnorCoccino Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 06 '26
There's a difference between being nosy and being curious. Being nosy is being obnoxious and not backing off when someone doesn't want to talk to you. Being curious is talking to someone and being polite about asking.
Edit: Since some people can't understand what I meant. I'm not trying to over explain the joke. I'm just happy to share my thoughts.
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u/the_crustybastard Sep 06 '26
Sure, but being self-deprecating while you're telling a story about how incredibly sweet other people are is pretty damn charming.
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u/ItsDanimal Sep 05 '26
Came to the comments to see if anyone said this. Agreed, not nosey at all. Even if it wasn't from one of the moms, I'd love if anyone said what I was eating was tantalizing to them and asked where I got it.
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u/boredinbabylon Sep 06 '26
I think it was the author’s way of being self-deprecating.
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u/MTX502 Sep 05 '26
When my mom comes to visit (Guatemalan too) she likes to make breakfast burritos for my coworkers. Now I’m melancholic 🥺
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u/Kyrthis Sep 05 '26
Remember to vote Democrat all the way down the line in the upcoming November midterms to continue enjoying tasty food!
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u/No-Grape3149 Sep 05 '26
I used to work in Motorsport and every team in the paddock would eat from official catering except us, because we had a team of Filipino mechanics and the wife of one would cook all the meals. The smells from our truck were mouthwatering and for the last event of the season we had a big cookup for quite a few other teams which ended up being quite a special event, if for no other reason than bringing competitors together for a laugh and a good meal.
Thank you glorious Filipino food and their cooks!
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u/BabsSuperbird Sep 05 '26
I love cooking in the pits! Or if we are staying in the camping area during Nationals as spectators, It’s so congenial. We share barbecue, Cajun cuisine, you name it. For the non-pro racers, at the end of the day we just hang out, cook, eat, tell stories, and meet.
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u/Disney2440 Sep 05 '26
The first lady we had for daycare for our son was originally from Mexico. She was the sweetest lady. About twice a week she would have some type of ethnic dish for us when I picked him up after work! Man do I miss those meals!
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u/bananashznobones86 Sep 05 '26
Like 99% of ALL Latina moms are awesome when it comes to feeding anyone. Every crew/team I've worked with that had someone living with their parents will at some point bring in food for everyone. Their moms just like wake up one day and are like, " ok, imma feeds niño's friends today." And it's ALWAYS amazing. I can still smell tamales in my dreams sometimes.
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u/treston_cal Sep 05 '26
I used to work on natural gas rehabs and I became a foreman. One worker we had would always bring burritos in that his wife made - potatoes, fajita meat, bell peppers, and onions. To this day, I have not found a burrito close to it. This will ruin your life in the pursuit of the burrito that got away.
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u/retsamegas Sep 05 '26
When I was a construction electrician I became friends with the concrete crew foreman. I'm walking back to the site while they were having breakfast, and he opened his lunch box and it was full of steaming hot rolled tacos, like mini burritos, wrapped in foil. We just had a quick back and forth, his wife makes them and packs them hot, home made salsa, the guys on the crew bring a lot and spilt with each other most of the time. I say that's awesome and he's a lucky guy.
The next day was freezing (it was mid winter) and we had some sleet. He calls me over and said his wife made a few extra for me and asked if I liked spicy food, which I absolutely do. He gives me 3 tacos and a bag of salsa.
Those were some of the best tacos I've ever had and that salsa was amazing but was so spicy it made me throw up, in my defense it was the first thing I ate on a completely empty stomach, I had no idea what I was getting into. Would absolutely try again
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u/KopitarFan Sep 05 '26
There is nothing a Latino mom fears more than the thought that somewhere there is someone who isn't eating enough. My grandma is 97 and doesn't even really cook anymore. But I still can't leave her house without her loading me up with food.
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u/DodgyRogue Sep 05 '26
I work at a McDonald’s in South Carolina and a couple of the ladies in the kitchen are Mexican who will sometimes bring in tamales for us
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u/lezjournal Sep 05 '26
I LOVE Guatemalans!! As a fellow Hispanic person (Mexican).
I was visiting Ohio last summer and ended up at a random park in the afternoon to take a walk. Ended up speaking to a nice Guatemalan man because I had some questions on where to park and he immediately invited me to join them all (there was a kids soccer game happening).
That hospitality and kindness across the country has stuck with me. Much love. :)
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u/CCrabtree Sep 06 '26
I teach an International Foods class at the HS level. My district also has a decent immigrant Hispanic population. The parents of those kids always want to volunteer to come demonstrate how to make authentic dishes. It is such a great experience for all!
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u/DarkwingDuckHunt Sep 05 '26
I went to a friend's wedding in Guatemala, he wanted to get married in his hometown.
I still dream about that food.
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u/IhateshadyHVAC Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
I'm I white guy who worked primarily with Mexicans through my 20s. You will never go hungry working with Mexicans if you aren't racist.
I worked with one Hispanic dude whose mom sent him to work with a bag of burritos two-three times a week. We made $8.50 an hour so she was the most saintly woman we never met. My grandson is half Mexican and it's super cool that the exposure to the culture will be lifelong
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u/Kali_Luna372 Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I worked in a warehouse with majority Latina coworkers. The wives ALWAYS sent me food! Breakfast, lunch a second lunch and a “snack”. The snack was still a full meal!
I miss those days so bad. That was the best food I’ve ever had. Peruvian, Colombian; Haitian, Mexican, and straight Spain Spanish type foods. I was so appreciative and felt SO loved.
ETA: Thank you for allowing me that.
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u/Scary_Feedback1018 Sep 05 '26
Now change it back, that Latin X crap is annoying af, almost culturally appropriating a language to fix US norms
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u/Phyraxus56 Sep 05 '26
Don't let them hear you call them that. That's a slur if they've ever heard one.
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u/Legitimate_Spirit834 Sep 05 '26
I worked with two Guatemalans, they did the same thing! Spicy as you can take it, It's what I tell people my favorite cuisine is.
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u/Successful_Tie_2165 Sep 05 '26
You weren't in any way a nosy snitch. You "smelled the gold," as I just coopted right now.
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u/purplesockpinksock Sep 05 '26
My husband has some Mexican guys in his crew at work. Most of the other guys at the plant treat them terribly but my husband made friends with them and sticks up for them. Occasionally, they bring him tamales. He is "¡El jefe amigo!" 😊
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u/jdorion Sep 06 '26
Reminds me of a similar story - I moved to Montreal for a job and had only brought a can of chef boyardee pasta for lunch.
One of the guys on my team noticed and told me not to bring anything tomorrow. I figured we'd head out for some takeout together or something.
Instead, his family packed me some leftovers of their lamb couscous. It was so kind of them and very delicious 😋
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u/Embarrassed-Shape-40 Sep 05 '26
My friend from Argentina made empanadas for a thanksgiving gathering last year and they were amazing! I said will you marry me? But her equally awesome husband wasn’t having any of that. I wouldn’t let her go either.
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u/aquatone61 Sep 05 '26
Some of the best tamales I’ve EVER had came from a cooler in the the trunk of a Mexican technicians mothers car at the shop I worked at.
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u/SpiderFloof Sep 06 '26
Thr best tamales come from a beat up old cooler in the trunk of a car. Everyone knows this.
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u/aquatone61 Sep 06 '26
This is true. Coming from a white dude who didn’t grow up with many Hispanic friends it was a revelation. Now I know better :)
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u/mystified_one Sep 05 '26
I love the love for our neighbors and immigrant friends in this thread. Food is a love language and it unites us. I think we all need a mother figure to share delicious things with us.
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u/misanthropyyy Sep 06 '26
I was the only white guy working with Mexicans and those dudes took care of me man. Their wife’s would make them food everyday and they would always insist I have some.
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u/Aggravating_Fruit170 Sep 06 '26
Latinos lose the “who makes me feel loneliest” game- they are by far the most willing and happy to help strangers, feed strangers, invite strangers to a party, socialize with them. Second loser is Filipinos. I’m in awe of Latino culture when it comes to friendliness
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u/NW-McWisconsin Sep 06 '26
- Goodyear Az. Working at a factory where Julie Romo's mom made breakfast burritos for all her kids every morning. I was honored to get a few. CHORIZO! Bacon. Eggs. Potatoes. Homemade tortillas. We would keep them in the tempering furnace until break time. 😍🤤
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u/nefariouspenguin Sep 06 '26
When I was a teen I had some flan at a friend's birthday party and complimented the friend's mom that it tasted so good and I really liked it. Well she made a flan later that year for a school potluck or something and she had my friend bring a personal flan for me to have since I liked it so much.
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u/Difficult-Ad2084 Sep 06 '26
I miss our tamale ladies. We had 3 that came on different days to our building on a rotating schedule for decades...and then the damn CHO chased them out. He was not a popular man with staff after that.
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u/Cantras Sep 06 '26
This is missing a followup post, no joke, I saw this one when it was live -- she unwrapped the burrito to find that Guatemalan moms are also SNEAKY, inside the wrapper was a note in spanish of "My son is a hard worker and he is single" with his phone number.
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u/TheUnbearableMan Sep 05 '26
Best Mexican food I’ve ever had was cooked on an old tile saw blade at a job site.
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u/soljakid Sep 06 '26
Imagine how excited and proud that Foreman was to tell his mum that some random stranger complimented her cooking just by the smell alone, and the pride the mum felt in knowing her cooking is loved and sought after.
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u/XWolvtronX Sep 06 '26
I work landscaping, my favorite part of the job is all the Latin Americans are hilarious, I’m one of the only white guys which worried me at first but all the guys know and love me, they call me the primo. Love to all the Latin Americans on this sub
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u/imaginarywaffleiron Sep 06 '26
Back when I was in high school/college, I worked with a girl with whom I had absolutely nothing in common except a love of food.
We actively disagreed on everything else. But when we had the same shift, we’d spend the entire time discussing food of all kinds.
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u/Sn33pers Sep 06 '26
I have a Chinese coworker that I share an office with. Her food always smells SO good. Finally one day I sheepishly asked what she brought bc it smelled amazing and she gave me the recipe for it! I had never heard of Mapo Tofu before but it slaps.
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u/WhatveIdone2dsrvthis Sep 05 '26
One of the young guys at my job was eating pasta with this amazing smelling tomato sauce. I asked him about it - his mother had made it. I asked for the recipe and next thing I know she’s bringing me some to my job! I told them I just wanted to be able to make it myself. Being complimentary can get you far.
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u/yramha Sep 05 '26
When I was in elementary school we would have a fundraiser where they sold tamales around Christmas time. The catch was that students and their families assembled the tamales as kind of a community event.
The kitchen got there early and was pretty much abuelitas, titas, and mamis cranking out the good stuff. When it came time for the assembly volunteers to show up they walked around the cafeteria like school monitors to guide folks and were probably horrified by some of our creations.
Some of the best tamales I've ever had because of the ingredients. If tamales don't have a bright orange sheen to them then I don't want them.
A close runner up to best tamales is a lady who would go door to door in my old neighborhood every Friday with a cooler of them. Almost everyone got a dozen or asked their neighbor to get them a dozen if they weren't home at the time.
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u/ToblakaiStone Sep 05 '26
Walking home from a Dominoes cheesy garlic bread run I passed by my neighbours having a BBQ
Said hello and how awesome it smelled
Dude took a chunk of steak off the grilled and dropped in the bread box I was carrying 😂🥰🥳
Got home and roommate got jealous because no one ever gave him stuff like that 🫤🤪
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u/Express-Shoulder6174 Sep 06 '26
I work in construction, although I’m Mexican myself my wife just makes me sandwiches.
All you have to do tho’ is walk by the Mexicans when they’re cooking up lunch and say “smells good!” and they’ll immediately start offering you a plate
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u/vaggos62 Sep 06 '26
Food is an international language.
You speak it or not you can definitely taste it. I personally like to think that I speak most of the languages in the world. 😂😂
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u/oclafloptson Sep 06 '26
Used to work with this guy who sold tamales once per week. I asked him if I could get a dozen next time around. He picks up his phone and says in Spanish "Mom I didn't eat today. No I'm very hungry. Yeah it wasn't enough I need like 12 more next time". Hangs up the phone and says in English "I got you bro"
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u/boredsearcher Sep 06 '26
I’m 99% positive this is the story where the next part was that the mom included a note with the burrito letting her know the son is single.
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u/Cottabus Sep 05 '26
I was temporarily assigned to an IT project at a frozen food warehouse. A lot of the workers were Mexican. I made a point of walking through the lunch room once in a while just to enjoy all the good aromas. The warehouse guys were also very patient with my bad Spanish.
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u/DustApprehensive4688 Sep 05 '26
As a Mom, I can tell you if any of my kids came home and told me that a coworker liked my food…I am immediately going to make extra for that co-worker.
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u/Dreamsfordays Sep 05 '26
The best tamales I’ve ever had were from a coworkers abuelita. She’d come by with a dozen for 5 bucks with fresh salsa. Absolutely amazing
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u/gothickornchic Sep 05 '26
My husbands last job before he became disabled, a majority of his coworkers were Guatemalan, and can confirm their food is amazing. They would bring in extras for him and occasionally enough for his to bring home for me (I was pregnant lol) and I miss it so much. The company relocated so we can’t even visit the guys anymore. It’s been years and I still think about the goodies we were spoiled with.
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u/Money4Nothing2000 Sep 06 '26
Sorry for being racist but if I see a brown skinned person I'm immediately trying to get my hands on whatever they are eating.
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u/senor_skuzzbukkit Sep 06 '26
I help my elderly neighbors around the house sometimes, and she brings over mole chicken or tamales for my family the next time she makes them. I would happily help them for free, but the food is the best wages I’ve ever earned in my life.
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u/PocketFullOfRondos Sep 06 '26
My late father would talk about things like this. He was a mechanic in the late 70s in California and he always talked about how his Mexican Co workers mom's would bring foil wrapped stacks of 30 or 40 small burritos for the shop.
No Mexican food ever stacked up to those for him
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u/tatpig Sep 06 '26
That’s awesome! I was putting guardrails on a loading dock years ago,and kept smelling something delicious. A guy came out to have a smoke,and I inquired about the aroma. Turns out they were making Chef Garcia tortilla chips inside,and he brought us out a whole ass big bag of fresh warm chips. Best I ever ate.
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u/StinkyMcD Sep 06 '26
I had a crew working on my house during a remodel and they would bring the most amazing lunches. I often sat outside with them, and they often shared their homemade sopa, ceviche, etc. They serenaded me on my birthday. They were Guatemalan and Salvadoran. Awesome guys. I hope they are all doing well.
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u/Crinni_Boo Sep 06 '26
Food truly does connect people! I make homemade cupcakes and other treats for the workers at a cement plant where I clean. The way their faces light up when they see me coming in with whatever I made! It warms my heart every time to see them happy- you never know how far just a little bit of kindness can go! 🥰
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u/Icedcoffeeee Sep 05 '26
Similar story here. I had a few guys working on my house. They came in with bagels for breakfast. I said "I put on a pot of coffee for you guys, help yourself." The next day, I got what they were having for lunch. Some amazing homemade rice n beans w/chicken.
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u/MissSara13 Sep 05 '26
I had a co-worker whose wife and daughter cooked and he'd come around an take orders once a week. Amazing empanadas and tamales. And I asked him if his wife had a recipe for arroz con pollo. He said he'd bring it to me but he also brought a huge takeaway container of the arroz con pollo too! My other co-workers were a little jealous so I shared and holy shit it was so good! Miss having a guy like Sergio around.
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u/barrosoOso Sep 05 '26
Blows my fucking mind that there are millions of Americans out there making mind blowing food that you and I could be eating if we lived in an actual capitalistic nation. Instead, not a single one of those people will ever be able to get a business off the ground because corporations have bought up every single inch of market place in the world. Including, and especially speaking of, the chambers of congress.
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u/OL-GRAY-MARE Sep 06 '26
30 years ago I had a Salvadoran friend whose mom made the most delicious tamales, wrapped in banana leaves. Mouth watering as I type this 😋
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u/inder_the_unfluence Sep 06 '26
I used to coach high school soccer in California. One of the Mexican players started sharing with me the potato burritos his mom made him. This lead to specially made extras, then dinner invites. Then a 20 year friendship. I officiated his wedding. Now we teach and coach together.
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u/catzhoek Sep 05 '26
This is how societies should opperate, not fucking social media. And that's why you make a BBQ for your neighbours when you move somewhere new.
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u/DEVi4TION Sep 05 '26
Im a white guy with a mexicana girl and her mom seems to love to show off (especially seeming since she found out only i can stand spice like she can) and she FATTENS me up and makes that shit hot as FUCK. its like her love language, if I tell her 3 tacos is good enough she will bring 3 more when im halfway done with the first. When she finds out we're coming she turns the kitchen upside down. Its adorable honestly.
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u/zildar Sep 06 '26
This warms my heart because 1) we need more people willing to share meals with others and 2) that foreman must have a great relationship with his mom
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u/JeremyBake Sep 06 '26
I love this so much... Hey Forman... how bout we get your mom a Burrito shop / truck... Make her Famous!!
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u/Kralcms Sep 06 '26
Dang it’s 11 o’clock at night and yall are making me so hungry 🤤 I lovvvvve Cuban food
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u/LandscapeNo8989 Sep 06 '26
Generally immigrant families come from a culture of giving. Happy you experienced that!
Meanwhile idiots cheer for them being ripped out of their homes and dragged into crowded cells because apparently that’s going to make Jeff Bezos, musk, and most laughably trump give a flying fk about them. That their life is going to immediately improve and they will no longer be uneducated and poor.
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u/arcbnaby Sep 06 '26
Guatemala is the only country I've been to more than once! The women there are amazing! Mis hermanas.
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u/Apprehensive_Low_383 Sep 06 '26
Breaking bread together brings people together in a unique and special way. The bond created after a sharing a meal together transcends ethnicity, nationality, and language. I love to make a heaping spaghetti meal for my friends to indulge in. A good time is had by all when you have a full belly and good company. Now I'm hungry...
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