Poor people’s food
On Wednesday, I went through a dozen old voice mail messages and started deleting them. I came across one from my sister from last week. I don’t think I ever fully listened to it, because I would have remembered the content of the message.
“Hey Cindy, just calling to let you know that we’re making tacos de papa (not VR [our dog who we also call Papas]) and wanted to see if you wanted to come home for dinner. Or we can bring them to you ’cause we’re nice like that. Ok, love you. Buh bye.”
A craving for tacos de papa (potato tacos) immediately developed and I called out to Isa, “Hey, you want to go to dollar tacos night at Don Antonio’s?”
Isa was down and we showed up to the crowded restaurant on Pico and Barrington. We drank sangría and margaritas while we waited. I half watched some NBA playoff game about to go into overtime and munched on chips while we caught up. She felt behind in her first few days back at school (teaching) and scolded me for some recent actions.
We were seated 45 minutes later and devoured our tacos de papa and tacos de pollo. In the mean time, we had a conversation on how some of our favorite foods are “poor people’s food.”
I get the phrase from my mom. Back when we were kids, she’d occasionally take care of Adam and Gigi, the children of some friends who were pretty well off. They weren’t rich, but definitely middle class. We weren’t poor either, but the differences between the two families were clear.
Adam loved the food my mom cooked and insisted that he hated going out to dinner all the time with his parents. One evening, Adam raved over the chilaquiles my mom served for dinner.
My mom said, “well Adam, you know this is poor people’s food.”
Adam replied, “well, if this is poor people’s food, then I want to be poor.”
I love poor people’s food.
My taste buds love the following:
- Tacos de papa
- Chilaquiles
- Sopa de fideo
- Tacos de aguacate
- Frijoles de la olla
go...
This makes me hungry for papas con chorizo on a flour tortilla.
Now I know spam is not all Mexican but I love spam on a tortilla de harina with mustard. YUMMERS!! That’s what my mom used to make when we went out to work on the fields or when we went to pick up cardboard to sell it at those recycle centers. If you haven’t tried it I highly recommend it. I also love frijoles de la holla. They are my favorite straight from the holla to the bowl of mexican rice. =) I’m hungry … I’m going to cook … bye.
Chilaquiles… mmmmmmm.
One of my favortie things is Sopa de tortilla. Now, when I think about it, my mom made it when we had nothing, but tortillas really. But man, it was/is so delicious.
I never realised until a few years ago that tacos de papa (one of my fav. meals) were poor people’s food! heh…but damn. I could sure go for some right now…thanks cindy. seriously, thanks — im left w/ a craving and absolutely no idea how to make em.
It’s funny how America has taken “poor people’s food” and made it their own WAY, that is more expensive ..then it would cost to make one haha
la neta, es que con queso fresco, aguacate, chiles jalapenos, and tortillas, i could eat like a king.
tacos de papas dorados.
do you know how to cook Cindylu?
I’m drooling now.
It’s sad that tacos de papa are about the only I know how to make.
I actually just got back from my L.A./Las Vegas trip and I brought back some main ingredients to make chilaquiles (mainly dried chilis)…drool! I can’t wait…they’ll never match up to mom’s but all I can do is try.
My favorite meal is peanut butter, honey, and banana on toasted sourdough. Does that count as po’ people food? And gorditas de papa are way better than tacos de papa.
Mexican food! yummy!
Beans should be #1
A place for a Poor People Top Ten List?
I nominate these breakfast burrito staples.
Chorizo con Papas
Huevos con Weenies
Chili Verde con Spam
Teresa,
Good pick. My mom makes sopes de chorizo con papa. Yum.
Ni de Aquí MAR ni de allá,
I think Spam is definitely on the poor people’s food list. I’m not a big fan of mustard, so I probably won’t be trying that any time soon, but spam con pap is a favorite at my house (with tortillas in a taco or burrito, of course).
Joel,
Exactly.
Geo,
How does your mom make sopa de tortilla. My mom never made that and I only heard about it when the movie Tortilla Soup came out.
Brenda,
Me neither. I think you should call your mom to get her recipe. Or you could always join me at Don Antonio’s on a Wednesday.
Tin,
Queso fresco makes everything better. I stayed away from adding cheesy things because my mom would say that cheese is not poor people’s food. I’m not a good cook mainly because I don’t take the time or effort. I’m a good helper in the kitchen though!
Maria,
Better wipe the drool off your computer. I’m lacking in the cooking department too. So sad.
Oso,
I’m gonna have to try that. I’m a fan of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but on wheat bread. Our gorditas at home usually have beans and some kind of meet.
Trench,
Yummy indeed, but this isn’t the kind of Mexican food you get at Taco Bell.
Julissa,
There’s something to be said for some good frijoles de la olla with just a tortilla and maybe some queso fresco… yum.
SomeonewalksinLA,
I think we can make a top ten. I was trying to keep it at 5 for the sake of Cinco de Mayo. Weenies con huevo! I had that for breakfast many, many times. My mom makes spam con papa and sometimes my grandma will put chile on it, but we didn’t like it like that as kids. Chorizo con papas is good for all meals, not just breakfast.
tacos de aguacate and a salt shaker nearby are a favorite. and so is the peanut butter and banana sanwich.
1. Tacos de papa
I like those
2. Chilaquiles
never heard of that, I guess it’s like migas?
3. Sopa de fideo
one of my favorites!
4. Tacos de aguacate
I don’t like avacado very much
5. Frijoles de la olla
oh yeah, when we were kids my sister and me ate them with ketchup
We always have tamales for christmas and buñuelos on new year’s eve. My favorite is huevos rancheros – refried beans: breakfast of champions!
I used to like barbacoa until I found out what it was. I hate menudo!
When it’s in a homemade tortilla, anything works.
Food comments 17, March comments 12. hmmmm
I remember years ago being asked by a gringa I used to work with what I ate for breakfast that morning, after I told her I ate huevos con weenies she looked at me as if I was crazy and told me that was *the* grossest thing she’s ever heard of, “What?! Hot dogs & eggs?! Eww!” She just didn’t know what she’s been missing.
I brought up the WeeniesConHuevos breakfast burrito to a cafe around the corner. The chef laughed and said “Hey! I had those!” and he made one up for me. Keep in mind this is a mid range scale place with good recipes and atmospehre.
Now, word got out, of the “barriobreakfastbuirrito” and they has “workers” come in for it. It’s a hit.
Nice blog!! I just have one comment, this idea that the foods that we all love so much were called by our parents generation “poor peoples food” is interesting because now it seems that all this food that we grew up with and love is quickly becoming middle class American food, especially with all the mexican restaurants there are everywhere now.
Wow! girl you just took me back twenty years! Yeah, we had comida de pobres. Have any of you ever had flour tortillas with peanut butter??
I LOVE tortillas de harina con peanut butter!!!! I never knew that other people ate that. I always thought maybe it’s a Chihuahua thing since my family is from Cd. Juarez. Now I know it’s not just me
) Way to take me back!
Ijole, I’m glad I just ate… that’s the best. I especially like it with pico de gallo!