Tortilla Love

My friend Enrique told me an interesting tortilla tid bit this week. I asked him if I could share what he said:

Hey, since you're in the tortilla business, I thought you'll find it interesting
to know that tortillas play an important role in romance in Mexico.

First, you need a little background info to understand. In Mexico, people don't really buy tortillas at the store. People buy warm freshly made tortillas daily from "tortillerias" you find everywhere. They take their own towel to carry and keep the tortillas warm. Usually in every household, it's the young girl's job to go for the tortillas while the mom is finishing with the cooking. Here's where the opportunity for romance comes in. For young girls with really strict parents, this is the only chance to be out of the house by themselves.

When a boy asks a girl, "So, what time do you get the tortillas?" That question means a lot more than a simple inquiry about the tortillas. A girl can reject him or let him know when and where they can meet, so he can walk her to get the tortillas and get to know each other. This is a beautiful custom in Mexican courtship. At lunch and dinner time you find nervous boys all over the country getting ready to escort the young ladies.

I was lucky enough to experience it one summer in Mexico when I was 14. Her name was Violeta, and I was so nervous to ask her, but I did and walked her to get the tortillas almost every day that summer. We Mexicans are passionate and hopeless romantics. I'll never forget that experience.

I still get a smile when I think about the phrase, "So, what time do you get the tortillas?"It's a staple in my culture's romance. Sometimes guys still use the phrase, even if the girl is older and independent. They use it to break the ice, and to make their intentions clear. I bet you never knew tortillas could be so romantic...