Tortillas in New England
Before moving to New England, the Roberts family lived in Southern California, most notably in Palmdale. Our grocery stores carry foods of all ethnicities.
Moving to Lawrence, Massachusetts, we found this not to be true.
Fifty families moved to the northeastern region of Massachusetts, and we all wanted Mexican food. Shirlee would make enchilada sauce by the gallon, put it into quart jars, and pass them out to the "California Fifty." But tortillas were another problem. I can just feel the anguish of the grocers who were asked for 'Tor-TEE-as' by fifty families. On one trip to the market, Gerry asked for 'Tor-TEE-as' and was told the grocer did not carry them. With total askance, he asked to see the groceryman's catalog.
He found 'TORT-a-las' available in tin cans, by the case, from a company in Texas. Gerry had the grocer order a case and had to pay in advance. The 'TORT-a-las' were about five inches in diameter. They were packed eight to a can with parchment pepper between each of them.
Avacados (or aguacate) were a little more complicated. In New England, they were known as alligator pears. When Gerry picked up his special order, he immediately placed an order for two more cases. They were all gone within a week, and he ordered four more cases. By the end of the school year, our grocer had a standing order for 'TORT-a-las' and 'alligator pears'.
Then AVCO closed the Lawrence facility and "The California Fifty" all moved away. For years, we would think about a huge grocery warehouse somewhere in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the poor grocer who knew not what to do with pallets of cans of tortillas and grin.
Many years later, Susan and I were visiting Reno, Nevada. On a Sunday morning, we were just waking up and watching "Good Morning, America."
A special segment was announcing the winners of a cooking contest. The winner was a fireman from Lawrence, Massachusetts who had 'invented' a recipe for Mexican Enchiladas using, you guessed it, 'TORT-a-las.'
I immediately called my parents in Sunnyvale, California to report the Champion Fireman and his new invention. We all had a great laugh.
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