Tamale tutorial gone wrong

Michelle texted this morning asking if I could teach her how to make Abuela Rosa’s tamales. ‘How hard can it be?’ she said. Famous last words.

Two hours later, my kitchen looks like we hosted a flour fight, and we’ve managed to produce exactly three tamales that might actually hold together.

Tamale tutorial gone wrong

The rest look like abstract art projects. Michelle’s convinced the masa has a personal vendetta against her, and honestly, watching her wrestle with corn husks might be the most entertainment I’ve had all week.

The moment we realized Pinterest lied to us

This is the exact moment we both realized that Pinterest tutorials skip about seventeen crucial steps. Also learned that Michelle’s idea of ‘a little salt’ and my grandmother’s idea are vastly different measurements. We’re ordering takeout tonight, but she’s already texting about round two next weekend. I admire the persistence, even if my kitchen doesn’t.