At Ian's Place - Part IV, in which I Answer the Door...
Ian’s place has a washer and dryer but I don’t use them. I’m paranoid about breaking anything; also, I’ve gotten used to my laundry routine. This neighborhood is perfect for my laundry routine: the ‘mat is only four blocks away, there’s a bar adjacent with good booze, and a tamale lady comes in on Wednesdays. I’ve made tamales before (singular tamal ) - it's a simpl-ish process that takes years of practice to master. I don't have years of practice. They came out well exactly once, and then I found my efforts were better placed in finding out where the tamale ladies (sometimes guys) set up shop. You can often find a route between laundromats and grocery store parking lots, depending on how well the city polices vendors. Often the vendors are suspicious and you might not get to make a purchase until you’re well established as a neighbor. It took several weeks of doing laundry at the same place and approaching regulars with necesito tamales before I got the nod – a literal ...