"Take the tamal I had a year ago at chef Thalia Barrios García’s rural-Oaxaca-meets-chef’s-counter experience, La Cocina de Humo. Peeling away the banana-leaf wrapper, its contents barely held together as it exhaled a breath of steam. Inside were tender bites of pork, ancho and costeño amarillo chiles, oregano, fruit vinegar, clove, onion, garlic, and honey. It tasted like something I’d remember for years and compelled me to return several months later." - Joe Ray
