Wasn't Smithfield (the company not the town) recently bought by the Chinese? I love their bacon.
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I've got an old guy who brings me spicy pork burritos, and homemade tamales to the shop about once a month.
Stopped by yesterday and said he's bringing 5 dozen burritos Wednesday morning.

Needless to say he gets a pretty smoking deal on anything he needs done.

He has a sister that lives in Chicago and she brings us gardinaire, sp?, and Italian beef everytime she visits.

Awesome people
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I just like, not love tamales. Guys up here walk through late night, kitchen-less bars selling tamales out of coolers. I'll admit to liking the Spanish genocide version that includes a green olive the most, just because they're super savory.
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Yes, the company which is named after the town was bought by a Chinese company. Smithfield the company doesn't make Smithfield ham, which is a style of country ham made in Smithfield Virginia since the late 1790s at least.
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Vegetarian Night! Veggies only —all day.

I know you folks are more into meat and Mexican than I.

Stuffed Spaghetti Sqaush with cooked tomatoes and eggplant, which I buried unfortunately....should have had a few pop through the grated cheese. Italian herbs, garlic, onion, topped with grated parm and fresh basil. It was good and very filling too.
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They're tough to find here. Now you've got me hankerin.
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No migrant workers going to Kansas for the summer work?
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Eh not really. Most of the illegals work in packing plants or feedlots, which are fulltimers. Not much for migrants here.
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I recommend Alton Brown's pressure cooker chili recipe. Tasty stuff.
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There's many different kinds of tamales. I'm partial to using platano leaves and not corn husks....

You should definitely keep trying.
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Did you by chance try them in New England?
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The most common mistakes are not enough moisture in the dough, not enough flavor in the masa, and letting the dough dry out.

I bet you could make AWESOME tamales. You just need them fresh and moist and flavirful. Nothing worse than bland dry masa.

I'm a big fan of mixing some if the salsa into the masa from whatever meat you fill with. Lots of mantecs and chicken broth.

Platano leaf helps keep moist. No corn husk
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LOL!

No here, since I said it was in 2009. Mexican food I had up there was better than most I've had here though. This was at the one Mexican place I do like and has the best reviews.
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Well, then I'm glad I said they sucked originally. Now that I here others speak differently. I hate grits once too—but now, if made right, I love them.
That took a trip to Thomasville to discover the stone ground version in a restaurant. So things can change.
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Same way for me. I've hated grits my whole life. Until I discovered a chef that treated the right. Now I make them at home semi-regularly.
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