A tamal (from Nahuatl tamalli, plural tamales)

As a Mexican immigrant in this country, I truly appreciate the efforts of the so-called “general population” to embrace the so-called Latino culture (chips and salsa, burritos, chimichangas, tortillas, tequila, etc.) But people have got to stop calling the singular of tamales a ‘tamale,’ when we all know it is really a tamal.

A recent story, aptly titled Tamale is a Hot Choice for Yule, a customer at a local tamal factory declared: “I love them, and I’ve never had a decent tamale in Arkansas.”

OK, that is nice, but just for the record: next time you want to talk about one and not several, keep in mind it’s one tamal, two tamales, three tamales, etc.