The first enchilada was created in the summer of 1968 In a small house near Seal Beach In Southern California.
The house was owned by a friend of my dad's Or my mom's And we had gone over for dinner
I was eight
I would like to say that it was a cool beach pad With wood paneling, all the rage back then And an Eames recliner in the corner of the living room
I only remember the paneling but since I am writing this The Eames piece stays
We had gone for dinner And the owner of the house had made enchiladas Beef ones as I recall with sauce from a series of Old El Paso cans
I can still smell and taste them They were the first world food I had ever had Besides canned Chinese food from the supermarket which doesn't count
And because I loved them with their ground beef and sauce Their hot oil softened corn tortillas, sour cream, cheese and green onion And little tiny bits of black olive
They became the prison guards Throwing open the gates of my suburban Connecticut upbringing Letting me leave the confines and walk freely in the sunshine for the first time
They were followed by many other firsts Sushi, Crepes, haggis,Β Β tiki masala and sea urchin to name a few All of which owe their very existence in my life