When the Dems come to Denver to meet and choose a candidate, they should get a real taste for what this city and this state have to offer. When dining, Colorado has steak houses, fine restaurants, and rich heritage, but busy delegates are not always going to have the time to sit down and enjoy the finer side of cuisine in Colorado. Many will be taking their meals on the run and choosing fast food over comfort food. When they do, I suggest they choose to forego the ubiquitous quick food available everywhere and opt for something unique and special in Colorado. My choice for them is the tamales from Tamales by La Casita.

I grew up in Denver. Even before I knew I was eating Mexican food, I watched my babysitter's mom playing patty-cake with homemade tortillas, spooning lard into the frijoles, and preparing cornhusks for tamales. I remember being barely able to control myself anticipating a fresh, homemade tortilla, some of those mouth-watering beans, and, of course, the piece de resistance, that hand made tamale. To me, tamales will always be a special treat and will always remind me of Colorado, the State I love.

Oh, I know there are many varieties of tamale and people do it differently all over, but the ones I grew up on best represent what excites the receptors in my brain when the word "tamale" reaches my ear. The tamales that best represent what my mind and taste buds expect are at "Tamales by La Casita", 3561 Tejon Street in Denver. These tamales are spicy, "corny", wrapped in natural husks and cooked to perfection. I do not eat pork anymore, so I prefer the cheese and pepper tamales with those lovely capsaicin loaded jalapenos inside that send the endorphins surging through my veins to delight my soul. They are hot without being overpowering, and always tasty enough to make me want another. Every delegate should sample at least one before voting. Then, if some of those wimpy, eastern, uninitiated delegates want to opt for something a bit more "docile", we will know a bit more about their character and a bit more about their commitment to the party.

Tamales may actually be labor intensive to make, but not for us customers, (Ah, the beauty of life in America!). Using a cell phone, we customers can phone the store while on the road and order up a dozen or two. The tamale order will be hot and ready upon arrival. After tax, a dozen of those little southwestern wonders will only set you back $10.35, and easily make a quick meal for two. Personally, I prefer a dozen just for myself, (I am greedy, aren't I?), and I often pick up a spare dozen just because I know I will not be satisfied and will want more later in the evening. Hopefully, the second dozen will last the night to see the dawn of a new day. Fat chance!

My hope for the Democratic National Convention is that those fast-moving delegates will take my advice for a quick meal and not only give their taste buds reason to smile, but also give themselves some tasty memories of Colorado to take back home. After that, the lure of capsaicin will surely make them want to come back. The rest of us are luckier because we do not have to wait for a convention to enjoy this Southwestern fast food with the Colorado flair. We can enjoy it anytime we have the scratch to satisfy the itch. For us, it is just phone call away and a short drive to Tamales by La Casita. The number is 303-477-2899, and, after trying a dozen or two, you will want to program that into your cell phone, guaranteed. Maybe that is why we natives refuse to live anywhere else. For me, the tamales and those little hills to the west are too magnetic to resist. Can heaven be better than this? I am in no hurry to find out.

(Author's note: If you are not familiar with tamales, please, before eating, peel off the cornhusk used to hold the tamale together during cooking. The cornhusk is not edible. Eating it will negatively affect your experience.)