Tortillas

Weslaco was unique in its way in the 40's. The milkman may not have gone to too many houses in my neighborhood, but the "tortilla" man did. Every morning between the hours of 10am and noon, the "tortillero" drove up to the curve and the housewives were ready to buy packages of corn "tortillas" fresh from the local "tortilla" factory. The "tortillas" were still hot and they were were the best I have ever eaten. My mother always bought some for our lunch, which usually consisted of Mexican rice or "fideo" made by her, with refried beans.
Then about 4pm, she would make wheat flour "tortillas". She never measured anything that I could see. She just put some flour in the bowl, added some salt with her fingers and some baking powder with a spoon, some lard and poured the water and mixed. Her "tortillas" always came out perfect every day. She rolled the out on a flour board, with a wooden rolling pin from little balls of the mixed and kneaded dough and cooked them on a big iron skillet with a heavy lid. Her "tortillas" were big, bigger than most other "tortillas I had seen being made in other houses where they were cooked on an iron "comal"( a flat grill).
When I arrived home I would have a tortilla with coffee to hold me till suppertime at about 6pm.