Gozamos is proud to present EL CHORO, a monthly ‘news’ source for smart asses and sinvergüenzas. The series is written by Jaime de Leon, a comedian from La Villita. Check him out at shows around the city and at Pilsen Stand Up, a monthly stand up comedy show.
CHICAGO, IL — A West Lawn man recently celebrated an important milestone in Mexican-American culture when he flipped a tortilla heating on the stove top with his bare hands, risking severe burns. Twenty year-old Eduardo Casillas, a college student and part-time movie theater employee, said he had been thinking about it for weeks, and felt it was time he became a real man. “There are just some times in life when you have to step up and do the things you’re afraid to do,” said Casillas.
The circumstances of the situation provided the perfect opportunity. “He could’ve just used the comal, but it was in the sink, dirty, and he’s too lazy to ever wash anything,” reflected Maria Casillas, Eduardo’s mother, who he lives with.
Eduardo added, “I also don’t like the way the tortillas get when you heat them in the microwave, so I had to do what I had to do, even if it meant permanent injury.”
Casillas divulged that one reason behind the daring feat was that he had been both inspired and shamed when he saw his girlfriend regularly flipping tortillas with her bare hands, like nothing. “I don’t even remember when I first started doing it; I think I was like ten years-old,” said Eduardo’s girlfriend, Jessica. “You should’ve seen him at my family’s cook-out though, when my dad asked him to light the charcoal for the grill. He had a real bad anxiety attack, and I had to take him home,” she added. “My dad called Eduardo a pinche idiota, buena pa’nada, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him,” concluded Jessica.
Edurado’s mom reflected on the epic milestone event, telling us, “Although it took Eduardo several tries, which resulted in a dozen burnt tortillas, the smoke alarm going off, and the local fire department stopping by…I’m glad he’s taken another step towards manhood and independence,” said mom. “Knowing he has flipped a tortilla with his bare hand one time, I won’t feel so bad when I have to kick his ass out when he turns 21,” she added.
Even though Eduardo feels he got the hang of it, he did order the Ove Glove As Seen On TV, a mitt that is made to handle hot surfaces, just in case.
Eduardo also shared that this achievement makes him feel closer to his Mexican-American heritage, and that next he wants to learn how to open a bottle of Corona with just a lighter. “My dad would be so proud,” he concluded.