Spoiler I say this to my Hispanic (Mexican) friends every December since no one has... Why do mexicans make tamales for christmas?
mmm...i had some good ones at, of all places, Midas...they had a tamale guy come around and they were f'n great...they had a tamale sale at church last week...
I've experimented with everything from canola oil to crisco to lard. You can still get a pretty tasty tamale without the lard. I think I'm going back to the lard on the next batch though, Alton Brown recommends it.
If it's between RICH and famous, or regular Joe and obscure, I think I'd pick to be famous. And then just make sure I keep myself away from areas where the media and annoying fans are. But obviously, it's best to just be rich, influential, and still able to go out on the street with no one recognizing you.