Yeah, we've done the "waitress in Santa Fe" thing here before. Inexplicable to me that anyone could believe it. And my roots in New Mexico go pretty damn deep. Grandfather was a sheriff up in Farmngton/Aztec back around the turn of the last century. He and my grandmother lived in an old stone house on the banks of the Animas River. That house had been the overnight stop for the Durango-Farmington stage. Aunt owned a motel up there. Uncle had the first pharmacy. Other uncle owned two Western Auto stores - Aztec & Grants. Cousin was the state hydrologist for many years...in...that's right...Santa Fe. Nephew currently state trooper assigned to Cuba. I spent most of my summers up on the Animas River. Two of my three children were born in New Mexico - Clovis and Alamogordo. So it's not a territorial pride Texas vs New Mexico issue to me. It's just common sense.
Elmer Doolin started packaging Fritos in San Antonio in the 1930's. I repeat, San Antonio. The home of the Chili Queens, who were already a nationally famous tourist attraction. I'm sorry, but who in their right mind could possibly believe that nobody in San Antonio, the home of the Chili Queens, would have considered the natural connection between fried corn tortillas and chili until some waitress in Santa Fe came up with the idea decades later?
Not to mention that I was in junior high in San Angelo in the mid-195o's and I distinctly remember at lunchtime walking across the street to the drive-in and getting Frito Pies, served in the little bags, with all the "fixin's" added. And absolutely nobody said, "OMG what's this???" They had already been eating Frito Pies for years. And years. And years.
In order for me to ever believe the "waitress in Santa Fe" story, I'd have to believe that those hundred of Frito Pies I ate when I was a kid in Texas in the 40's and 50's were all in my imagination.
