BY STACEY WALLACE
OPINION —
A week or so ago was Teacher Appreciation Week, and I certainly appreciate many of my wonderful teachers. Also, I appreciate them for putting up with me, which was no easy task.
Señor Hitson, my Spanish teacher at Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, was a great teacher. He was a very talented linguist, because he was fluent in not only English, but Spanish, French and Russian. Back then, I believe he was also learning Chinese. Learning a new language can be difficult; therefore, Señor Hitson was very intelligent.
He spoke mainly Spanish in class to immerse us in the language, and it worked. Also, he expected students to speak mostly Spanish, as well. For example, if you needed to go to the restroom, you had to say, “Quiero ir al bano, por favor.” Otherwise, you didn’t get to go.
Believe me, my classmates and I quickly learned that sentence.
In addition, Señor Hitson was always teaching us new Spanish vocabulary by holding up an object and asking, “Que es?” (“What is it?”)
One day he held up a toy shark and asked, “Que es?”
Trying to be funny, I said, “Sharko!”
English words don’t become Spanish by simply adding “o” to them. Not amused, Señor Hitson said to me, “No es sharko, Cristina! I picked “Cristina” as my Spanish name since there is no Spanish word for “Stacey.” Señor Hitson made learning fun, and I really enjoyed his class.
Besides my enjoyment of learning to speak Spanish, I also love eating Mexican food, so recently, Mike and I ate lunch at Como en Casa at 2212 Frederick Road in Opelika.
In English, Como en Casa means “Like at Home.” After our meal, Mike and I realized that the restaurant was well named.
When we entered Como en Casa, which opened in December 2024, we admired the bright, cheerful interior. Also, Daisy, our server, was wonderful, being friendly, helpful and patient.
For our appetizer, we chose the chips, salsa and cheese dip. The chips were great, some of the freshest we’ve ever eaten. The salsa and cheese dip were delicious, too.
For his entrée, Mike chose the Gringa, which was a flour tortilla filled with steak, melted mozzarella cheese and garnished with cilantro and onions. I ordered the chicken fajita, which was served with Mexican rice, refried beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole.
Oh, my two times. Everything was so fresh and tasty that our conversation stopped, and the serious eating began.
Como en Casa is well named because all of our food tasted homemade. However, I don’t know how to prepare Mexican food, so I leave that to the experts.
Besides our delectable dishes, Como en Casa offers diners a wide selection of lunch items, including soups, salads, burritos, enchiladas, seafood dishes, tacos and more.
Mike and I also admired the restaurant’s breakfast menu. It included French toast, pancakes, tortas, empanadas and Mexican brunch items, which sounded really delicious.
Also, there were luscious-looking pastries on display in a glass case. However, Mike and I used restraint and didn’t order one. Visit Como en Casa soon. You will be glad you did.
Teachers everywhere, this review was for you. Thank you for all your dedication and hard work.
Como en Casa serves breakfast and lunch Sunday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The restaurant serves dinner on Friday and Saturday and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Como en Casa makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember,
“Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” appears every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com
