File under “leading economic indicators.” Claudio, aka “the tamale guy,” reports an uptick in sales in the last week. The bars on his beat have been more crowded since November 4, he says, and those drinkers are eating more tamales. He chalks it up to a mild postelection surge in consumer confidence. On the other hand, hypothesizes a fellow bartender/pundit, an Old Style and a bag of chicken tamales might just be all people can afford in the way of dinner on the town anymore.