Who are you?

Carolyn is a good friend of mine that I met at work. She's a teacher of English and of young people.We haven't worked together in several years, but we both still work in education, helping to transform the lives of young people every day, and serving as a role model in many ways.  We've run marathons and half marathons together. She's faster than me and pretty much kicks ass. This past week, we had a very pleasant discussion about culture and how people understand it in their lives.  These controversial topics are so common with us, we have similar perceptions about some things and very different perspectives on others. I appreciated this particular conversation because it has been something on my mind for the last couple of weeks.

I spent a good majority of my life trying to figure out who I am, understanding how I fit into this huge concoction of cultures in this amazing city in California. I grew up in a homogeneous community with most people of the same values and content with the lives they lead in the small town. It was a great place to grow up, but I grew out of it pretty quickly.  I understood and spoke a bit of Spanish because it was (and still is) the only way I could communicate with my grandparents and my grandmothers siblings. I learned how to cook most things Mexican, with a few American dishes sprinkled in moderately. My grandmother enjoys listening to cumbia but my grandfather was all about the big bands. He loved them.  We have a traditional and yet eclectic upbringing.

After three decades of living on this planet, it still sometimes bothers me when someone insinuates that I'm not quite as "cultured" as I could be. It's like a low blow. Not really a blow to me, but a blow to my parents and my grandparents. That pisses me off.  And I won't get over it in the same way some people won't get over the fact that culture means different things to different people (even within the same culture), that is what makes us different and awesome. 

Culture in my life was about family and food. That's how we understood our Mexican roots in this previously Mexican (now "American") land. There are few basic foods that my grandmother did not teach me (only because I'm not a big fan of chile relleno so I didn't bother learning how to cook them) but most of my dishes are seasoned a la mexicana. I even put cinnamon in my morning coffee. 

I grew up in southern California.  I learned how to speak both Spanish and English, how to make tortillas as a kid and taught myself how to make crepes as an adult. If there is anything that I can identify with, it's the ability to fit in with a plethora of cultures, living on the border of two cultures (one of them already a melting pot) and creating a nice home between the two.  I am defined by everything around me and maintain my roots with what is important to my life, not what someone else thinks it should be because of my last name. Plus, my novice home cooked meals are pretty bad ass. Ask my friends.  I have to thank my friend for reminding me that food is one important artery to culture.

I don't have a real recipe for the dish below-I tried to measure the portions when I made it yesterday. I've made it many times for my friends and have gotten pretty good reviews. My tia inspired this way of making the dish. I have a short cut that most people would shun (canned sauce) but whatever. Try it....then let me know if I should change it.

Chilaquiles makes 2 servings
2 eggs

2 servings of corn tortilla chips*

4 oz of "El Pato" brand Tomato Sauce (Mexican Hot Style) in the yellow can

Can be found this near the tomato sauce at most grocery stores-at least in southern Cali

1 tbspn Parmesan cheese

1/2 tbspn canola oil

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/4 cup of onion, diced

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded (queso fresco could be a substitution)

salt and pepper to taste

*one can use any kind of tortilla chips, but this meal will come out best with restaurant style, thick tortilla chips that were friend from a thick tortilla-almost pita-like in thickness. The traditional brands usually found in the chips section of grocery stores will get soggy and although they work-won't be the best looking plate. If you can't find any, it would be ideal to fry your own tortillas into chips. 

Using medium heat, warm the canola oil in a medium sized frying pan. Toss in the diced onions and let them sizzle.  While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs into a bowl, add in the Parmesan cheese and mix add a dash of salt and pepper. 

Once the onions are slightly browned, add in the tortilla chips then pour in the egg scramble. Mix the eggs through the chips. Once the eggs are mostly cooked (a bit runny) add in the tomato sauce. Save the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator. Lower the heat of the stove and mix the eggs, sauce and chips together so most chips have egg and sauce on them. Mix in the oregano. Once the eggs are fully cooked. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the top of the pile. Serve hot.

Some people like to add a dollop of cream or some guacamole over the top. Feel free to add that. 

I ate both servings. That morning, I ran 4.5 miles and walked two so I allowed myself to eat both. :) 

Enjoy!

international eating

Anthony Bourdain is a bad ass.

Yea, I think I'm on the late freight with this discovery, considering he wrote his books many years ago, has (had?) a television show and is considered a celebrity chef. It's amazing where life can take a person.

I just finished Medium Raw after spending a day reading his pissed off angry Kitchen Confidential biography/food writing book. I toyed with the idea of pursuing a chef's profession, but after reading what he has to say about the business, I was convinced-otherwise.

I will not go back to working in the food industry. Back? Yeah. I spent a couple of years working with food services while in college, I made hundreds of smoothies, pretzels, hot dogs, and popping popcorn for basketball games. After a year, I was promoted to cash manager and quit because of the stress of that responsibility. And I was nineteen years old! Things do not change when making food for others. People always complain. Food is not ALWAYS perfectly made, but made well enough to be eaten.

Medium Raw gave me such a better appreciation of describing food for people reading or listening to me describe. I read, and read...addicted to indulging on the words describing Bourdains' indulgent experiences in the various countries. I could almost taste the tacos he savored or the description of the fish that melted in his mouth.

Bourdain does seem to have a soap box of his own, attempting to educate people not only about the goodness of food all over the world, but also in food etiquette. When Anthony got on his soap box about the importance of manners and accepting meals no matter what they serve in whatever country we travel to.

This part of the text immediately took me back to Asilah, Morocco. My friends and I took a weekend trip to Morocco while I was living in Spain for a semester. We decided to go into town, knowing that most people would be at home-it being Ramadan and all.

The bell boy at the hotel invited us to his home with his family. His mother made us a delicious meal of I have no idea what. It was super exciting to taste everything on the table, in the different textures and flavors. I remember that I kept asking "what is that?" and eating it anyway because I was so excited to be in the coolest place with some of the most hospitable people I have ever met.

I think back at the four months I spent in Spain, indulging on paella, churros y chocolate, tortilla, fresh bread, and sangria. I also think of my "food allergy" of swine and how much that completely affected my trip. I feel so horrible to lose that experience. I wonder what it would have been like to taste jamon serrano along with my manchego cheese.

I probably offended the family I lived with when I explained to them that I didn't eat the best thing on the menu (according to them). At 22, I didn't think much of it. At 31 (and after reading Bourdain's justification), I understand that I could have sucked up the pain of eating "different" foods than my body is used to eating.

It is my intention to travel back to the motherland. I want to change my way of viewing particular foods (and maybe taste them) next time.