Mexican-American Food Culture

In Spanish cultures, traditionally, there were four to five meals per day; but because of immigration, people eat the normal three meals. For breakfast, coffee, sweet rolls, and eggs are commonly eaten. At lunch, the most important meal of the day, the most common foods are soup, meat, rice, tortillas and coffee. At the end of the day for dinner, the food eaten depends on the family’s income, geographic regions and family customs. Americans typically eat three meals a day with snacking in between. At breakfast, there is no typical meal; the same can be said for lunch and dinner as well. All of the foods that a family eats can depend on income.

Before the 1950’s, Mexican food was foreign to many Americans. Many Mexican American cooks desired to gain cultural acceptance within the United States, and some modified their recipes to appeal to more Americans. Mexican American cookbook author Elena Zelayeta retorted regarding one of her own recipes, “This method may be more American than Mexican, but so what?” (Pilcher 138). After these Americanized recipes began to spread, Mexican restaurants became more present in communities outside primarily Mexican regions.

“Taco USA: How Mexican Food Became More American Than Apple Pie” was written in 2012 by Gustavo Arellano, a prolific food author for the Orange County newspaper OC Weekly. This article originally appeared as an online publication in Reason Magazine. Arellano has written books about Mexican food and its role in the American experience. His writings explain how this genre of cuisine has evolved and transformed as it has spread geographically throughout the United States. Growing up in Orange County California with two Hispanic parents, Arellano experienced firsthand the transformation of traditional Mexican dishes into the tex-mex that most American families are familiar with today. The online news site, Reason Magazine, originally published this article to accommodate to an audience of readers who want to be informed but also entertained by the news. These readers care about what is happening in society but are not considered scholars on the topics presented. Although the readers of Reason Magazine might not have any formal knowledge about food and its role in culture, all of them have experienced the importance of a meal in their everyday lives. The author uses the experience and background of his audience to show them the importance and prevalence of Mexican food in the American culture. In “Taco USA” Arellano uses personal stories, ethnic language, and historical information to show his

Within the first few paragraphs of this section Arellano not only describes the setting of his work he also jumps right into the main topic that he will be discussing, Mexican food. Arellano coming from Hispanic heritage himself grew up eating and loving Mexican food. So when he traveled to South Dakota in the middle of the United States, he was greatly surprised to find out that google maps found four Mexican restaurants in one city. But he was even more surprised to find how many locals enjoyed these restaurants and how Americanized the food was. He described his astonishment when he tried his first Potato Oles from fast food giant Taco Johns. They were “Stuffed into a breakfast burrito, nacho cheese sauce slowing oozing out from the bottom of the flour tortilla. There is nothing remotely Mexican about Potato Oles-not even the quasi-Spanish name.” And it's with this creative and insightful description that we learn that the author really knows his stuff when it comes to true Mexican cuisine.

“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture”. (Kurlansky, 2002) This quote perfectly sums up the importance of food when it comes to culture. I have had the privilege of being born into a Hispanic background. The Hispanic culture is rich with traditions, language, music, literature, but most importantly, cuisine.

Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food by Jeffery M. Pilcher, a Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, provides rather than a history of Mexican cuisine instead a changing of people’s culinary choices by investigating how people’s minds change over the course of decades in the presence of marketing strategies both domestic and international and changing consumer outlooks and tastes regarding foreign cuisine. Pilcher does this by using a seemingly

A misperception of the global community is that countries are comprised of a single culture. In this compartmentalized worldview, a country has the same food, ideas, and traditions as if our national borders are the only aspect to define us. However, Mexico is far from a homogenized culture or identity; there is a myriad of differences within present day Mexico and the Mexican-American Community. In Chicago, the Westside neighborhood of Pilsen showcases the rich diversity of Mexican culture. Pilsen has changed hands as many immigrants thrived in its streets throughout the century and is now predominantly Latino/Mexican. The small neighborhood’s vibrant culture is encapsulated in the brilliantly colored painted murals featured on many building,

I was born and raised in the Philippines. I identify myself with the Filipino culture. I chose to learn about the Mexican culture, so I have interviewed my coworker. The interview was focused on the meaning of food in their culture and its impact on their health.

Were any of your answers to the survey questions impacted by your culture and how? What culture do you belong to? Explain.

´ El Dia De Los Muertos.’ Mexicans have many unusual traditions that they celebrate. Mexicans eat a lot of different foods, for example, most Mexicans eat menudo pozole, and tamales. That's all part of Mexican culture. For fun, most Mexicans like playing soccer. Read furthermore, to Mexican culture.

When first beginning this assignment, I thought of choosing Vietnamese food because I miss having Vietnamese food for most of my meals, which was a luxury when I lived at home with my parents. Also, I have not fully prepared a Vietnamese dish or meal myself, as cooking never appealed to me. However, as I thought more about it, I would just be returning to the comforts of what I had already known instead of challenging myself and expanding my experiences. Eventually, I decided to pursue learning more about the Hispanic food culture because I greatly enjoy Hispanic food, whether it is Americanized Hispanic foods such as burritos or enchiladas from restaurants like Taco Bell or La Paz, or traditional, authentic foods I have had at my Hispanic friends’ houses. I love exploring the infinite variety of ethnic dishes this world has to offer, but I do not pay much attention exactly to what I am eating, what is in it, and how to prepare it myself. This assignment gave me the opportunity to go out and adventure into Guerrero’s Market on 11th and G street. I brought David with me, a friend from Honduras who has exposed me to most of the authentic hispanic foods I have eaten. I decided to make ceviche, and the two ethnic ingredients not used in mainstream American cuisine I selected were avocados and tostadas.

Peru is different than other Latin American countries because of its immense diversity. Immigrants from all different origins, come together and contribute something special to the original Peruvian culture and cuisine. In Peru, each group of people is different. However, when they arrive in the United States, they are seen as Peruvian. These Peruvians are identified by their country, rather than what region they come from. When they come to America the fear and anxiety of assimilating to a foreign country is eased by the diverse individuals coming together with familiar foods from their shared homeland. At the same time, their food is able to bring a new flavor to mainland culture and American society.

The communal nature of Latinos is represented by the use of food in the culture, sharing and offering food to guests is important and often relates to the holidays that Latino’s often celebrate.

While debating the food cultures I wanted to compare for this project, I reflected on my childhood and the various types of food and how they were prepared. The personal food culture that I selected is southern food, also known as “Soul Food” in the South. I chose this specific culture of food because I can make a connection to it. I grew up in a small town in Mississippi and most Sundays, my family would drive to my grandmother’s house. Our meals consisted of foods such as like fried chicken, country fried steak, cornbread, black eyes peas, butter beans, and mashed potatoes. An important tradition growing up in my family was fellowship and sharing our meals together. We also have a family reunion each year. These traditions influenced my

Mexican cuisine is a style of food that originates in Mexico. It is known for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients, many of which are native to the country. What makes a meal distinctly Mexican, of course, are the lively seasonings. Not all Mexican recipes are fiery, though; while renowned for their heat, many subtle and intriguing spice combinations are also found in Mexican fare.