The Importance of Food in Constructing Mexican National Identity This research project is focused on how food exists to not only help us survive, but also for helping to create and shape identities, especially the national identity for Mexico. I will approach this topic primarily through a discussion on the formation of Mexican cuisine, but also about how food tells us stories about history, art, tradition, globalization, authenticity, and on gendered food identities, particularly on the role of women and their sense of empowerment through the evolution of Mexican cuisine. Mexico’s ethnic food was a part of their culture, but it became problematic when the Europeans brought with them a variety of new foods and looked at Mexican food as suspicious …show more content…
and uncivilized. There is a strong connection between food and identity as Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin has proclaimed. Through food, we can feel a sense of belonging and as was in the case of Mexico, the bonding of community is also possible. By focusing on the impact of Mexico’s past on its national identity, this research aims to offer insight on how what we eat plays a significant role on who we are. Food can tell us a lot about who we are as individuals, but also about who we are as a culture and as a society. Food makes up a great part of our entire being. Biologically, we need it for sustenance, but food is more powerful than we think it is. Every meal that we consume has a unique, aesthetic appearance with distinct smells and flavors, but we have become so used to eating because it is essential to our survival that we may often not consciously even think about what we eat anymore. Living to eat is one of the rarest things in the world. Most people just eat to eat, that’s all. Or perhaps that is no longer the case and most people now recognize the influence of food on their human being. What’s even more interesting is that food brings us nostalgia, and memories, and history stories. Food is everywhere. It’s ubiquitous. And our experiences of the past with food can shape our identities. Besides focusing on how food helps construct identity, in particular for Mexico and its people, I will look to Mexico’s past to emphasize how its food history has played a significant role in shaping its identity as a nation.
With every experience that we have with food, a memory is created. Our experiences with food begin when we are infants. The memories can be traumatic or they can be pleasant, but they will affect the way we think, act, and shape our ideas about food in the future. Just like our language, the clothes we wear on a daily basis, our individual customs, and the values and beliefs that we have, food is important in constructing our overall identity too. If the way a person speaks, dresses, and thinks can reveal a lot about who they are as individuals, then doesn't food also define us? Everything that revolves around our food from what we choose to eat and how our food is obtained and prepared to when and how we eat tells us so much about …show more content…
identity. The Mexican Revolution began in 1910, but food was already a national symbol in Mexico before this time. The power of food being acknowledged as a national symbol might not have been clearly understood by some at the time, but revolutionary administrations recognized this importance despite their capitalist ideals. During the times of the pre-conquest Mexican society, cuisine played an integral part in the constructing of social hierarchies in Mesoamerica, and to this day continues to shape individuality not only in Mexico, but also for other countries around the world. For Mexicans, their food was one way for them to distinguish themselves from other people and different groups. Mexican food is like no other kind of cuisine in the world because every dish is rich in color and taste. Some are simple while some are more elaborate, but each is always representative of the rich Mexican culture. Corn is one of the ingredients at the heart of Mexican cuisine that goes back to pre-Columbian times when the Aztecs and Mesoamerica peoples incorporated maize into their diet.
Jeffrey Pilcher declares that Mexicans are a people of corn, that “despite centuries of efforts to change them, Mexicans remain a people of corn” (Pilcher, 6). The native and indigenous people of corn formed identity as a society. They made tortillas with corn, and gradually began to add different kinds of meats, vegetables, and spices. Every society creates for themselves a unique set of cuisine to feed and please others. But people’s needs constantly change and the diet that is established for each society is divided through class. Besides this being a harsh reality, this is problematic because of the disparity between the rich and the poor. But even though this was the case, Mexico’s food culture was able to preserve and refine a lot of its cuisine despite evolution and struggles to maintain original forms. Thus, it can be said that the history of food in Mexico is one that is profoundly and intimately tied to the country’s developing national
identity.
I don’t really like chiles, but because it bears a lot of health benefits, my mindset with the chiles have changed. “The Joy of Jalapeños” written by Jose Antonio Burciaga, an author and a Chicanismo expert, is an essay that talks about the author’s personal relation with the jalapeños, where he demonstrates the various kinds of health benefits of the chiles, the Chicano’s masochistic cuisine and culture, and his own analysis about it. And through his own experiences, and thoughtful and careful examination of scientific evidence about the health benefits of a jalapeños, Burciaga have persuaded me into consuming more jalapeños.
At the heart of ¡Que Vivan Los Tamales!: Food and the Making of Mexican Identity, Jeffrey Pilcher attempts to find an answer to whether food plays a part in forming national character with a focus on interpreting Mexican national identity. Pilcher begins by stating, “while people have long recognized the connections between cuisine and identity, the aphorism that you are what you eat has seldom been applied to the study of modern nationalism” (2). Mexican cuisine is one of the most popular in the world, and it is made
Being so naïve about the country I came from being influenced by the way other people look at Mexico made me ashamed of who I was. Even taking it as far as dreading the color of my skin and despising the blood that ran through my veins. Not knowing of course that blood and the way I am and look is what ties me to my ancestors and my future family. Now, having the ability to block out the unnecessary opinions of outsiders and finally having the courage to love myself and my roots; I’m able to fill my own head with information. Learning from how people in Mexico treated the land like a part a part of themselves, I decided that I’m as important as the seasonal fruits, as intricate as el mole, sweet life the pineapple, and as bright and persuading as the sunflower. For the first time everything I see and am is as beautiful as it should be.
In the book “Omnivore’s Dilemma” , Michael Pollan delves into the the evolution of the industrial food system. There are many parallels that can be drawn from what was discussed in the book and covered in lecture regarding food systems. One example is the importance of corn. The central ingredient to the industrial food system is corn. In fact, Todd Dawson, a biologist at Berkeley describes North Americans as “corn chips with legs” (Pollan, 2007, p. 23). Until reading this book, I was not aware of the profound impact corn has on our lives. The book focuses on corn’s role in North American diets. However, in this course we learned about the significance of corn in certain cultures. In fact, corn is central to the culture and identity of guatemalan people that when they move away they rely on MASECA to continue eating their beloved corn tortillas (Maupin).
“Many of the so called Mexican foods that we love like hard-shell tacos, burritos, and nachos are a Tex-Mex creation.” Anglo people were the first to encounter these delicious Mexican cultures and cuisines, but Tex-Mex did not appear until the 1940s, but in the 1970s everyone mostly knew about Tex-Mex foods because “as more people settled in Texas or wrote for cook books (Diana Kennedy) Mexican food grew and grew. People tried to make these Mexican cuisines by using Tex-Mex foods which are considered to be: beef, yellow cheese (cheddar), wheat flour, black beans, canned vegetables, and cumin which are not common in Mexican foods. Beef and cumin were used in a lot of Tex-Mex creations. Like “beef was the meat choice
Three products constitute the heart of most Mexican dishes: corn, hot peppers (chiles), and beans. ("Like Water for Chocolate"). Much of the sophistication of Mexican cuisine comes from the use of more than one hundred different types of chiles, which range from the large and "sweet" chile ancho to the small and extremely hot chile habanero. (“Like Water for Chocolate”). In Like Water for Chocolate, the reader sees Tita express herself through the food, and essentially lives through it. That is the culture, food is not just food, it has a deeper meaning. The cooking is methodical, and important, almost an art form. It is beauty, emotion, celebration, etc. In September people commemorate independence and, in central Mexico, eat a sophisticated dish called chile en nogada, a stuffed chile poblano dressed with a white walnut sauce, red pomegranate, and green parsley, in a representation of the Mexican flag. (“Like Water for Chocolate”). In the novel the reader sees Tita make a very similar dish but in the month of December for her niece, Esperanza’s,
Choosing a restaurant to eat is always a hard choice, due to the fact that they all have different aspects that they excel in. Many take in consideration the kind of food that they are in the mood for which is a major factor in choosing a restaurant. People always have a favorite restaurant, for certain reasons that they take in consideration. Likewise, others may think that it might not be the greatest restaurant to eat at, but that’s because, everyone has their own opinion based on their experience at the restaurant. If one comes to the conclusion of choosing Mexican food, Caliente Mexican Craving in Central is an excellent restaurant to eat at, because they have great customer service, a vast menu, and events throughout the week.
The search for identity in Mexico has been a continuing exploration of many different cultures and realities. Although Mexico has an established democratic political system, cultural uniqueness has been in flux since the invasion of Spain in 1492. The Aztec culture was well instituted and was a direct decedent of the Olmec civilization that formed the Mexican identity over a thousand year reign. However over a two year attempt at genocide by the Spanish conquers the Mexicans have been struggling with an inability to recapture their roots ever since.
The history of authentic Mexican food dates backs centuries, and some believe it can be traced back even further to the Maya Empire (2000 BC to 900 AD) as corn tortillas with bean paste was one of their common food items. At La Chata Mexican Cuisine, they continue the tradition of serving genuine Mexican cuisine to the residents of Saint Peters, MO, today.
The role of women in Northern Mexico during the change of the nineteenth century are explored in depth by Laura Esquivel. The connection of food, and the role of the Mexican revolution are greatly shown through this novel. In addition, the use of sorrow and intense emotion help create an atmospheric place including loss and loneliness. The overall picture of the novel is effected by Tita’s cooking skills; each month represents the emotion she is currently feeling. This makes it so that when the ingredients are combined and cooked gently, smooth and unusual flavors appear. In Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, the author explains food as a object that is being described in great detail. It
The ethnic- Mexican experience has changed over the years as American has progressed through certain period of times, e.g., the modernity and transformation of the southwest in the late 19th and early 20th century, the labor demands and shifting of U.S. immigration policy in the 20th century, and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Through these events Mexican Americans have established and shaped their culture, in order, to negotiate these precarious social and historical circumstances. Throughout the ethnic Mexicans cultural history in the United States, conflict and contradiction has played a key role in shaping their modalities of life. Beginning in the late 20th century and early 21st century ethnic Mexicans have come under distress from the force of globalization. Globalization has followed the trends of conflict and contradiction forcing ethnic Mexicans to adjust their culture and combat this force. While Mexican Americans are in the struggle against globalization and the impact it has had on their lives, e.g., unemployment more common, wages below the poverty line, globalization has had a larger impact on their motherland having devastating affects unlike anything in history.
Enjoy fun and colorful Mexican dishes and recipes, and the history behind it all. Learn about the history behind Mexican food, the popular foods to try out, and a recipe to explore and make your own fantastic dish. It will be a fantastic experience which you don’t want to miss out.
I grew up with the traditional Mexican diet consisting of a balanced diet, rich in taste. My eating pattern changed since I moved to Brownsville, but I still love Mexican food. As a child, I remember that my breakfast range from something light as yogurt or cereal to a huge spread of food. For lunch, I ate meat, chicken or poultry with rice, potatoes or beans and of course tortillas. For dinner, I ate tacos, ham with egg or anything that my mother cooked. My family ate together for lunch and dinner. My sisters and I used to help our mother to set up the table and sometimes with the preparation of the meals. According to studies, children who regularly eat their meals together with their families “are more likely to experience long-term physical
Food is not just something we eat to survive; it is significant to the make-up of a person’s cultural identity. Preparation of food and special traditions surrounding food can form vivid sensory memories that are cherished throughout life. Memories are important but moving to a new country is difficult for several reasons; especially when you have to adjust to different foods. I interviewed two women who moved from Mexico to the United States at different times in their life; which did affect how easy it was from them to adjust to new foods. I had the opportunity to interview Marisol at the East Side Freedom Library. She moved to the United States over 17 years ago while she was an adult. I also spoke with Stephanie, a friend of mine, who
Although many state they are against Mexicans, they have to accept the fact they are now Mexicans themselves, “71.08 percent of American household use Mexican food and ingredients.” (D5) However, by using ingredients they connect with the Mexican culture, and are now part of it. They begin to incorporate it in their daily life, and without knowing it, they start becoming connected to the culture. Today, taking a look in the “American” supermarkets, there is a special aisle. Guess what? Well this special aisle is devoted, to just Mexican food and ingredients. So yes, Mexican food is currently making the best impact to the American culture. Even in fast food restaurants, “the USA added ‘Mexican’ to its own list of ‘what we can eat tonight?’” (D7) This means, Mexican food is merging with American. Not only is the food connecting also with their ancestors. With their ancestors people also make connections, “Part of it was growing the food … when I’m cooking something I know my grandmother used to cook.” (D6) Many people cook a certain culture’s food, not to be part of the culture but to connect with their ancestors, to know how food was before. On the other hand, many people cook a culture’s food, to not forget where they came from. To always know, their true identity. These people accept the fact, that they are part of the Mexican culture, and even participate in the development of new Mexican American