This passed week I was considering how to convey to you “the why” of this new endeavor; to deliver an understanding of how important this is to me. I have chosen this outlet, not only to express my day-to-day as the household momager, but to also allow myself to integrate the connection with my indigenous heritage.
So much of what I do is done with intention and love; an inheritance I know that was passed from the women in my family that came before me. I have had so many conversations with people about the gratitude I hold in my heart towards my Mexican roots. Where I am right now in my life (20+ years committed to my husband, 2 kids in, and almost 40), I am just now coming to appreciate, and more specifically, embrace, the culture that I was born into.
Mexicans, ALL Mexicans are proud of their race; doesn’t matter if they speak Spanish or not, if they have ever visited Mexico, or even have any clue of their history, we all take pride in marking that “Hispanic/Latino” box on demographic paperwork. Anyway, unabashed pride...you know why? Because we are a passionate people!!! Passion is in everything we do. Most notably food & drink. Mexican fare is literally EVERYONES favorite. And here’s the reason...because filling peoples belly’s and making them feel like family is what Mexican hospitality is all about. If you are invited to our humble hogares, know that the only thing abuelas, mamás, tías, hermanas are trying to do is extend their love to you. The literal heart of every Latino kitchen is Love. And it seems the bigger the family, the more the love, and the better the food. And if you aren’t filled to the point of unbuttoning your pants and sipping on a tequila by the end of the night, something went seriously wrong.
I feel it’s also the same of our tequila. For some, like myself, tequila is a tie to the very beginnings of Aztec and Mexican heritage. According to Mexica (a.k.a. Aztec) lore, tequila, is literally blood that was shed for love. https://www.learnreligions.com/aztec-legend-agave-and-tequila-760162#:~:text=Tequila%20is%20a%20spirit%20steeped%20in%20a%20history,sometimes%20referred%20to%20as%20the%20goddess%20of%20agave.
For me, when I imbibe certain brands of tequila, innately, it’s just one of those things that you can feel with every fiber of your being, that you are commiserating with your ancestors. These are not the tequilas you pour uninhibitedly down your gullet taking shots with. No, these are of the best quality and have been distilled with the same homage as our ancestors intended; with immense gratitude, utmost respect of the land, a great amount of sacrifice & a passionate love.
So when we place a mile-high mound of home cooked food on your plate, pour you a glass of tequila know that we are extending our hearts and inviting you into our families, which is our most coveted scared space.
This particular post is paramount for me. I feel it's imperative to lay some groundwork before just jumping right in. Affection and inclusion is what makes people feel
welcome. And I hope to instill
that here...to bring you into my home, into my kitchen & feel welcomed like family; grab a seat, put your feet up & crack open a beer. We can enjoy good food, knock back a few, and have some laughs.
One of my favorite things as a child was sitting in my Nana’s kitchen watching and snickering at her while she made tortillas, shuffling her feet & singing along to her favorite Rancheras. Then she would bring me a rolling pin and a bolita of dough to make my own tortillita. I was absolutely at home in her kitchen; that was ALWAYS my comfort, my happy place.
Unsurprisingly, as you’ve probably guessed by now that my first tequila shot was with her too. Sitting at the kitchen table in the original house at Rancho Santa María de Dios, when I was 16 during a huge family bbq. Most of my childhood memories of her are family gatherings in her kitchen. We have lots of in-between moments too, but with family was when she shone the brightest. She loved her family something fierce and she made every single one of us feel it.
Undeniable to me, the connection she & I share is something deep and profound & definitely goes beyond this physical realm. She is with me always. Her spirit is very much in my spirit & guides me in everything I do. I found it affectionately fitting that this narrative be posted today in her honor and within the week of her birthday which is on March 7. She will forever be upheld on a pedestal and a beacon of what I aspire to be everyday.
Hoy pagamos homenaje a la memoria de una gran mujer que dejó una herida eterna el los corazones de todos sus amores. Salud, Mi Nana Fea.
Hasta la próxima (until the next), my friends. SALUD 🥃