Sources for paper 1

http://www.cambridge.org/us/books/kiple/mexico.htm

http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/Mexican_Food_Cooking/Mexican_Food_Cooking.html

http://www.nakedfoodcooking.com/the-traditional-diet-of-mexico/


     

My respond to Food, Inc.

The section of the movie that interested me the most was "The Dollar Menu”.  Growing up with immigrant parents who had to work all the time, my mother also went for cheap and convenient.  And cheap and convenient is always the worst choice of food you could make.  I remember eating Chinese food at least 2 twice a night, and pizza and the others.  If we were lucky to have my mother home, we had a home cook meal.  My mother knew what we were eating was unhealthy but fruits and vegetables were very expensive.  The little fruits and vegetables my father used to bring home were only bought because the fruits and vegetables were already beaten up, and therefore no one really wanted them (except us of course).

Maria also brings up a great example of how soda, chips and sweets are so affordable and therefore so easy to keep at home. This makes me really upset because everyone should be able to have fruits and vegetables at home. 

How My Ancestors Ate

When I think of Mexican food I think of Carnitas, Pozole, tamales, tacos (soft shell ones) tortas, etc.  Though these foods are the main traditional Mexican dishes, little is known on what Mexicans actually ate before the Spaniards conquered the Aztecs.   In fact my Mexican ancestors did not actually eat tacos or enchiladas.  Many of the meat used in today’s Mexican food didn’t exist before the arrive of the Spaniards.  Without the conquer of the Spaniards, many of Mexico’s dishes could not be perfected.

            Before conquest of the Spaniards, Mexico was a land ruled by the Aztecs.  Though the Aztecs were hunters, meat was the least of their diet.  Their diet consisted of lots of fruits and vegetables like maize, squash, beans, tomatoes, chilies, amaranth, several cactus, avocado and guava.  The Aztecs were heavily corn dependent that hey worshipped Cinteotl and Chicomencoatl, the god and goddess of corn. Maize (or corn) was not just put over the fire to roast but it’s preparation as a food took many forms.  When grounded finely and added to liquid, it formed into masa, or corn dough, it was then made into tortillas and tamales.  Squash was also a very important ingredient in Aztec cooking.  The stems of the squash were used to make a famous Aztec soup now called “sopa de guias”.  A soup that required very little prepping because all you had to do is boil the squash.

            The Aztecs meats consisted of small dogs, turkeys, rabbits, birds, fish, iguanas and some insects.  Once the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, they brought new animals into the Aztec world.  One of the most important introductions was the pig, an animal that needed little looking after, because it ate pretty much anything.  Pigs were mobile, adaptable, and efficient producers of fat and protein. Before the pig, the Aztecs used gave lard but now the pigs fat replaced the gave lard.  The Spanish introduced new grains as well.  Wheat grew well in Mexico and was sometimes used to make wheat tortillas. Sugar canes were brought from the Caribbean and were planted in Mexico. But not all of the Spanish new foods found a home in Mexico.  Olives and grades did not do so well, both were very important in the Spanish diet, but neither lasted very long in Mexico.

            Food is so easily accessible to my generation.  Little is known how much hard work is actually put into making a simple tortilla by hand.  Today factories are used to mass-produced tortillas and many other foods.  Mexican people in this generation have forgotten that we didn’t always have pigs to eat; therefore carnitas, tortas, and tamales couldn’t be made because pig fat was used.  Or that we couldn’t enjoy what a taco is today because Europeans introduced cheeses, onions, garlic, and bread.  Many people argue that the conquer of Mexico from Spain was horrible but at least something good came out of it.  Without the help of Spain, Mexican food today could have never been perfected to what it is today.