Blog Post 2 "The Importance of Food and Culture" Revised

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"The Unexpected Lessons of Mexican Food" by Armando Montaño, demonstrates the relationship between food, self and culture identity. The main character Armando Montaño reflects back to his childhood memory of his father making pinto beans in the kitchen. He connects food with his culture, combining both his American and Mexican heritage creating a food that is neither Mexican nor American. Throughout his childhood he faced struggles as he was seen as more white by his Mexican relatives, and he spoke “formal” Spanish. Montaño reminisces on the trip his father took him on to his father home town in Eagle Pass. Recalling the strong smell of food, the popular dish made from beef heads and how his father seemed distant when reconnecting with his past. His experiences in Eagle Pass sparked his desire to further explore his culture and to study aboard in Argentina. . Inspired by his father and how he is able to reconnect with his culture through the students he teaches, especially the minority, also sparked Montaño’s interest in reconnecting with his culture.  Expecting Argentina to be similar to Eagle Pass, he was disappointed that the food was Americanized. Overall this story instills the importance of heritage and culture into the reader from Montaño's emphasis on the connection between culture and food. 

Similar to Montaño I love food, and I find it to be a connection to my culture. I can relate in the sense that when my family and I go to Mexico it is difficult to find genuinely authentic Mexican food. I noticed that most food has been Americanized, partially catering to the large tourist population. However, the true authentic food vastly differs from the “Americanized” Mexican food as it is spicier and more flavorful, I think. While the food I eat is not specific to my heritage, it is specific to the way I was raised.

For me food does relate to my culture in a way, as I grew up on a farm and all the meat I ate came from our animals we raised and butchered. This practice was instilled into my dad from my grandparents and their parents, as it is how they were raised. While some people say a hamburger is a hamburger no matter where it came from, I can taste a significant difference between store bought hamburgers and the hamburgers from our cows.