1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: My name is Eva Longoria and I am my Traon 2 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: and welcome to Hungry for History, a podcast that explores 3 00:00:09,480 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: our past and present through food. On every episode, we'll 4 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: talk about the history of some of our favorite dishes, ingredients, 5 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,439 Speaker 1: and beverages from our culture. 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 2: So make yourself at home. 7 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:24,959 Speaker 3: Even I am so excited about this episode because I 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 3: grew up on a ranch. 9 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, this episode is made for you. I 10 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 4: want to know. I want to know more. 11 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,239 Speaker 5: I know, and when people think of northern Mexico and 12 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 5: South Texas, people think of ranches, right, they think of 13 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 5: Marco's cowboys. So today's episode is all about food on 14 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 5: the rancho. 15 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 2: This is how I grew up. 16 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 3: I thought everybody grew up like this, by the way, 17 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 3: I mean, I thought everybody grew up on a ranch. 18 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 3: We never used our kitchen inside. We had a stove 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 3: in an oven, but we always like the coffee was 20 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,959 Speaker 3: made on the fire outside. Oh, my dad would have 21 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 3: the little percolator thingy. He would wake up and start 22 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 3: a fire outside. That was the first thing my dad 23 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 3: would do and he and he would put this you know, 24 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 3: rocks and this grill down and then the coffee would 25 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 3: be right there and it'd start percolating, and then my 26 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 3: mom would get up and she'd make Dorfellas and nokomal 27 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 3: just on the fire, on the flame, you know, with 28 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 3: her hand tossed test dogs, and then our breakfast sausage 29 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 3: we'd cook on the grill. Like everything was outside on 30 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 3: the girl. 31 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 2: Rain or shine, hotter or cold. 32 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 4: I was like, what's that. 33 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 3: I we never used our kitchen. I'm telling you, we 34 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:43,199 Speaker 3: never used our kitchen. 35 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: How cool. 36 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,039 Speaker 5: So this is your whole life, from when you were 37 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 5: born to when you you know, went off to. 38 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 2: College, yeah, and beyond. 39 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 3: Like literally, if my dad, if I didn't move my 40 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 3: family to San Antonio now, they would still be cooking outside. 41 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 3: But I had to move him off the edge because 42 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 3: they were getting older. But no, I mean this is 43 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:04,640 Speaker 3: how I grew up. I mean when I was in 44 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 3: school during the week, we would be you know, not 45 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,160 Speaker 3: on the ranch, but this was this was daily life. 46 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 3: And it's so funny because there's things that you wouldn't 47 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 3: think you could cook on the grill like that, like coffee, 48 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 3: Like why would you Why wouldn't you just make coffee 49 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 3: in a coffee pot? Nope, had to be on that. 50 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 3: Oh I wish I still had it, and you know 51 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 3: it was old. Yeah, the enamel, stainless steel percolator sing 52 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 3: and it would just heat up when it heat it up, 53 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 3: and then you know, say big Thanksgiving. My dad would 54 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 3: go kill the turkey. Wow, and we would grill it 55 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 3: on the grill and I mean we would be spitting 56 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 3: out the little. 57 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 2: Pellets from the shotgun. Really, it was like pellet Yes, yes, girl, 58 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 2: that's hardcore. 59 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 4: That's true truly. So when did your family get. 60 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:03,559 Speaker 5: To detect, says, because I had a very different experience. 61 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 4: Yeah, you and I had a very experienced spirit I yeah, experience. 62 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 2: We moved to. 63 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 3: We came to the Americas in sixteen o three and 64 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 3: my my thirteenth great grandfather. 65 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 2: My great great great great great great great grandfather, was. 66 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 3: Eleven years old when he landed in Veracruz and they 67 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 3: eventually migrated north because the King of Spain was giving 68 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 3: land grants in the north of Novlo Espana. 69 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 2: So this was New Spain. 70 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 3: And to this day there's a map and it says 71 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 3: Longoia Road because that's the parcels they gave all the 72 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 3: brothers and sisters of the Longoia. So it was like 73 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 3: bed Longoria Lorenzo Longoria, whoever Longodca, Longoia, and there was 74 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 3: all they were all like side by side by side. 75 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 2: And that was. 76 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 3: Before the eighteen hundreds. It was probably like at the 77 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 3: turn of the century of eighteen hundreds. Then the Mexican 78 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 3: American War happened and they didn't cross the border, the 79 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 3: bard across US, and so we were no longer New Spain. 80 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 3: That we were no longer Mexico, and then we were 81 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 3: Republic of Texas for a second, and then we were 82 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 3: United States of America and we still you know, still 83 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 3: have the land today, the same land grant from the 84 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: Spanish crown. And you had to prove there was a 85 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 3: big land grab at the time in South Texas, you know, 86 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,000 Speaker 3: after the Mexican American War and after the Treaty of Invaluble, 87 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 3: a lot of stuff wasn't honored in that treaty, and 88 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 3: so there was a lot of land grabs that you know, 89 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 3: people just ripped up their Spanish crown proof of their land. 90 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 3: They're like, oh, too bad, and they would just move 91 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,680 Speaker 3: the fences. And my grandfather tells me stories of like 92 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 3: early nineteen hundreds of you know, having to have armed 93 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 3: guards at the perimeter of the ranches because people would 94 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,720 Speaker 3: come and move your fence. Oh my god, it's crazy. Yeah, 95 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:05,000 Speaker 3: that's fascinating. Oh my gosh, that's so fascinating. So you 96 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:07,040 Speaker 3: must miss it that life. 97 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 2: I do. I do. 98 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 3: And like when we did when we did searching for 99 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 3: Mexico and we didn't we a leon, Oh my. 100 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:20,120 Speaker 2: Girl, that's that was like I was Salsa. 101 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 3: I was like I was, I was, I was a 102 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,280 Speaker 3: pig and ship right like I was just this is 103 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 3: I mean, the smell of lenya to me is so comforting. 104 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 3: And so I do miss it. And I wish Santi 105 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 3: could grow up that way because he loves being outside. 106 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 3: He loves animals, he loves you know, he'll grab a chicken, 107 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 3: he'll grab so when we're in Mexico, I try to 108 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 3: take him. 109 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 2: We were in Monterrey and there was a ranch and 110 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 2: I was like I told that. I was like, maybe 111 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:47,280 Speaker 2: we should buy a ranch. And he's like, are you crazy? 112 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 3: Like he's such a city any boy, he's so Mexico 113 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 3: city Chilabo bougie. 114 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 2: He's like, what are we gonna do on a ranch? 115 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 2: I was like, We're gonna have chicken cookout outside. It's 116 00:06:00,839 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 2: going to be amazing. He's like, no, thank you, Oh 117 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: my god. 118 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 4: Completely different lifestyle. 119 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 2: And there's so much history, so much history in South Texas. 120 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 2: What was yours? What was your history? Your trajectory? 121 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 4: Not Vancho. 122 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:16,720 Speaker 5: I mean my grandfather used to have a ranch in Tampico, 123 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 5: outside of Tampico in northern Mexico, Tamaulipas. But they saw 124 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,239 Speaker 5: that ranch when I was little. But I remember going. Actually, 125 00:06:23,279 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 5: it's one of my earliest memories. I was like three 126 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,280 Speaker 5: or four, and we were on a horse with my 127 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 5: and with my cousin and it was amazing. And then 128 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 5: my uncle and my grandfather they were hunting for ducks 129 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 5: and then I pointed to one and they shot it 130 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 5: and boom, the duck fell down dead. Yeah, And I 131 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 5: was like, oh my god, that doug just died because. 132 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 4: I pointed to it. And I was this little girl. 133 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 5: And then a few hours later, we're having lunch and 134 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,840 Speaker 5: it's the dead duck and I was just sitting there 135 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 5: just crying. 136 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 4: And to this day, I cannot dug. I cannot die. 137 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 4: But that's part of life. On the right, it is 138 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 4: if you hunt and you eat with you, and that's 139 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 4: that's life. That's how it is. 140 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 2: That's the thing is. 141 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,360 Speaker 3: It's different than like the big game hunters that go 142 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 3: to Africa and kill elephants like that. Wasn't not like 143 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 3: that's up. Like I said, it was like Thanksgiving, we 144 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 3: gotta go get the turkey. And then it was like 145 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 3: we're gonna have chicken tonight. Let's go get the chicken. 146 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 2: Like we we we ate what we what we killed. 147 00:07:34,680 --> 00:07:37,160 Speaker 3: And but I grew up the same way with Palomas 148 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 3: with quail, and my dad didn't have hunting dogs. He 149 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:45,920 Speaker 3: had four daughters and he would shoot the quail and 150 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 3: we'd have to see where it fell, and we'd run 151 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 3: and we would go find it and we would pick 152 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 3: up all the quail and we'd bring them back and 153 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 3: I would have to de pluck them. 154 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 2: Oh my god, yes girl. 155 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 4: Yes that is cool. If you're like little house in 156 00:07:59,680 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 4: the prayer. 157 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 3: I was. 158 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 2: And let me tell you, I thought everybody grew up 159 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 2: this way. 160 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 4: Apparently not cool. So did you hunt as well? 161 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 2: Yeah? We hunt? I mean I wasn't. 162 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:14,600 Speaker 3: I was, you know, like I I shot a lot 163 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 3: of guns and we would like go shoot cans and 164 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 3: we'd shoot a watermelon and things like that. 165 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 2: But I wasn't big on killing animals. 166 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 3: No, no, but but we would go hunting with my 167 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:26,480 Speaker 3: dad and like if it was the malast season, you know, 168 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 3: he would go and shoot a pavelina and if it 169 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 3: was but they you know, they were big hunters, and 170 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 3: my dad and and really South Texas in general, it's 171 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,319 Speaker 3: a big hunting totally community uh culture. 172 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 6: Yeah. 173 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:44,319 Speaker 3: But but but the eating on the ranch was like 174 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:46,559 Speaker 3: less than the hunting and the killing. It was the 175 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 3: that we would pick our carrots from the ground and 176 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 3: peel them. We would you know, it was watermelon season, 177 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 3: we would have watermelon for three months. It was gala 178 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 3: basta season. We would have galabasta for three months. Like 179 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:01,880 Speaker 3: we eating seasonally and from the ground. It was such 180 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 3: a beautiful way to grow up. I have such an 181 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 3: appreciation for what the land can give you. If we 182 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 3: were sick and we had a cough, my dad would 183 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:11,120 Speaker 3: go and tear off mint, and he would tear off 184 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,079 Speaker 3: some other leaf I can't I can't remember what it 185 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 3: was called, and he they would boil it and that's 186 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 3: what we would drink for cough medicine. We would like 187 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 3: it was so beautiful living off the land. My dad 188 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:22,920 Speaker 3: would call it living off the land. We can live 189 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 3: off the land. We don't need anything. 190 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 4: That's amazing. Yeah, that's so cool that you were brought 191 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 4: up there. I love that. 192 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,079 Speaker 5: I love hearing these stories because it feels like it's 193 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,719 Speaker 5: so you know that, Yeah, this appreciation for what the 194 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:36,599 Speaker 5: land can give you, and then you have such a 195 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,559 Speaker 5: respect for the land, right because yeah, you know, you 196 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 5: have to take care of it so that it could 197 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 5: you take care of each other. 198 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 3: So cool. Yeah, we can't talk Rancho without talking Texas. 199 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,120 Speaker 3: And where the word Texas comes from. I didn't know 200 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 3: where the word Texas comes from or the. 201 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, according to the Texas State Historical Association, there has 202 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 5: the word is widely believe to derive from thaisha, which 203 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 5: is a native Kdo word for friend. So the Texas 204 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 5: state motto is friendship, right, the friendly state. It carries 205 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 5: this original meaning. But there's a historian, jorgue Luis. I 206 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 5: got to see how. He wrote a book called Texas 207 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,319 Speaker 5: The False Origin of the Name. He suggests that the 208 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 5: word is not as romantic. It comes from tjorja, which 209 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 5: is a Spanish word for a tree, a ye tree, 210 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:28,640 Speaker 5: of which there is a similar tree growing in Texas. 211 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 3: Interesting, but well, I will say, I don't know where 212 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 3: the word comes from, but but I had always, I 213 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 3: have and still to this day, identify as a Texan 214 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 3: before anything else, do you. 215 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 2: I'm always like, I'm a Texan. 216 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,079 Speaker 3: I'm a Tefana and that or and then I'll say American, 217 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 3: and then I'll say Mexican American, and then I'll say, 218 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 3: like all the things come after, but like first and foremost, 219 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:51,679 Speaker 3: I always feel Texan. 220 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 4: Texan. Yeah, that's interesting. 221 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:58,640 Speaker 5: I usually I feel like I say Mexican because because 222 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 5: my parents, like my dad from you got that, my 223 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 5: mom from Mexico City, grew up speaking Spanish at home. 224 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,959 Speaker 5: So I'd say Mexican and then Texan, you know, because 225 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 5: then I went to school in Austin and then I 226 00:11:10,080 --> 00:11:12,599 Speaker 5: was really really got to know that Texas. And we 227 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,360 Speaker 5: spent summers in Corpus, which is also super Texas. 228 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 3: Yeah. So it's also super different because growing up in 229 00:11:19,440 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 3: Corporate Christy too is like beach town. Yeah, so it's 230 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 3: like opposite of Rancho. 231 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, you know what I mean. 232 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 3: It's like we would still do fires on the beach 233 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 3: and cook, but like it's just it's so diverse, so 234 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:36,079 Speaker 3: so diverse. When we come back chef food writer and 235 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 3: filmmaker Adan Medrano joins the show don't go anywhere. 236 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 5: So let's go back to the land before the ranchos, 237 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 5: before Texas was part of Mexico, before it was part 238 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 5: of the US, and. 239 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 4: Talk about the diet of the native people of Texas. 240 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,439 Speaker 3: People forget the history of Texas because Texas has such 241 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 3: a strong identity that they they're like, yeah, yeah, it 242 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 3: was Mexico and it was like yeah, but it was 243 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 3: also Spain and then before that it was also indigenous land, So. 244 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:07,959 Speaker 4: Yeah, totally. 245 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 5: I remember going when I was in when I was 246 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 5: growing up, we would go to San Antonio a lot, 247 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,280 Speaker 5: and there was this restaurant called Los Patios in San 248 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 5: Antonio that was a long. 249 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,719 Speaker 3: Eye likely is it still there did? You don't know 250 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:22,719 Speaker 3: if it's still there, But we used to like that 251 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:23,840 Speaker 3: was like vacation. 252 00:12:24,559 --> 00:12:27,480 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, going for the weekend to San Antonio, and 253 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 5: I remember my brothers and I would play along that 254 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 5: creek and my brother found some arrowheads there. 255 00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:38,679 Speaker 2: I used to We used to find arrowheads all the 256 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 2: time on our ranch. 257 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 5: Overly time, I find that that just blows my mind 258 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 5: because you know, the earliest I mean, like you said, 259 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:51,199 Speaker 5: there were native people living in this land for thousands 260 00:12:51,240 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 5: of years. I mean the earliest archaeological evidence of food 261 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 5: in Texas dates back around twenty thousand years. There's a 262 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 5: place called the Galt Site just north of Austin where 263 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 5: they've found bones of bison and deer and turtles and ducks, 264 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 5: so frogs and quails. So there's archaeological evidence that there 265 00:13:13,320 --> 00:13:17,360 Speaker 5: have been people eating there for thousands and thousands and 266 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 5: thousands of years. 267 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 2: Twenty and twenty thousand years ago. 268 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,960 Speaker 3: Yes, So is there any evidence of cooking, like, because 269 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,280 Speaker 3: what we talked about was like more hunter gatherer stuff, 270 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:30,680 Speaker 3: Like how far back was the was like I guess 271 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 3: evidence of cooking with fire? 272 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,839 Speaker 5: Yeah, so around eighty three hundred years ago, So eight 273 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 5: thousand years ago is when we first start seeing these 274 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 5: oven of you know, earth ovens with rocks like barbecue. 275 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 5: So that's the first time that we see like evidence 276 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 5: of cooking. 277 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,959 Speaker 3: Well, we talked about it in our barbecue episode, like 278 00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 3: you know, just the different ways like barbecue such a 279 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,959 Speaker 3: big thing in Texas, but like it was indigenous, like 280 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 3: even I was I was saying, you know in the 281 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,439 Speaker 3: Yucatan where you're from, you know, the cocina and the 282 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 3: bbu part, the cooking in the ground, like that's ancient. 283 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:09,600 Speaker 4: It is, it's ancient. 284 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 5: And I love that that it's so ancient in Texas 285 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 5: because barbecue is such a part of the culture and 286 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 5: it has been for literally thousands and thousands of years. 287 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 5: And the whole idea of making these earth ovens, so 288 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 5: you have to do the pit and then put agave 289 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 5: seeds in the fire, so it's a communal activity. 290 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 4: Did you grow up eating nopalace? 291 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:34,320 Speaker 2: I did not, and I do not like them to 292 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:35,360 Speaker 2: this day. 293 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 4: I didn't my dad, my dad. 294 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 3: It's the sliminess, Like I don't like okra either. And 295 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 3: my dad loved nopallece and he would make us clean 296 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 3: them when we were little. So I hated them also 297 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,240 Speaker 3: because in preparing them, we we get spinas. We would 298 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 3: get the thorns and our fingers and they were so fine, 299 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 3: those spinas. 300 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 4: The spinas are thorns. 301 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 2: Thorns to me is like on a rose and they're 302 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:00,800 Speaker 2: very thick. 303 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 3: These are so freaking tiny and and and they get 304 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 3: in everything. You takes months to get them out of 305 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 3: your fingers. It's like it's a different kind of spinat. Yeah, yeah, 306 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 3: I had a thorn. 307 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 5: It's a different Yeah, I I didn't grow up eating them, 308 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 5: not because I don't like them. I do love them, 309 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,560 Speaker 5: but my mom hated them because of the exact same 310 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:24,720 Speaker 5: reasons that you're you're describing. 311 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 4: But I do love them. I do love them. I 312 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,240 Speaker 4: usually make them. I like them grilled with gela. I 313 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:31,800 Speaker 4: love them. 314 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,920 Speaker 5: But they were eating, you know, nopalles in this area 315 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 5: also for thousands of years. They were a principal food 316 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:42,160 Speaker 5: of the Chichi mekas in northern Mexico, and not just 317 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 5: the paddles, but also the prickly pears. 318 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 4: Do you like the prickly pears tunas? 319 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, the tunas, they're called tunas. Yeah. 320 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 3: Well, when my dad, because he had four girls and 321 00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:54,040 Speaker 3: he wanted a boyd he had, he only had us, 322 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 3: so he would take us, uh you know, hunting and fishing, 323 00:15:57,720 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 3: we did all the boy stuff, and he would take 324 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 3: eat of us camping for like two three days, and 325 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 3: we'd have to survive off the land and we could 326 00:16:04,880 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 3: not take food with us, and we would have to 327 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 3: find what we could eat. And so that's another reason 328 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 3: why I don't like the ballets, because we would find 329 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 3: a cactus. 330 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 2: He's like, you can eat that, and I'm. 331 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 3: Like, I'm not eating that, and then when you're hungry, 332 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 3: you're like, fine, I'll eat it, and we would drink. 333 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:24,000 Speaker 3: There's water inside the tunas, and so if you were thirsty, 334 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 3: you could open that up and you could drink the water. 335 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, different than the fruit itself. 336 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:33,680 Speaker 2: Differs like fruit. There's like water in there. Yeah. 337 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 4: Oh I never realized that. 338 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 5: I usually buy them and I and I muddle them 339 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 5: and make margaritas out of them. 340 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 4: Oh, I never thought too. 341 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 2: But now does the tuna have uh, spinuts on it 342 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:45,600 Speaker 2: or no? 343 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:46,160 Speaker 3: No? 344 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 5: Well I think that, yeah, the fruit itself does, so 345 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:51,200 Speaker 5: you also have to. But you know, I usually go 346 00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:53,480 Speaker 5: to a Mexican market in LA and then just find 347 00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 5: them and they're already cleaned. 348 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:57,560 Speaker 3: You know the only time I did like eating no 349 00:16:57,680 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 3: baalace was in Gueralacara. There's an amazing chef that was 350 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 3: on searching for Mexico and he made nofalle sevice, so 351 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 3: he was like a vegan sevice and he. 352 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 2: And I loved it, and I said, why do I 353 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 2: like this? But I don't normally like it? And he's 354 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 2: what he does is he you know, dethorns them, cleans 355 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 2: them and cubes them really tiny, and then he salts 356 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 2: them and overnight the sliminess is gone. The salt. 357 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 3: You salt it and let it sit in the fridge overnight, 358 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,240 Speaker 3: and then you rinse it in the morning. There's no, 359 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:29,040 Speaker 3: they're not slimy. 360 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 2: It's actually crispy. It's like it's a good texture to it. 361 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 2: Introducing our guest, Aan Medrano. He's a chef. 362 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:44,360 Speaker 3: He's a food writer filmmaker who focuses on the rich 363 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 3: culinary history of Texas, Mine and Mita's homes date. He's 364 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 3: the author of the cookbook Don't Count a Tortillas, The 365 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 3: Art of Texas Mexican Cooking and Truly Texas Mexican and 366 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 3: of culinary heritage and Recipes. He has numerous articles. He 367 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:07,840 Speaker 3: was the executive producer and writer of the documentary Truly 368 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,360 Speaker 3: Texas Mexican, which is streaming. 369 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 2: On Amazon Prime. Like that, do you want to add 370 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 2: anything to this amazing guest. 371 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,400 Speaker 5: Well, I just want to say I first came across 372 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 5: Avan when we were researching our Chili Queens episode last season, 373 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 5: and I watched the documentary and I was like, oh 374 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 5: my god, I have to know this person. We have 375 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 5: not met in person, but we have many conversations, and 376 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:36,440 Speaker 5: I love everything that Navan does. He's a wealth of knowledge, 377 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,359 Speaker 5: and I'm just thank you, thank you for joining us 378 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 5: and for the work that you do. 379 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 2: I'm so couch for joining. 380 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 6: Well, thank you, thanks for having me. It's an honor 381 00:18:45,359 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 6: to be here, really mighty. I've followed your work and 382 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 6: the teaching that you do in museums and with videos, 383 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 6: and of course if I'm one of your biggest fans 384 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 6: all the way from the television series too when you 385 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:02,399 Speaker 6: were doing Playing Coup in anyway, so it's an honor to. 386 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:03,479 Speaker 4: Be Oh yeah, to be here. 387 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 2: Thank you very much, thank you. We're so excited. 388 00:19:07,480 --> 00:19:09,960 Speaker 3: You know, Mike and I started this podcast because we 389 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:14,480 Speaker 3: are both Texicans as we call ourselves, uh, and we're 390 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 3: both we both have very different journeys and history with Texas. 391 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 2: She you know, I'm thirteenth generation, she's sec first or second. 392 00:19:23,160 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 7: First, first, first generation, and so even I mean, we're 393 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:33,240 Speaker 7: both so similar and yet we are worlds apart, sometimes 394 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:34,000 Speaker 7: with cuisine. 395 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 3: Just because she grew up in Laredo and I grew 396 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 3: up in Corpus Christi, and so we thought like you 397 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,679 Speaker 3: would be the perfect person to have on as somebody 398 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,720 Speaker 3: who's you know, an expert in this? And this Texas 399 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 3: Mexican food as people call text mex How did you 400 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:50,520 Speaker 3: how do you define text mex food? 401 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:52,640 Speaker 6: Oh? What a great? 402 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:52,920 Speaker 3: Wait? 403 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:54,160 Speaker 4: Oh wait not wait? 404 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 2: And and and sorry you don't you don't like the 405 00:19:57,000 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 2: word text mes. 406 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:00,280 Speaker 3: No, no I do, I do. 407 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,440 Speaker 6: I do like it. It's appropriate for Texan ex food. 408 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 6: It's appropriate. So I have nothing against tex mex food. 409 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:08,680 Speaker 6: I just don't want it to be confused. The reason 410 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 6: I make the difference is that Texas food is not 411 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 6: my mother's comita cassera. I don't think it was your 412 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 6: mother's Eva, nor was it Mita's mother comia coscera. The 413 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:25,400 Speaker 6: Texas Mexican food basically is the flavor profile of comita 414 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 6: cassera that you will find in every Mexican American home. Houston, 415 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:34,920 Speaker 6: Corpus Christi, Laredo, San Antonio, Ego pass and it's in 416 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 6: Texas and northeastern Mexico. You have to include that region 417 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 6: because before the border became an international boundary, our families 418 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,840 Speaker 6: lived on both sides. Both you and I have families 419 00:20:48,119 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 6: north of the Rivrande and south of the Riverran. It 420 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 6: just is an inescapable fact when the river became an 421 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:58,920 Speaker 6: international border, it did not sever the family connections, the 422 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,959 Speaker 6: cultural connections, the flavor profile connections. So if you're in Brownsville, Texas, 423 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 6: and you cross the river and you go to Matamoros, 424 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,880 Speaker 6: the taco you had with the flower tortilla will taste 425 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 6: exactly the same as the flower taco that you have 426 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 6: in Matamoros. And because text Mex has become so popular 427 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 6: in the popular imagination, it has erased the traditions that 428 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 6: you ever might have grown up in Corpus CHRISTI Lailo, 429 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 6: and for myself San Antonio. It has not erased it 430 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:35,119 Speaker 6: in its power because there are thousands of successful Texas 431 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 6: Mexican restaurants and there are very few tex mex restaurants 432 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:42,000 Speaker 6: and I always have So that's one The history of 433 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,080 Speaker 6: the origin and the flavor profile. Those are the two 434 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 6: different ways that text Mex differs from Texas Mexican. Texas 435 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 6: Mexican is really comia casera of Native Mexican American families 436 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,800 Speaker 6: in South Texas and northeastern Mexico. 437 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:02,280 Speaker 5: Why was the native character of this food erased from 438 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 5: public record? Why is it lumped into this one category? 439 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 6: You know, when text mix begins as a word. It 440 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 6: is invented by Anglo writers in the seventies who begin 441 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:17,560 Speaker 6: to look at our food and realize how important it is, 442 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:22,120 Speaker 6: and they don't know about it. They never introduced your mother. 443 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 6: They never went to's grandmother and say tell us about it. 444 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,639 Speaker 6: They went to these Anglos who were running restaurants and 445 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 6: they asked them because they spoke English. And so the 446 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:39,119 Speaker 6: entire worldview of what text mex is is an Anglo 447 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:43,199 Speaker 6: American invention. So I would say the reason it has 448 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 6: been erased is twofold. Our food narrates our identity, and 449 00:22:48,080 --> 00:22:54,280 Speaker 6: it also shapes our memory of how we came here. 450 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 6: So I would say when I grew up, this is 451 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 6: to explain why we're not there. We're not there because 452 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:05,399 Speaker 6: we were erased and because the way that our education 453 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 6: system happens in Texas took away our identity as Native Americans. 454 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:14,680 Speaker 6: In eighteen thirty seven, you have a report from the 455 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 6: committee it's called the Texas Standing Committee on Indian Affairs. 456 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 6: This is eighteen thirty seven, just after the Element and 457 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 6: they say to President Sam Houston of the Republic of Texas, 458 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 6: your committee considers the Karankawa no longer on different people. 459 00:23:37,960 --> 00:23:41,640 Speaker 6: They are now Mexicans and part of the Republic of Mexico. 460 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 6: So with one stroke of a pen, the native roots 461 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,240 Speaker 6: and identity of our ancestors was erased from the public record. 462 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 6: We then became Mexicans. We were no longer Tonkawa quawj deco. 463 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:57,760 Speaker 6: This is simply by design. And I would say if 464 00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 6: you follow that in eighteen thirty seven, through the Edge 465 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 6: Education Project of Texas, I grew up learning from school 466 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 6: with two markers of my identity Mexico and Spain. That's it, 467 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 6: and everything around mequa We think an identity Karanka of 468 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 6: Corpus Christi, with their rich thousand year old history, totally 469 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:23,879 Speaker 6: arrest It doesn't exist except in the road science of 470 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 6: Corpus Christie. You have Karankawa, You've got leeban Abache in 471 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,639 Speaker 6: the road sience. So they point to something, but the 472 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,679 Speaker 6: narrative is not there because we weren't given in our 473 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 6: mind too markers we belonging to Mexico and or to Spain. 474 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,800 Speaker 6: So that's all we think about. And so my work 475 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 6: is about getting back to the interior spaces of our families. 476 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 6: Because of the interior spaces where we really know our identity. 477 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 6: It's strong because with some of the words that we use. 478 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:02,640 Speaker 6: For example, for a mother is not mama, which is Spanish, 479 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 6: it's ama, which is a Native American term. And for 480 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 6: we don't say baba Spanish, we say a ba. In 481 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 6: the interior of our being, we remember these very important 482 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 6: identifying things and women remembered, remembered the flavor profile that 483 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:27,159 Speaker 6: makes us who we are. We're not Mexican from Maya 484 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:30,959 Speaker 6: in Azteca, Mexico City. That is not our defining characteristic. 485 00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 6: So that's why that's why this has happened. But I 486 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 6: would say, are our Mexican American mothers and women were 487 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 6: so strong because they're the ones who do the cooking. 488 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 6: They're in charge, and if cooking is member and identity, 489 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 6: they're the ones who in our homes that ah. I 490 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 6: recall that those flavor profiles that my mother and grandmother 491 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:58,520 Speaker 6: invented in Larelo Corpus Christi, Houston, those untold stories that 492 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,880 Speaker 6: were erased by political men in Texas, the women kept 493 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 6: alive and it is the most successful Mexican flavor profile 494 00:26:08,840 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 6: in the United States. You know, when you go to 495 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,720 Speaker 6: Missouri or when you go to Chicago, they're not going 496 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 6: to serve you iguana in Chilada's with white cheese and 497 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 6: black beans. They're gonna serve you, right, They're going to 498 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 6: serve you nachos. They're going to serve you our cheese 499 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 6: and chiladas. So the recipes that our grandmothers created have 500 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,480 Speaker 6: just simply become very, very influential. In Texas, there are 501 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:40,040 Speaker 6: thousands of Mexican restaurants and cafes, and there's very very 502 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:42,440 Speaker 6: few text mix If you look at the signs in 503 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 6: San Antonio, I don't know that there are any text 504 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:49,679 Speaker 6: mix restaurants. Signs in Corpus Christi or in Lailo, they 505 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 6: all say they all say Mexican. 506 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 2: They say Mexican. 507 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,159 Speaker 3: No, no, But you know, in La there's a lot 508 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 3: of text mex signs, which is and it's funny because 509 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 3: you go in and it's not tex Mexicans. 510 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 6: Yeah, yes, it's. 511 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,400 Speaker 2: It's Calmes, it's Calmex. But it does text mex Yeah. 512 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 2: But it's so interesting you say that because you know, 513 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:12,199 Speaker 2: I mean, this is a. 514 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 3: Bigger conversation about the erasure of of our history, right, 515 00:27:16,560 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 3: And and I got my master's in Chicano studies, and 516 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 3: I had never even known the other side, you know, 517 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,159 Speaker 3: it like opened my eyes, you know, really, you know, 518 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh. 519 00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:30,720 Speaker 2: I was just like, I didn't learn this in Texas history. 520 00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 2: What are you talking about? 521 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 4: Yeah? 522 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,520 Speaker 3: And and to learn it later in life, and to 523 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 3: learn it in a point where I wanted to know 524 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 3: and absorb as opposed to like, you know, when you're 525 00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 3: young and you just want to pass the class, right, 526 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 3: the the interesting thing. And I think a big reason 527 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,119 Speaker 3: why Mike then I wanted to do this food podcast 528 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 3: because that at heart, we're both historians and we love history, 529 00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 3: and there's there's no better footprint or fingerprints of history 530 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 3: than following a following the culinary path of people. You 531 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 3: want to really know the people of a culture, look 532 00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:11,359 Speaker 3: at their food, right, And so Mike and I really 533 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 3: have been fascinated by this journey of doing this podcast 534 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 3: and have been fascinated by the response of people who 535 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:20,560 Speaker 3: love this podcast because they're learning about. 536 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 2: Mexico and Latin America. 537 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 3: Mostly we talk about you know, Spain and other cultures sometimes, 538 00:28:26,840 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 3: but mostly we focus, you know, on what we know, 539 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:35,160 Speaker 3: and more than more than learning about cinnamon or vanilla, 540 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 3: they're like, I never knew that about Mexico. I never 541 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 3: knew that about Texas, and so I love I love 542 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 3: that we get to like hide the history lesson in 543 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 3: the culinary and the culinary journey. 544 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:53,440 Speaker 4: And then I wanted to ask you. 545 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 5: You mentioned, and we've talked about this process of neistimialization 546 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 5: so much in the podcast. It's such, we have mass 547 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 5: in our bones. Were the people of corn? But then 548 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 5: this is there's this idea of that mesquite right when 549 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 5: we talk about an externalization, did that make its way 550 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 5: to northern Mexico South Texas? 551 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:15,720 Speaker 4: Do we see that there? Because corn is not something that's. 552 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 3: Popular really that you know, Yeah, let me tell you. 553 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 3: And I know because because I married at Chilango. I 554 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 3: married a Mexican. I remember when I when I started 555 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:27,960 Speaker 3: dating and I told my mom, Mom, I'm dating a Mexican. 556 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:31,160 Speaker 3: She goes from Mexico, Like you know, it was like 557 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 3: a big deal. And he is a corn tortilla guy. 558 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,280 Speaker 3: He does not understand why I make flower tortillas every 559 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:46,959 Speaker 3: morning and you do every morning every morning I make 560 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 3: my flower tortillas. And doing searching, doing this podcast and 561 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 3: also doing searching for Mexico, you know, understanding why the 562 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 3: north is flower and why the rest of Mexico was corn. 563 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 2: It was fascinating. But but my then, what was your question? Sorry? 564 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 3: I just we have a big corn versus flower tortilla 565 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 3: debate all the time. 566 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:07,280 Speaker 4: All the time. 567 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:09,640 Speaker 5: Because I grew up My mom is from Mexico City, 568 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 5: my father was from Yucatan, so I grew up with 569 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,840 Speaker 5: corn in the house. But I grew up in Laredo, 570 00:30:13,960 --> 00:30:18,760 Speaker 5: so also, you know, flour we had always, but I 571 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:22,560 Speaker 5: gravitated towards corn. But when did this process of nixtimialization 572 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:25,920 Speaker 5: make its way to our area? 573 00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 6: Yes, I think the process of Dixe neximalization is adding 574 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:37,560 Speaker 6: god calcium to corn when you're boiling it, and that 575 00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 6: makes the protein digestible. It adds nyosin B three and 576 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 6: therefore becomes a much more life sustaining grain. I always 577 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 6: think about that, and it makes me sad because it 578 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 6: contributes to the fact that my ancestors, actually I should 579 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:03,800 Speaker 6: say our ancestors in Navaquouila, Lareedo in this area have 580 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 6: been erased. The reason I feel sad is that the 581 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 6: cosmopolitan nature of the Quawi Tecan group that karankaas in 582 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:18,400 Speaker 6: Corpus Christie, was so rich, and yet we hear nothing 583 00:31:18,440 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 6: of it. That's what makes me said. In sixteen twelve, 584 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 6: Captain John Smith in Virginia actually writes in his diary 585 00:31:30,640 --> 00:31:34,880 Speaker 6: about seeing how the Native Americans in Virginia are making tamales. 586 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,720 Speaker 6: This is sixteen twelve, and it's sad that it has 587 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 6: all been erased because of the things we have been 588 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 6: talking about. But not in the food. Not in the food. 589 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 6: The food has not been erased, thankfully. 590 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 3: What to you is. 591 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:50,760 Speaker 4: Typical comita casseera. 592 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 6: Okay, I would say Comiita cassera has a flavor profile 593 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 6: that includes chile pekin, klitri, we say kalitre. Know if 594 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 6: your family said keleter, well we did. You don't find that. 595 00:32:04,800 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 2: You do not find that my dad uses chili peckins 596 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 2: for everything. My dad only uses chili peckin. 597 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 6: That's us to red emirate, which we call kelythri pecans 598 00:32:16,040 --> 00:32:19,680 Speaker 6: cactus into beans of course, and the flower tortillas. I 599 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 6: love to talk about flower totias, but that's another and 600 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 6: that techniques are different. We use the techniques that were invented, 601 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:29,720 Speaker 6: as I said before, by women fifteen thousand years ago. Wow, 602 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,480 Speaker 6: oven roasting, you know the fire pits that you dig 603 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 6: in the oven. They were the precursor to today's oven. 604 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 6: So someone invented that how to cook food within an 605 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 6: enclased oven. So all of those technologies we still use today, boiling, saute, charring, stewing, 606 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 6: not so much deep frying, which is a text nex thing. 607 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 6: By the way, tex mex is a imitation of my 608 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,240 Speaker 6: mother's Comita Cassetta, and I don't think they did it 609 00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:59,440 Speaker 6: very faithfully, but they did it in a way that 610 00:32:59,560 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 6: is success and it's a big business. But tex Mex 611 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:07,800 Speaker 6: is an imitation of Texas Mexican food. And the last 612 00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:12,120 Speaker 6: thing about Comita Cassetta is hospitality. You never have food 613 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 6: just as food, you have hospitality. You have community. By community, 614 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:20,240 Speaker 6: I mean connection to history, to this land and to 615 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:23,719 Speaker 6: families that have come before us. And lastly, you have memory. 616 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:27,240 Speaker 6: The strength of it is it is so delicious. That's 617 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,240 Speaker 6: why it has influenced all of the Mexican food in 618 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 6: the United States, and Wahaka has not. Sure, you have 619 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:36,680 Speaker 6: Molee and you have some fancy restaurants, but by and large, 620 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,120 Speaker 6: the mass mass successful restaurants throughout the United States are 621 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:42,040 Speaker 6: our food. 622 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 4: I'm curious, I keep saying Mesquite dot, Yes. 623 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 6: Before I said we had these two markers, Myoztec and Spain. 624 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 6: I want to reevaluate our real marker, which is the 625 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:01,080 Speaker 6: border of Texas, South Texas and northeastern Mexico. And in 626 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 6: there mesquite is prominent because we are Lajite del Mesquite. 627 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:13,040 Speaker 6: Corn arrives here two thousand years ago, but eight thousand 628 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:17,920 Speaker 6: years ago, mesquite is what we ate. Mesquite was what 629 00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 6: we cooked with in our caves. We took the spines 630 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 6: off and it was carpets in our caves, and we 631 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:31,360 Speaker 6: had our entire culture based on mesquite. It was as 632 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 6: symbolically important to us as corn is now in the imagination. 633 00:34:36,640 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 6: So in my new book and with the few series, 634 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:43,839 Speaker 6: we are going to look at mesquite and see how 635 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:48,120 Speaker 6: chefs are beginning to reemploy it. We have mesquito malis, 636 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:51,040 Speaker 6: we have mosquito tillas that are coming in. I spoke 637 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,960 Speaker 6: to a chef in Austin and I said, what mesquite vinegar. 638 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 6: So there is this resurgence. And the nice thing about 639 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:02,279 Speaker 6: it is that these are all young chefs. I think 640 00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:03,960 Speaker 6: it's wonderful. So thank you for asking that. 641 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:07,440 Speaker 4: Thank you, thank you so much, Adan, This is fascinating, 642 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 4: I know. 643 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:11,279 Speaker 2: Thank you so much. I'm so excited for people. 644 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 3: We're gonna link all of your books and your documentary 645 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,719 Speaker 3: on our podcast if you guys want to know more 646 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:19,200 Speaker 3: about Adan Medrano. 647 00:35:19,400 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 2: He's truly fascinating and even. 648 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:26,839 Speaker 3: If you're not a Texican like us, I think you're going. 649 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 2: To find it super interesting. Thanks for joining us, Adan, 650 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:30,719 Speaker 2: Thank you. 651 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,400 Speaker 3: Hungry for History is a hyphen Media production in partnership 652 00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,840 Speaker 3: with Iheart'smichael Tura podcast network. 653 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,799 Speaker 5: For more of your favorite shows, visit the iHeartRadio app, 654 00:35:42,960 --> 00:35:45,759 Speaker 5: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts