Adios Rutabaga

Before we get too deep on my love of Mexican food and drink, let me give you a bit of the backstory. I grew up attending St. Joachim’s School in Hayward, California. Hayward has historically been home to a large Hispanic population, and my school was no different. So there I was, a big, gawky Irish girl tossed in with all these beautiful little Latinas. I grew up wishing I was small, dark and shy – and oh, how I wished my mom would cook amazingly colorful and wonderfully smelling meals like those I had at my friends’ houses.

My parents were fresh off the boat from Ireland – home of famously bland and often ugly cuisine like rutabaga and cabbage. My mom considered black pepper an exotic spice. With five kids and a busy husband, she had neither the time nor the inclination to do anything creative in our family kitchen. I will credit her from being ahead of her time on the healthy food wave, but when it came to interesting ethnic dishes, mom missed the boat altogether.

I never wanted to eat at home, so I would stop at multiple friends’ houses as I meandered my way home from school. I regularly stretched that one-mile walk into a 3-hour buffet, stopping in for homemade guacamole and fresh-fried tortilla chips.

I devoured spicy, garden-fresh salsas and gooey Chile Rellenos, and rejoiced in the deliciously soapy flavor of cilantro and doughy warmth of freshly made tortillas. I got the sense that there was a whole world of flavors out there for me to explore. It was exotic, adventurous, and oh-so-tasty.

Thanks to these early food memories, I still can’t enjoy Christmas time without scarfing down lots of homemade tamales.

Now that I’m the mom, I do my best to expose my own children to a variety of ethnic cuisines – and Mexican is still everyone’s favorite. That may have something to do with the fact that my children were all exposed to copious amounts of hamburger with guacamole, salsa, grilled jalapenos and pepper jack cheese in utero.

Since I try my best to feed my family healthy, fresh, locally sourced food, Mexican dishes are perfect. Grilled vegetable fajitas, salsas, and guacamole are a great way to sneak some vegetables on an unsuspecting child’s plate. The casual, shared nature of Mexican cuisine also provides families the opportunity to gather around the table and spend quality time together.

When it comes to ethnic food, some say Mexican is America’s favorite. My family and I wholeheartedly – and wholestomachly – agree!