“I am equally happy making holiday cookies and Mexican food” (Rick Martinez).
I think this statement provides another important takeaway from Martinez’s visit today. Rick is a Mexican American who specializes in cooking the Mexican cuisine. With that said, he still holds a special place for another passion which is making holiday cookies.
Just because he’s Mexican, that doesn’t mean he only has to like making Mexican food. This is an ideology even my family exhibits. We’re Italian, but we don’t only eat that cuisine all the time. My mom loves to make Mexican food at times, for instance. We enjoy having Chinese food once in a while as well.
Sure, we always go back to Italian food as our predominant meal of choice, but our palates are not exclusive to that culture solely. There’s no reason to feel unhappy cooking or eating the food of other cultures besides your own. Perhaps the following is a bit cliché but my reaction to this quote can be summed up in one simple idea. Food should be viewed as universal symbol which binds everyone together regardless of culture.
Taco Literacy 