I fear for the future of my people’s culinary traditions…
Photo: Laura Martínez
Month: June 2012
‘Emilio Estefan Picks’ at Target Stores Feature Tons of Emilio Estefan Stuff
One of the greatest things about being famous and all, is that you get to pick stuff for major retailers, which is exactly what Emilio Estefan has been doing for Target Stores nationwide.
Per a Target press release: Emilio Estefan picks will be available in 99 select Target stores nationwide and the idea is “to appeal to Hispanic guests by offering them relevant, original products, not available anywhere else.”
I’m not 100% sure but it looks to me his picks include several of his own books, which is totally cool, if you asked me. In fact, I am going to contact Target and propose them a “Laura Martínez Picks” section for their Target Bodega… I promise, readers, that I will be picking my only one one of my books.
Click here to watch a video of Emilio talk about his picks.
Diane Sawyer and Jorge Ramos are BFFs Now
Univision’s Jorge Ramos this week spoke to ABC News about the Supreme Court’s recent decision on Arizona and all. But despite it being “a very sad day for the Hispanic community” and -apparently for Mr. Ramos as well- Diane Sawyer seemed to be brimming with enthusiasm as she introduced Univision as ABC’s new partner and friend. Twice.
Who could blame her? With over 50 million Hispanics now living in the U.S., I’m sure Ms. Sawyer is looking forward to keeping her job once Univision helps her network out of a ratings slump.
Click on the photo [above] to watch the video
It’s Official: Latinas Will Shine in Primetime [As Maids]
After months of speculation, and hopes that all the brouhaha was nothing but a bad taste joke, Lifetime Television has reportedly picked up Devious Maids, the 13-episode series featuring Latino women working as -what else?- maids.
Devious Maids is based on the Televisa sitcom La alegría del hogar, but the gringo version is sure to feature a group of well-proportioned Latina housekeepers who speak with a heavy accented, though grammatically correct, English.
This blogger cannot wait to see what these ladies’ “adventures” will be all about, but I can only hope the show will touch on some of the hot-button issues: Earning the minimum wage; working 80 hours a week; getting by without health insurance and living in constant fear of deportation.
Why this McDonald’s Billboard Would Never Work in Spanish
As soon as I saw this billboard at my local bus stop, my bilingual brain immediately tried to come up with its Spanish translation.
After all, Harlem is ground zero for all things Hispanic, from lettuce and Mexican haircuts to linguistically correct tomatoes.
But I quickly realized that Te-laxante would not only fail to convey a sense of relaxation, but will make constipated Hispanics run for their nearest McD.
I’m sure McDonald’s creative agencies will come up with something, but just in case, this blogger would like to propose Te-relaja. Got it? Te relaja, as in “este-te-es-para-relajarte-no-para-hacerte-ir-al-baño.
Asians are the New Mexicans: Stephen Colbert
“Mexicans do the work Americans don’t want to do. Asians do the work American’s are not able to do.”
Watch Colbert deconstruct this new Inv-ASIAN here:
Texas Town Preps ‘Major’ Event Featuring Chihuahua Race
Still not sure what to do this weekend? Historic Seguin, Texas will be holding its Chihuahua race event, an annual extravaganza pitting tiny, hairless dogs against each other for some unknown reason.
The event, organized by the Seguin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (yes, there is a Seguin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) includes a day of “washers, music and racing” and will be held on June 23 in Central Park (yes, they do have their own Central Park.)
Calling Home is Too Expensive? ‘El Chapulín’ Can Help!
Marketing fads come and go; videogames and apps introduce funky characters that, at best, shine for a few weeks before vanishing in thin air. Not el Chapulín Colorado, which not only lives on, but continues to serve as pitch of all imaginable products & services.
Conceived in 1970 by Mexican comedian Roberto Gomez Bolaños, El Chapulín Colorado (The Red Grasshopper) this month was tapped to help Dollar Phone Enterprises sell calling cards to nostalgia-laden U.S. Latinos.
Per a company press release, the Chapulín Colorado-branded Dollar Card is a partnership with Univision Consumer Products, a Univision division that “creates products that connect with Hispanic America.”
I don’t know you, but if I’m going to call home, I want to connect through a Chespirito-branded calling card.
¡No contaban con mi astucia!
McDonald’s Now Serving ‘Traditional’ Colombian Food
Don’t you just love it when huge corporations go out of their way to cater to our Latin palate?
Well, after an unsuccessful attempt to cater to Mexican tastes by putting the Big Mac on a tortilla, McDonald’s is now launching Antojos colombianos (Colombian cravings,) a specially crafted menu for sale in Colombia that includes “some of the most recognized and traditional” foods of the country: The classic McPollo Junior (sic,) hogao sauce, empanadas, sundaes with lulo sauce, nuggets with honey, and original and unique options like ají sauce.
Call me crazy, but last time I checked, Colombian food didn’t look quite like this. Maybe they meant to say typical “Columbian” food….
Now, that will totally make sense.
Hat tip: @blabbeando
‘Time’ Magazine Wants you to Believe There are Legal -and Illegal- ‘Americans’
I’m sorry, Time Magazine, but last time I checked, America was a continent, and as far as I can tell, I’m pretty legal. Osea, I’m legally brunette -and as American as Mexican tamales.
I just feel like singing this song outloud again and again and again…
Jorge Ramos to President Obama: ‘No Way, José’
Jorge Ramos would like you to know that he rejects the use of his impossibly cute face image to support the message of any politician, whether he or she is Republican or Democrat. The video below comes on the heels of Barack Obama’s promotional campaign video using a clip from Noticias Univision with Ramos talking about Latinos and the lack of health insurance.
Watch Ramos in full action defending his journalistic integrity and… sigh away, muchachas. Isn’t he something?
This ‘App’ is so Mexican, it Spells ‘Menu’ With an ‘ñ’
On the hunt for fake Mexican food? There’s an app for that!
Some genius in the applications world has come up with the Mexican Food app, which according to its creators will teach you the ingredients of every burrito and help you navigate to nearby taquerías. Because as everybody knows, Mexican food is all about burritos and tacos.
Judging from some screenshots available (I have better things to do with my $0,99) one can tell the creators of the app went the extra mile to make sure things were properly spelled in Spanish –or at least pretend to know how to spell words in make-believe Spanish, such as “meñu.”
Mariachi Doritos Bring a Little Mexican Joy to Otherwise-Gloomy Brits
Turns out Americans are not the only non-Mexicans who take pleasure in eating and drinking “spicy” stuff around Mariachis. The Brits, too, owe it to my people for bringing the party to the party (whatever that means.)
PepsiCo’s Doritos brand today unveiled its latest UK campaign, a “360-degree” effort that bears the tagline “For fun, add a little Mexican,” which apparently conveys a truly “unique” message: That Mariachis, food, music, party and corn chips go awesomely well together. Per a company press release:
“Doritos has a strong Mexican product association, which provides differentiation within the marketplace, and was central in delivering this unique campaign message.”
Wait… I think I’ve seen that unique message elsewhere… but I’m not sure.
Hat tip: GaboSama
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