Category: Food

Mexican Black Friday Is Here!

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Why pay full price for chicharrones when you can pay half price?

Today is Black Friday, the day Americans would go out of their way to buy stuff they don’t need, lured by the promise of paying less for said stuff.  I’ve always hated this so-called holiday, which pops up on my Apple Calendar (for some reason) mostly because the only thing I like to buy in life (food & alcohol) is pretty much never on sale.

This is why I’ve always been so fond of the dude in this pic (above.) I bet he works his butt off year round (Black Friday included) making sure his product moves by luring customers to the wonderful world of chicharrones on discount.

(Not my photo. Claim it if yours!)

Tired of ‘Regular Thanksgiving?’ Make it a Latino Thanksgiving

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Photo: Saveur
Photo: Saveur

Let’s be honest: Just as any other holiday, Thanksgiving has become mostly another good reason to eat and drink in excess (at least in my case.)

But if a 3 pm “dinner” of turkey, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce seems a little boring to you, you can always throw a “Latino Thanksgiving,” which basically means a three-day smörgåsbord of lechón, tamales, arroz, frijoles, elote, tostones, tequila, poker games — and plenty of dancing and family drama.

If any of the above sounds exciting enough, you are in luck.

Here are 8 SIMPLE STEPS to turn your regular Thanksgiving into a Latino one:

  1. Turkey? Who eats turkey? Run to the closest bodega and pick the biggest lechón available. Roast and stuff an apple on its mouth while you’re at it.
  2. Cranberry sauce? We don’t even know what that is. Get a mojo going or start a guajillo marinade for said lechón
  3. Start with plenty of tamales and make sure to serve rice, beans, gandules, tostones and/or plantains on the side.
  4. Pumpkin? Who eats pumpkin? Really. Pumpkin is only good when you use its flowers to make one of these.
  5. Start serving dinner at 10 pm, because, really, who has dinner at 3 pm?
  6. Once the meal is over, and liters of alcohol have been consumed, be ready for your mother, tía or abuela to start crying inconsolably over you not visiting more often, etc.
  7. No football. Who watches football? It’s not like it’s fútbol… Take out the baraja, the poker chips and open up the wallet.
  8. Turn up the music and dance like maniacs all night long. And do not worry about thy neighbor. Thy neighbor should be thankful to have a Latino family around. After all, what is Thanksgiving if not an opportunity to say gracias?

A Spanish-language version of this blog post first appeared on Univision.com

Mexican President Preps Visit to NYC. Alas, He’ll Miss the Local Garnacha Action

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AMLO looooves a good local garnacha, but he might miss on my city’s Mexican delights this time.

Start spreading the news…
He’s leaving next week…

Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (aka AMLO) will be in the Big Apple for a short visit next week (Nov. 8 & 9) and while this blogger was eager to follow his culinary adventures in her adopted city, it looks like he will be missing out on the whole “Puebla York” experience.

According to press reports, AMLO will travel to the United Nations next week and give a speech about the dangers of corruption (no, really!) His visit corresponds with Mexico taking over the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council in November.

Alas, while his supporters at the “Morena New York Committee 1” are prepping a whole fiesta complete with mariachis –and plenty of local garnachas–, it looks like AMLO will remain at the UN and look all professional and stuff.

The 2021 AMLOFestNYC is free to the public and is to take place -where else?- at the Aztec Hall in Brooklyn. But the fiesta will have to go on without him.

A real pity if you asked me, since Manhatitlán is home of the best antojitos, garnachas and other Mexican goodies on this side of the border.

Ni modos, presi. Maybe next time! 

Conchas Get the Halloween Treatment

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This concha is not your regular concha; it’s a Halloween-themed concha.

If you thought pan de muerto was the only sweet Mexican sweet bread to enjoy around Halloween time, think again: Del Norte Bakery, a popular bakery in Dallas, TX, has decided to dress up their conchas with themes like mummies, spiders and pumpkins.

According to the local press, the Halloween conchas can be found on weekends at the bakery’s three locations until they sell out. So, if you live around the Dallas area, what are you waiting for? Go get yours, but don’t give me the evil eye.

Via: Dallas Morning News

Hold on to your Sombreros: Cinco de Mayo 2021 Has Begun!

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T-Mobile does Cinco de Mayo with taco socks, maracas and the like.

No matter how many bizarre holidays Americans come up with, Cinco de Mayo will forever be my favorite. And not only because it’s an excuse to drink all day and yell ¡Viva México! while thinking it’s Mexican Independence (it’s not) but because it is also the time of year that brings out the stupidest most creative marketing brains to sell Americans everything, from DIY printable fiesta kits and taquito shooters (whatever that is,) to senseless drink mixes, “ethnic food” and even life-size cardboard Mexicans as scene setters.

Etsy T-shirts, anyone?

Nacho de Mayo, because why not?

This time around, though, in honor of that amazing marketing tool known as Twitter, I’ve put together a few tweets making their way to my timeline using the #CincoDeMayo hashtag. This has only begun, so, please help me by tweeting me your own personal horrors for 2021 Cinco de Mayo and let the “Mexican” madness begin!

T-Mobile

Barnsdall Art Foundation

Taco Johns – Ole The Day?

This reporter

This ‘Salsa’

Gluten-Free Churro Cupcakes

Mission Foods

Note: This post will be updated on a regular basis.

 

U.S. Salsa Makers Join Nonsensical Trend of Putting an ‘Ñ’ where it Doesn’t Belong

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IMG_3255

Remember that nonsensical trend of putting “eñes” where they don’t belong just to make something look — and sound — more authentically Latino?

Well, it looks like American media giants and Hispanic journalists organizations are not alone in this thing. As it turns out, the makers of Trinidad salsa* have decided it’s OK to put an “eñe” on habanero.

I mean, COME ON! It’s not that difficult. How about putting an “eñe” where it DOES belong? Like in “jalapeño?” for example?

jalapeno3

  • Don’t get me started

#ItsHabaneroNotHabañero

The Lazy Susan Topping Bar Is Here –and I Can’t Even

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Got extra $40 and no shame? I got the perfect thing for you!

The Nostalgia Taco Tuesday Heated Lazy Susan Topping Bar is a fun way to get together on Taco Tuesday and share hideous, non-taco tacos with your friends. The set costs “only” $39.99 (plus shipping) and promises to hold as much plasticky, fake Mexican food you can imagine!

According to its creators, this thing’s Lazy Susan Design “makes it easy to share across the table” and features a “removable warming pot and topping trays.”

Heck, there’s even a video showing how a “timeless tradition has been made more convenient.”

Watch at your own peril; I’m done with Thursday.

Photo via: Amazon.com / Sombrero tip: @lechancle

Japanese Ramen Chain Wants you to Think this is a Taco

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The Gyoza Taco Dog serves up gyoza nestled in a hot dog bun topped with spicy sauce

Move over, Sushiro’s sushi tacos, here comes the Gyoza Taco Dog, the latest Japanese taco-themed delicacy courtesy of Korakuen, one of Japan’s largest ramen chains.

Korakuen is mainly known for its “fun” take on ramen, launching stuff like Valentine’s Day ramen, ramen-flavored fried chicken, and even ramen delivery robots. The novelty now is the Gyoza Taco Dog, a “combination of gyoza, tacos, okonomiyaki, and hot dogs.”

But, what makes this thing a taco? I’m glad you asked! “The taco flavor serves up gyoza nestled in a hot dog bun topped with a spicy sauce with chopped tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and jalapeños and a rich cheese sauce.”

OK, pues.