Doves and Hail: Secret Meanings of Popcorn

During the Mexican conquest, Spanish historian Fray Bernardino de Sahagun described a curious dance performed by young women on the Mexica month of Toxcatl:

"....Young maidens dance shaven, with arms and legs covered in red feathers, wearing capillejos composed of toasted corn called momochitli, that was a grain resembling a very white flower. These capillejos were made in the same manner as the ones created out of flowers, [worn] by young Castillian maidens during the month of May..."

Those capillejos (a type of bonnet) mentioned by Sahagun were actually made out of popcorn. To the Mexica ("Aztecs"), corn was an important grain that held important socio-religious significance, much like chia and amaranth, that I have mentioned on previous posts. Corn was central to the native culture of the Americas, but only Zea Mays Averta had the ability to pop when heated.

Tlaloc, God of Rain, from the Codex Rios

In other writings, Sahagun mentions that momochitli was also offered to Tlaloc, the Rain God, due to its resemblance to hail, that was also attributed to this deity. To this day, some Mexicans say "Tlaloc must be angry" every time it hails. Other writings by Sahagun allude that popcorn was an important offering due to its resemblance to stars - it was a divine reminder of the constellations, that helped the ancient Americans develop the calendar.

Indigenous communities like the Mazahua in central Mexico create simple offerings for religious ceremonies composed of strands made out of popcorn, small biscuits and marshmallows. Thanks to El Bable, you can see the following image showing a Mazahua altar adorned with fruit and popcorn garlands. Mazahua women also create long popcorn garlands that are strung around crosses and images of saints, at times completely covering them. Some times a piece of bread is hung in the middle of the popcorn strand, symbolic of the holy spirit.


The word for popcorn in Mexico is "palomitas" - a word that literally means "little doves", maybe because the popped grain resembles tiny white doves. The name could also be an attempt to scyncretize religious beliefs associated with popcorn. An offering to Tlaloc, the god of rain could be sincretized as an offering to the holy spirit, also symbolized as a white dove in Catholic belief. According to Genesis 8:11, a dove released by Noah flew back to the ark carrying back an olive branch after the flood, a sign of peace and divine reconciliation.

Noah releasing a dove.
Mosaic, Basilica de San Marco, Venice Italy

It is impossible to decipher the exact meaning and associations hidden behind a certain food, but popcorn offers a few clues. Popcorn could be seen as one of the basic miracles of nature: Life trapped inside a seed, just waiting to pop out. It is energy flying in all directions, in the shape of tiny white doves. It sounds like furious hail that destroys crops, both a gift and a warning from divine forces. It could also be a representation of the stars above us - a reminder that we are small among the planets, like a grain of corn. Such are the mysteries of food mythology and syncretism, and some things to ponder next time you to to the movies..! Enjoy the following recipe for Colorful Popcorn.

Animal Free Mexican Chocolate Drinks, Hot and Cold

Dear bloggeritos, I was unable to post for the month of January due to a busy schedule and a spotty internet connection. I'm still around and ready to share some information and ideas for chocolate drinks! It is amazing to think that almost a third of the US is blanketed in snow right now...Here in San Francisco we've been having almost Summer like weather! What could be better than a cool licuado for hot day? Or a cup of hot cocoa, for chilly weather? Read on!

Cool Chocolate Licuados.
I used to drink a heavenly chocolate licuado sold at the Tapachula market when I was a kid. It was advertised as "Choco 1000" (choco mil). It was a play on words on the popular powdered drink called Choco Milk. This drink was cleverly marketed by the super healthy and butch little Mexican boy known as Pancho Pantera. Here's Pancho, courtesy of -U! (Uriel Duran).

This licuado of my childhood was made using fresh non-pausterised milk and a raw egg. It made it really thick and rich, but it would be considered dangerous by today's standards! See the advertising? It was recommended kids drank it three times a day in order to tame tigers, stop trains on its tracks and...Garden.


Amazingly enough, ancient Mexicans blended cocoa water and spices for a chocolate drink that was naturally animal free. The word Chocolate is actually a derivative of the ancient Nahuatl for Xoco Atl, meaning bitter water, a drink that was sacred. The Spaniards turned the word "Xocolatl" into "Chocolate", the term encompassing both cocoa solids and the original frothy drink. Of course, the Aztecs didn't have electric blenders but here's some ideas for making chocolate drinks in the ancient Mexican tradition. I use unsweetened powdered cocoa by Ghirardelli.

• Almendrado. Use two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Azteca. Two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds, two tablespoons of chia seeds, and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Chango Marango. Two cups of coconut milk, a very ripe banana, berries of your choice, two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Abuelita's. Two cups of almond milk, a handful of peeled slivered toasted almonds, two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa, powdered cinnamon, and a tablespoon of Mexican Vanilla (I use Xanath's). Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Manicero. Use two cups of rice milk, a ripe pear, two heaping tablespoons of peanut butter, and two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend.
• Choco Chispas. Use two cups of almond milk, a scoop of soy based frozen dessert (I use the one made by So Delicous), two heaping tablespoons of powdered cocoa and fresh chopped mint. Add ice cubes, sweetener of your choice and blend. The mint will create refreshing little "chips".

History of Hot Mexican Chocolate
The image above comes from Peaton, it shows a chocolate pyramid created for a competition in Germany. Emperor Moctezuma would finish his meal with a frothy gourd full of "Xocolatl" and a nice smoke perfumed with liquidamber resin. The drink was traditionally served cold. During colonial times the original bitter drink of the Aztecs became fermented, sweetened and seasoned with vanilla, sugar, almonds and cinnamon - what it is now known as "Mexican Chocolate" immediately caught on in Europe and became very popular. Certain convents in colonial Mexico experimented with chocolate, creating famous recipes like Mole Poblano, yet the church forbid nuns from drinking chocolate because it was considered too voluptuous for them. Here's a recipe for animal free Champurrado, a hot chocolate drink that can be enjoyed by everyone!

Champurrado
4 cups of Almond Milk
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
2 small lumps of piloncillo (Mexican Raw Sugar)
2 sticks of Canela (Mexican Cinnamon)
1 cup of corn masa (corn dough used to make tortillas)

Heat the milk, add the cinnamon and the sugar until the lumps dissolve completely. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Add the masa and the cocoa and stir often. Use a blender to combine everything and to make sure your champurrado is nice and frothy. Process in small batches, at the slowest setting. Place a thick cloth napkin on top of the blender so you don't burn yourself. Serve in individual cups and enjoy.


Spicy Hot Chocolate
Finally, if you want your hot chocolate to be hot in more ways than one try adding some dry chiles to it. The picture above is from a spicy Venezuelan hot chocolate taken at Christopher Elbow, in San Francisco. They use a nice blend of chiles, spices and Venezuelan chocolate for this delicious drink. I've used all kinds of chiles in hot chocolate, but I think the best tasting are the raising like pasilla, robust ancho, or smoky chipotle. If you use chipotle use the dry variety - the canned chiles have added spices and salt that won't add much to the chocolate. Here's some notes on spicy Mexican hot chocolate that I served during a recent chocolatada party:

"No chocolatada can be complete without some hot chocolate. I used tablets of Chocolate Ibarra and Chocolate Abuelita and mixed them with hot low fat milk or soy milk. A little bit of the pasilla and negro chiles was added to the blender in order to make a delicious spicy and sweet drink. A little bit of Mexican vanilla also gives the chocolate a wonderful scent. Please make sure you get authentic Mexican vanilla, it really makes a big difference. One of my guests said it was the best hot chocolate she had ever tasted! You can get Ibarra and Abuelita hot chocolate tablets at MexGrocer, I get my vanilla from Xanath in San Francisco."

One last note: Most processed chocolate has milk added to it. If you want your drinks to be animal free, use powdered cocoa, and make sure to read labels carefully for commercially bought blends. Generally, the darker the chocolate, the less likely it is to contain milk. Enjoy your chocolate, and stay cool...Or warm!!

When Things Get Hairy

Hair is very much a part of people's cultural identity. From "bears", those lovable portly hairy gay men, to not so lovable hipsters with waxed moustaches - hair makes a statement. It is no surprise that the book Hair'Em Scare'Em showcases hair as an inspiration for graphic design, photography and fashion.

Hair'Em Scare'Em mixes outlandish images like the one above, that reminded me of Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. (Correction - It is Cousin IT, from the Addams Family!). I was also fascinated by the image of the young man below mostly because he was not styled to look that way - it seems to me like the boy was naturally hairy. The book mentioned no information whatsoever about the model so I had to do some research.

Untitled, by Carlos Aires. From the series "happily ever after"

The photograph is by Carlos Aires, from Spain, part of his series titled "happily ever after". Aires' photographs are populated by midgets in bull fighter suits, sleepy chubby nuns and old vaudevillians. The young man is mentioned to be "South American" in the photographer's website, but again, not much information is given. Aires' images are fascinating and superbly executed but they made me think about the fine line between morbidity and exploitation. At times I got the same mixed feelings while paging trough Hair'Em Scare'Em. Hair has a way of bringing guttural emotions that mix repulsion, beauty and even sexual desire. In that way, the book succeeds superbly.

Julia Pastrana

Hair has also been an inspiration to me. I created the painting pictured below several years ago. It was shown at City Art gallery in San Francisco for the show "Monsters" in 2004. The premise was that we create monsters out of what we don't understand. The painting was inspired by a Mexican woman, winner of the infamous title "ugliest woman in the world". Julia Pastrana (pictured above) was an actress, singer and dancer born in 1834. She had a condition called hipertrichosis, also called "werewolf" syndrome. Her entire body was covered with thick hair. I was moved by Julia's story when I first read a book about her life. She died shortly after giving birth to a little boy that was just as hairy as she was. In my painting I took creative license and decided to give Julia a family. The painting depicts what her children may had looked like.



But back to the original image by Aires. Doing some research I discovered that we still have performers that are affected by hirsutism. In the Mexican village of Loreto, in Baja California a group of circus performers were dubbed as "Los Ninos Lobo" (The wolf children). Here is the story in Spanish, via El Mundo, a publication in Spain. The article by Virgine Luc talks about a hairy boy named Danny.

Danny, photo by Gérard Rancinan

Danny and his three siblings were raised by their grandmother after their mother left for Texas. Danny's brother Larry was just as hairy as he was. Due to a lucky coincidence a small circus showed up in Danny's village on an unscheduled visit. Grandma made Danny and his brother audition for the circus. The circus owner ended up adopting the boys legally, they were five and eight years old. Danny never went to school, but the said that the son of the circus owner taught him to be an acrobat. However, the most important lesson his adopted brother taught him was "Nada ni nadie puede impedirte ser lo que tú quieras ser - nothing, or anything can stop you from being who you want to be". I never figured out if the boy in the book was related to the "wolf boys" from Loreto. I don't think it is possible that the boy photographed by Aires was Larry. Larry is older than Danny. He moved to Canada where he got married and has a daughter.

I wish Hair'Em Scare'Em had shown a few designers from Africa or Latin America. We have such an interesting history with hair. The contributors of the book are mostly from Europe and the United States, with a few Japanese contributors. Only a few images alluding to Latino or African American hair are depicted. One of them is meant as a funny image of a black horse wearing corn rows, by Australian designer Julian Wolkenstain.




Even if Europeans are discovering the joys of being hairy and scary, immature comments alluding to animalism and race still abound. Not too long ago singer Tiziano Ferro commented that it was impossible to find beautiful women in Mexico because "they all had moustaches" during an interview on national Italian television. Ferro was at the time popular in Mexico. In 2001 the Spanish version of his song Rosso Relativo entered the Mexican TOP 20 album sales chart. Ugly or not, Mexican women loved his music. After claims of tears and deep depression due to the backlash of his statements, Ferro's record company issued a video apology. Ferro came across as someone that would bite the hairy hand that fed him.


Oh, hair! The most famous Mexicana con bigote is of course, painter Frida Kahlo. By deciding to keep her moustache and unibrow she challenged gender and social norms, while becoming one of the most recognized artists in the world.


Go check out this book! Hair'Em Scare'Em is published by the creative agency Gestalten. The ghost of European beauty standards don't stop the book from being enjoyable and having whimsical, funny, and inspiring imagery.


Links:
For more information about Julia Pastrana visit The Human Marvels. Thaks to J. Thithonus Pednaud for creating Human Marvels, a site dedicated to vindicating those people who were once labeled as freaks.

Pay a visit to City Art Gallery if you are in San Francisco.

Day of The Dead - In June!

Seems like Dia de los Muertos (Day of The Dead) imagery is everywhere these days. You can see calaveras and grinning skeletons on t-shirts, hoodies, even sneakers. On a walk through the Mission District of San Francisco I captured several interesting images the other day.

I started my walk on 16th street and Dolores. I saw this cool dress on the window of Sunhee Moon, a kicky boutique for fashionable gals. The pattern of the dress seems to be inspired by Dia de los Muertos papel picado patterns! Very cool, isn't it? The design is called "Calya" and also comes in red for $195. Sunhee Moon also has "Meg" (pictured below) also in a papel picado print, but with bird and flower designs. It is $248. If you like these dresses also check out my other post about the papel picado dresses by Ronaldo Fraga.

Valencia street seems busy with the many efforts to widen the sidewalks, plant trees and add additional lightening.


The drain grills installed on the newly planted trees are also Day of The Dead inspired. They actually seem to be based on a design by Mexican engraver Jose Guadalupe Posada:






Posada's work is mostly associated with the Dia de Los Muertos holiday here in the US, but back in Mexico he is better known as a social commentator. His work was full of irony and political satire. On the same note, this mural seems to be in the spirit of Posada's work. I don't know the name of the artist, but the mural is also on Valencia street.



On the corner of 18th and Valencia I saw more interesting public art. This poster reminds me a bit of Maori tattoos but it is also reminiscent of calaveras and The Day of The Dead holiday.

Interestingly enough the Calavera poster was posted on a construction site where the former Valencia Hotel used to stand. Many people met horrific deaths during the 1906 earthquake, more than in any other site in San Francisco. Many were trapped three stories below the surface under mud, and the rest of the survivors burned alive. The image comes via The Virtual Museum of The City of San Francisco. It is available for licensing.


This corner was also the former site of a lagoon, La Laguna de Dolores (The Lagoon of Sorrows). During an earthquake the land can liquefy and become unstable. I am not superstitious but I would not want to live here...


Finally I end my walk at The Women's Building, on 16th Street. This section of the mural represents the Goddess Coyolxauqui, Goddess of the moon. The skull on her waist and arms represent blood, because according to Aztec lore, Coyolxauqui was dismembered by her brother. Here, the artist represents the Goddess whole and vigorous. A wise teacher once told me that during hard times we have to be comfortable in the dark...Just like the moon.


I used to have my studio on Lapidge and 18th, I remember when the beautiful mural "Maestrapiece" was being painted - I used to walk by almost every day. The anniversary of the mural was celebrated in September. It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years. It is nice to see that some influences from the "Latino Soul" of the Mission are still present, even during times of great gentrification.

Alegria - Past and Future of The Eternal Amaranth

Recently at a dinner party I got served a beautiful salad containing Quinoa. "It is an ancient grain", one of the guest explained. Later, that weekend I saw a bag labeled "kichiwa", while grocery shopping. I immediately recognized it as Amaranth, a grain that is slightly smaller than Quinoa. Quinoa and amaranth are two plants commonly used in Mexican and South American cooking but they are gaining popularity in the US lately. Amaranth is also grown as an beautiful, fluffy ornamental flower (pictured above). Just like quinoa, amaranth is considered a "pseudo cereal" - since real cereals are grasses. Other pseudo cereals are buckwheat and chia seeds.


I didn't tell the other dinner guest but I was very familiar with these ancient foods. Back in Mexico, I used to eat the traditional candy called "Alegria" - it was sold on road stands and markets all over Mexico. Alegrias are similar to rice krispy treats, small bars of popped amaranth glued together with molasses or honey. To the ancient Mexicas this amazing little seed was called "Huautli", to the Mayas it was "Txes" and to the Incas and present time Peruvians - "Kiwicha". The word in Spanish - Alegria, literally means "joy", and it is very appropriate since amaranth is said to be a natural anti depressant.

There were many rituals associated with Amaranth just like the ones for chia seeds in ancient Mexico. But unlike the rituals associated with chia (fertility), the mysterious associations of Amaranth could have been the continuity of life, nourishment, or even immortality. In the time of the Aztecs, enormous statues were paraded among crowds during religious celebrations. These statues were made out of amaranth seed mixed with honey and some times blood. At the end of the celebration these enormous statues were cut in pieces and distributed among participants for a type of symbolic cannibalism and communion with the gods.


Mexican artist Javier Marín creates dynamic, large scale figurative images. One of his projects involves casting large statues out of resin that have amaranth seeds inside them, drawing inspiration from ancient rituals. The images above are the heads of three women, via Iturralde gallery and ArtScene. Judith Christensen writes: "In the materials, as well, Marin fuses old and the new. Western European and indigenous Mexican - is basic to Marin's work. Like Marin's resin, the amaranth produced figures that looked heavy, but were comparatively light weight".

Pictured Ricardo Peralta and Rodolfo Neri Vela (right), 1985. Via Space Facts

In the same manner, combining the old and the new in the kitchen allows us to find interesting, unexpected discoveries. Rodolfo Neri Vela, the first Mexican astronaut back in the 80's was also the first to patent amaranth as the perfect astronaut food. Originally amaranth was selected because of its versatility and its ability to survive diverse conditions, but it also turned out to be one of the few seeds that germinated in outer space.

Amaranth is highly usable. The seeds and the greens are both edible. It is a highly resilient plant, it belongs to a species generally considered a weed. It could help maintains brain functions and the nervous system by regulating serotonin and providing protein. Amaranth is also highly nutritious, it is a good source of vitamins A, K, BC, and C. It is also full of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese. It could be well said that Amaranth may be the food of the future! I leave you with these words by John Milton, from his famed poem "Paradise Lost":

"Immortal amarant, a flower which once

In paradise, fast by the tree of life,

Began to bloom; but soon for man's offence

To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows,

And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life,

And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven

Rolls o'er elysian flowers her amber stream:

With these that never fade the spirits elect

Bind their resplendent locks."

LINKS

Learn how to make Abstract Amaranth Candy on my next post!

Learn more about Javier Marín at the artist's interactive website. The website is bilingual, and a very interesting site to navigate. His studio itself is amazing, it was featured on HGTV's "The art of Mexican Design".

Mr. Marín was also the winner of a contest to re-create the altar at the Cathedral of Zacatecas, a UNESCO world heritage site. The project will be unveiled in June the 26, 2010. Learn more about the event at the artist's facebook page.



Read Rodolfo Neri Vela's article about Amaranth in Space (in Spanish) via Buenas Noticias. The photos of the amaranth bars are from that site, taken by Meliton Tapia of INAH

Arroz Poblano - A "Cinco de Mayo" Recipe

Civil War reenactments reminds me a lot of "Cinco de Mayo". Why? Well, both commemorate battles. While some participate with great fervor others couldn't really care less. In the Mexican state of Puebla the celebration is relevant, since that was the location for the memorable battle the holiday commemorates. It was an important turning point in Mexico's history, a Mexican Gettysburg of sorts. South of the border this holiday is known as La Conmemoración de la Batalla de Puebla and it is really a minor holiday. The name doesn't necessarily rolls of the tongue, does it? Maybe that is the reason "Cinco de Mayo" (the date of the battle) has become the popular name for this holiday.


There are many other reasons why "Cinco de Mayo" is more popular in the United States than in Mexico. One of the reasons was the promotion of this holiday by South West authorities after the Mexican Cession of 1848. It was a way to "boost" the moral of the Mexican population now living in US territory but it was also a way of steering new citizens away from any nationalistic sentiment associated with Mexican independence, celebrated the 16th of September. To this day some folks in the South West still get nervous any time a Mexican flag is waved in US territory. The State and city of Puebla however, are more interesting than just one battle.


Puebla has amazing gastronomy, the mixture of Indigenous and European influences. The culinary delights of the city of Puebla are far from tacky "Mexican" restaurants, frat boys wearing sombreros and clever marketing inviting people to drink. In honor of this city I present you Arroz Poblano, a classic recipe from Puebla. The roasted Poblanos give this rice a nice bite that is actually quite tolerable, even by those not fond of spicy foods. Traditionally prepared with sour cream, cheese and chicken stock, this version of Arroz Poblano uses no animal products. It is by no means any less delicious. To prepare it, you'll need the following ingredients:

• One cup of long grain rice
• Two cups of vegetable broth
• One fresh ear of corn
• One roasted poblano chile, prepared as you would for rajas con papas
• One green onion or scallion, including the green part
• A tablespoon of roasted garlic
• A bunch or cilantro
• A tablespoon of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Optional garnish

• A teaspoon of Better than Sour Cream by Tofutti
• A few drops of lemon
• Chopped cilantro or parsley
• Extra poblano slivers and corn kernels

Start by roasting and slivering a Poblano pepper as instructed in the recipe rajas con papas. De grain the corn using a sharp knife. Place a cutting board under the corn to catch all the kernels and save for later. Using a knife, scrape the corn husk in a sauce pan as shown in the picture.




Boil the corn husk and corn scrapings, together with the onion, cilantro, broth and half of the roasted pepper. Boil for about 10 minutes until everything is soft.


Remove the corn husk and discard. Puree everything else in a blender. If necessary add more liquid in order to obtain two cups of broth. Strain the flavored broth and save for later, try to keep it warm.

Fry the rice in the olive oil at low heat. Use a large sauce pan that has a good, tight fitting lid. Stir the rice continuously until it starts turning a nice golden brown. Pay attention the the way the rice smells, before it is done it will start to smell nice and toasty - but don't over fry it or it will turn bitter. Turn the heat off and let the rice cool a little bit. Add a tablespoon of roasted garlic.

If your flavoring broth is cold, heat it up. Add two cups of the warm broth to the sauce pan. Stir in the pepper slivers and the corn, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat back up until everything starts to bubble. Don't stir too much once you add liquid, or the rice will break. Add a spring of cilantro and cover. Turn the heat down. Simmer for twenty minutes using a very gentle flame. Make sure you don't lift the lid or you'll let the steam escape and your rice will be chewy.

After twenty minutes check to see if the rice is done. Take a spoon full of rice from the very top of the sauce pan and check if the grains are soft. If the rice is still hard add a bit more liquid, cover, and steam for another 5 more minutes. I the rice is done you can fluff it with a fork, but don't stir it too much or it will get mushy.

Before serving you can add a bit of sour cream and cheese. This recipe uses no animal products, so I use a bit of Better than Sour Cream by Tofutti that has been thinned a bit with a few drops of lemon juice.
Serve your rice and garnish it with a little bit of chopped cilantro or parsley, and extra peppers and corn if you wish. Enjoy! Feliz Conmemoración de la Batalla de Puebla!



The illustrations at the beginning of the recipe are from a painting titled "La Venta" by Primitivo Miranda. Via the Women of the Independence and Revolutionary Wars of Mexico.

McMuertos and The Attack of Killer Corn!

The other day I overheard a woman on the bus. She was telling her friend that the highlight of her kid's week was going out to eat hamburgers on Fridays. However, instead of hamburgers, the lady's husband took the kids out to eat tacos, so they were very upset. As someone that works in a predominately Latino neighborhood, a Mexican, and a food blogger, it made me think of the reasons for the disproportionate rates of obesity of Latinos in the US.

McMuertos turns 10 years old!
The image above is from an artistic collaboration I was a part of, several years ago. McMuertos was an installation for a Dia de los Muertos show at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, in 1998. It also appeared at the Oakland Museum in 1999, and the Mexican Museum in 2000. The installation was a parody dealing with cultural appropriation, predatory marketing and deceptive advertising. Much like his cousin "Joe Camel", the character of Ronnie Calaca (masterfully played by Robert Karimi, below) sold his brand using slick and unscrupulous messages that misinformed the public, especially kids.

McMuertos Poster by John Leanos, circa 1999

On 2004, the movie "Super Size Me" dealt with some of those same issues, along with an experiment on portion control and health effects. Fast food portions had gotten out of control, in some cases five times bigger than portions in the 1950's, when restaurants began to mass produce hamburgers and fries. One of the biggest culprits of obesity in children could be HFCS 55 (High Fructose Corn Syrup), used to sweeten soft drinks. Since 1999, soft drink sizes got so big that they could no longer fit inside cup holders. HFCS is also found in cookies, bread, salad dressing, BBQ sauce, ketchup and many other condiments. But HFCS is not only found in fast food restaurants. McMuerto's message is still resonant today, as corporations try to sell us the "goodness" of HFCS and genetically modified food.

Changing, evolving corn
Corn could be one of the most modified crops in the world. Originally corn was developed by cultivating a grass called "teosintle", more than 7000 years ago in what is currently Mexico. Corn became the staple food for the Aztecs, Mayas and many other North American indigenous groups. Teosintle (or Teozintle) literally means "food of the gods". The Mayas considered corn so sacred that they even deformed the heads of their babies using tablets, so they would appear elongated like an ear of corn.

Yum Kaax, Mayan Corn God

Corn production today
The world has less fertile land since the time of the Maya. There is also the need to feed more people, and that has served as a motivation to create "stronger" crops that have more productive plants. The development of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) by corporations like Monsanto are said to address those issues. But what is the cost? Today we are not only loosing a connection to nature, but we may also be at risk of loosing heirloom varieties of grain, maybe forever. GMO seed is copyrighted, so corporations can make money by selling it to farmers. "Terminator" seeds are sterile after planting, therefore ensuring farmer's dependency on suppliers. McMuerto's parodied corporate control, profit and greed. Those motivations need to be taken into consideration as well, when dealing with GMOs.

Mayas Growing Corn

The image of a farmer in overalls, growing corn by hand, and tending to it with the help of a scarecrow is very much gone. The US is growing way too much corn at tax payer's expense, due to government subsidies. It is a "super crop" that is not only fed to cattle, but to other animals like farmed salmon. These animals have no natural way of processing GMO corn. In order to keep animals "healthy" (so they can grow larger faster) they are pumped full of antibiotics.

We still don't know the long term effects of eating and producing GMOs, eating them, and even the effects of eating animals that have been feed GMOs. So far the news are not good. According to the Huffington Post, Monsanto's corn has been linked to organ failure in animals HFCS has been also linked to high triglycerides and diabetes. Diabetes Health has an article about the dangers of HFCS. The Washington post has an article about how HFCS is also not so sweet for the planet either. It could be a deadly triple whammy.

Mutant corn, harmless?
On a curious note, Monsanto is also a sponsor of many attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It seems like corporations are going after the youngest consumers, and their parents. For example, The Sweet Surprise is a PR marketing wonderland that praises the benefits of high fructose corn syrup. The creepy parts is that, as opposed to McMuerto's, it is not a spoof. It is full of images of happy families on bikes, smiling children, and expert testimony. It even has downloadable and printable fliers about "kids and sweets", assuring parents that feeding HFCS to kids is not only OK, it could also be nutritious: "By making healthy foods taste even more delicious, high fructose corn syrup may help ensure that picky young eaters get the nutrition they need". It could may be translated as - get them hooked up, early on.

Here is another quote, from Kris Clark, Ph.D, R.D., F.A.C.S.M., an assistant professor and Director of Sports Nutrition at Penn University: "It's a reality that kids are going to have some sugar in their diets...." "Just be sure the majority of the added sugars they consume are from nutrient-rich food or beverage, and practice moderation with concentrated sweets like candy and desserts".

Yet, there is no mention of HFCS as being a chemical manufactured in a lab, not present in nature, and one of the worse concentrated sugars. It is not a secret that all sugars should be consumed with moderation, the problem is that GMO corn and the many products manufactured with it are abundant. HFCS is not "moderate" by any means, as used on baked goods, snacks, chips, cookies, dressings, juices, sodas and many other products.


Corn is ours
Going back to the lady on the bus. She was large, and I wondered about the chances of her kids being overweight as well. I didn't know her, yet in my mind I was looking for reasons for her obesity. Maybe she is a newly arrived immigrant, feeding her children burgers may be her way to become "American" and fit in. Maybe it is more convenient to feed her kids fast food, after a long work week. Maybe she really thinks she is giving the the kids a little "reward" on Friday nights. Or maybe it is cheaper to get several items at the "dollar menu". I wonder how many people eat fast food out of convenience, or necessity. As opposed to businesses that have been hurt by the economy, McDonald's actually posted a growth of 2.5%

What about personal responsibility? There's been horrible hate crimes against Latinos, and virulent attacks by the likes of Lou Dobbs on the media recently. Harsh comments on newsgroups dealing with this topic also abound: "Nobody is putting a gun to their heads (forcing them to make poor food choices)", "Mexicans are fat because they are lazy", "Mexican food is so bad for you...(because) the ingredients are greasy (cheap, or poor quality, etc)". I think we can we find balance between personal responsibility and economic disparity. One of the saddest parts of the movie "Food inc" showed an obese Latino family buying fresh groceries. A little girl asks for pears, yet her older sister declines because they are too expensive.


So, what are the answers? The education of the public is key, as well as creating awareness in regards to food justice. Favianna Rodriquez, an amazing socially aware artist is doing a wonderful job educating the community about the importance of rejecting GMOs and agribusiness. On her website she talks about larger issues dealing with the dangerous ripples sent out by US policies regarding industrialized agriculture, and how they affect local food growers and those beyond our borders. She recently donated a poster of the image above to a charity auction I recently organized. Un millon de gracias, Favianna!


Nutritional Wastelands
Mexican food doesn't have to be unhealthy, that is one of the reasons for this blog. As Latinos we still need to explore genetics, education, culture and economics, and how they play a big part on health and eating habits. So, what stops someone from getting locally grown veggies, organic tortillas and making fresh salsa? Some kids are growing up in nutritional wastelands. Super markets in poor neighborhoods carry less organic selections. Corner stores and liquor stores carry heavy processed food, often times folks have to do a lot of their shopping there, because those are the only stores available. There are fast food chains on each side of the main streets that delineate the neighborhood where I work. Like liquor stores, they are disproportionally located in neighborhoods where poor people live. And of course, fast food chains also have hordes of marketers that make humble veggie tacos seem unappealing.

So what can we do? We can support local organic farmers. As consumers, we can demand an end to GMO production. We can stop buying corn heavy foods that only feed corporations and conglomerates. Most of all, we can educate our communities. That is the cruelest of ironies for Latinos everywhere: What once was a sacred crop to our ancestors, could be killing us now.


Links:

• The illustration of the Mayans planting corn is by Alberto Beltran, for the book "Los Mayas" by Victor W. Von Hagen.
• You can help farmers in Mexico fight big agro businesses. Visit the environmental group Sierra de Guadalupe. They promote bio diversity, and educate farmers in central Mexico about the importance of planting local species organically. There is a donate button at the end of the page.
• The image God E (Yum Kaax, the Corn God - "Lord of The Harvest Fields") is from Copan. Photo by the American Museum of Natural History, in New York.
• You can go to the Organic Consumers Association and join the "Millions Against Monsanto" by signing their on-line petition
• Support the work of John Leanos and Favianna Rodriguez