La Sobremesa
La Sobremesa is a Spanish custom, where after the food has been eaten, people stay seated at the table and continue to socialize, even for hours.
On (re)writing, (re)righting, and (re) riteing my grandma’s story
In We are Dancing for You, Cutcha Risling Baldy analyzes the revitalization of women’s coming of age ceremonies of the Hoopa Valley Tribe of Northern California. She concludes that the continuation of these ceremonies is a way of "(re)writing a history that has been party erased and mis-written; it’s a way of (re)righting or making right a tradition that Westerners saw as devaluing women and, (re)riteing a ritual" (Risling Baldy, p.7) that was essential in the expression of Native Feminisms, which was the rite of celebrating the first menses of young women and having the community welcome them into young adulthood.
For me, this capstone work about my grandma also includes these 3 themes. I want to (re) write or document her story, our story, though there are many things I don’t know. I realize that it doesn’t matter if some of her stories are historical factual. It is what she remembered and passed down to us. I also want to (re)right and celebrate the woman she was, especially her Native heritage, that she felt she had to keep hidden. It seems there was some shame from her lived experiences that made her feel ugly or less worthy than her husband who she kept reminding us was a Spaniard Mexican. And yet she would also share that we had big feet and running agility like the Tarahumara we came from. And I want to (re)rite and celebrate the traditions and rituals that were important to her. She passed to us her faith, she passed on the value of life and celebration of the little things; she passed on the rite of making food together and she passed on the love for reading, education, and the arts.
Food is Medicine
In the documentary “Return”, Roxanne Swentzell emphasizes that food can connect us to the land. Not only does food fill our physical needs, but it in itself is our relative. Being intentional about harvesting, cooking and eating allows us to be healthier. She says "[food is feeding] the spirit, the people, who you are... and the land you come from, that is medicine”(Cantor). To me, my journey to learn these foods is also me rejecting the generational health issues of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more that was brought with colonization. In an interview with Graciela, a young Latina friend relearning her cultural foods, she recognizes the intelligence and creativity of her ancestors. Through foods like corns, beans, and squash you can get so many nutrients cheaply and easily. Although some dishes truly are masterpieces, the foods are simple and beautiful.
Grow and Change
My food didn’t turn out exactly like hers. And there were many mistakes. (See photo where I accidentally touched my eye after cutting chiles and had a burning eye for a day.)
I will continue to work on these recipes until they feel like my own and that’s ok. I think it's what she wanted me to do because she was a “a little of this and a little of that “ kind of cook. My grandma was supportive, and no matter much she would laugh, she loved having me in the kitchen with her.
I chose this Capstone, not as a way to preserve the recipes as a static memory of my grandma, but that instead these recipes grow and shift with time, still used as a thread that can trace back generations. My tamales, though now made with premade masa, allow me to mimic the motions of kneading just like the strong women who came before me. I embrace change and redefinition, but I refuse to lose these key traditions that have survived colonization, assimilation, and tragedy.
Rosa Elena
As a busy college student, I never felt comfortable in a kitchen. I didn't have time to make a beautiful meal for myself, nor did I really know how to cook. So I often ate what came out of a package. As all can relate, 2020 was hard and it brought stress and discomfort. This project forced me into the kitchen, at times where I would much rather lay in bed.
I discovered that cooking is healing, not just actually eating the food but the process of making it. You can get into a meditative state of stirring or chopping. It also allows nearly instant gratification. It is different from writing a long paper that takes weeks to be graded. After laboring in the kitchen, I can quickly taste my creation and share it with others. My mother gave me the best compliment I could hear, “you live up to your name Rosa Elena”, referring to the fact I was named Elena after my grandma, the amazing cook. I don't hold the title of the best cook in my house, but I have become more acquainted with the kitchen, the place of creation, love, culture, and my grandma.