Pedro Infante & Jorge Negrete, two of the most handsome and talented Charros from Mexico's Golden Age of Cinema

Every Cinco de Mayo I get asked the same questions. What is Cinco de Mayo? Is it Mexico’s Independence Day?  Every year. I am always astonished by the complete lack of knowledge people in the U.S. have towards their neighbors to the south, especially considering the deep and profound ties we have with one another. Now that I have a blog, I can save my breath and exasperated sigh and just refer people to this post!

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The outnumbered Mexican army defeated the French in the most unlikely of victories. Cinco de Mayo is a not a national holiday but September 16th is, the real Mexican Independence Day. Read more about it…

Here are a few informative links…

The roots of the Mariachi

The official birthday song, Las Mañanitas,  performed by Jorge Negrete

The great Cantinflas, comedic actor in El Bombero Atomico

Tortillas, fueling a nation and beyond. How to make the real thing, in slow motion.

And lastly, the unbelievably great Mariachi Vargas performing El Son de la Negra, Mexico’s most famous song.

Cinco de Mayo menu:

Mole Poblano

Verdolagas con cebolla

Quesadillas con huitlacoche

Ensalada verde de nopales, aguacate, y cilantro

Frijoles y arroz

Tortillas de maiz

Negra Modelo

Arroz de leche con guayaba

VIVA México!

Para Heidi Leon, un requerdo de México durante tu tiempo en China.

I love the internet! It is such a social and intellectual equalizer. One no longer has to have access to great libraries to gain knowledge, inspiration, and insight. Of course, great libraries are fantastic but not always at one’s fingertips so when you are in a rut, open your laptop and visit the Old Foodie. These past two weeks have kicked my a**! Simply too much going on at once and when my daughter feel asleep at 6:45 P.M., I was too exhausted to think beyond opening my laptop. Fortunately, the Old Foodie is bookmarked and all I had to do was click.

Janet Clarkson is the Old Foodie and she is fabulous! Her blog is incredible, such an inspiration! Her writing and choice of subjects are current, fresh, totally accessible, historic, and fun! What could be better?  I love that she provides the original sources and I always wonder, “does she type it all in or does she have a scanner? This woman has patience!” The information is there for us, the readers, to examine and interpret and, if we wish, go straight to the source if we desire more. This sharing of scholarship is not always done, so I really appreciate what I see as the Old Foodies keen desire to inform and educate. 

So tonight I had the pleasure of reading about “Ladies who Dine in Public,”  “Coffee Recipes,” “Preserving Eggs,”  “A White Dinner,”  and “To make a Quiddany.” I can go on and on, but I think you get the point! Also included with each post are great quotes. Really great quotes. So, Janet, thank you for giving me a great selection of reading to help heal my poor — and spirit. You are not only a wonderful source of inspiration but also a great teacher.