Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness around the world.

November 27, 2007

Today’s Announcement

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Today’s Stories

~**~**~

 Cooking Adventures Texas Style

Bonnie Carriles

Have you ever heard the song "That's the Good Stuff" by Kenny Chesney? I truly love this song not only because of the artist and the use of my name in the lyrics but also because it is so true.One line of the song says, " Eating burned dinners the whole first year". Well for us, this is an understatement!

My mother never really taught me to cook. I always had to wing it, and if something was good, than I kept the recipe in mind for the next week. My menu was very very limited...to grilled cheese, soup, and other easy pop in the microwave oven kinda of deals.

My mother's food was always dry and hard for me to chew most of the time. If I offered to help her cook, I was shoved away; she was just to busy. So, instead of learning hands on, I would watch and she didnt even know it and as I grew I would learn through trial and error and believe me I did.

My husband is Mexican and would often speak about his tortilla cravings and would long for his grandma's tortillas when he was far from home. So, I tried to do what I could for him by making fajitas or soft tacos. But, even though I tried and he said it was good, I now know that like the song....he would be nice to keep me from tearing up.

My fajita's were made from cut up chicken, steak, and/or shrimp depending upon the prices and the tortillas were always store bought (looking back now I am laughing). But, I didnt even know how to properly warm tortillas and was happy that Robert was always so amused by the markings on the tortilla's. What markings? The ones from the burner. I would warm the tortilla's by throwing them directly onto the burner and throwing them in tin foil. thinking back now....yuck!

One birthday, I wanted some lasagna really bad and wanted to make it for my birthday dinner but I was so scared because it was a dish that looked very difficult when I watched my mom baking it. So, my husband decided to get in on the action;probably out of fear of uncooked noodles stabbing him in the cheek and throat. That year, we broke out the cookbook, bought ingredients together, and prepared the whole meal together. We could not pat eachother on the back enough over this meal because we did a really really good job!

Him having taken the initiative to ensure that I didnt ruin the recipe of my heritage; I decided that I wanted to learn to cook Mexican food better for him. One November our townhouse caught on fire and we lost everything. We had two children and one on the way. We decided that the only real choice we had was to start over somewhere else....and so we moved from Virginia to Texas.

Texas was a whole new world for me and would teach me more things than I had ever imagined. My family growing up consisted of me, my father, mother, and sister. Thats it; end of story. We had no relatives close and only got visits from grandparents once a year. But, in Texas 9 out of 10 people were related to my husband and the 10th person was the mailman from town.

He came from Port O'Connor which is a small resort town in South Texas (and I mean SOUTH texas). There is only two ways in and out of this town; one by car, one by boat. They had a couple gas stations, one of which was the local grociery store and resturant and a bunch of bars.

It would be rough starting out here but the first thing I would learn was that we had family; and often they would become upset with me for not utilizing this fact but did not understand that I was not used to having family around. We stayed with my youngest brother in law and sister in law. We shared the duties and I had to cook for our family and hers.

Not only was it embarrassing when things didnt work out, she would make me shed many tears; not that se meant to but she didnt have the understanding that I was not brought up the same way. I used to get really angry when she would offer to feed my husband and children. I felt like it was a personal attack on my cooking but to tell the truth, had I been more open minded I would have seen that she was just offering to be nice and as the saying goes, I was guilty of being a bad cook and so I went on the defensive.

But it was a battery of mixed emotions on my part and not being able to handle all of the new adjustments. This would be the beginning of turmoil that I was all to ready to blame on the other party and we decided it was time for us to move out. So, we went on to stay with Robert's Wello (grandpa) and Wella (grandma) until we could get out on our own.

Grandma was a woman who did not know how to read and write very well, raised eight of her own children and my husband and didnt speak very much English at all. I just knew that she was complaining about my cooking in Spanish; I just knew. However, she had the same approach as my husband did. Instead of belittling me she would tell me she loved the food.

The next couple of times that I began to cook; she found her way into the kitchen to assist and she did!! I learned various different names of food in Spanish because as Wello said, "Either learn to speak Spanish or you will not be able to talk to her" so, I was very "aware" of the things she was saying.

Eventually she introduced me to making Masa after her seeing my frustration on how to warm the store bought torillas on a gas stove (duh)!. She walked over and threw the package in the trash. Got out some bowls and I thought oh no! This is going to be a disaster. But, it wasnt and we even had fun making them. She had a special rolling pin and board and would show me how to make the masa for tortillas and warm them on the comal (cast iron skillet). She would shreak "I cant see through it...we are not making bakers bread"

We would laugh as we tried to figure out what kind of shapes I made out of the tortillas that came out looking like the state of Texas, a dead dog, road kill...we had some good ones! But, eventually after a few years it would no longer be funny because they were becoming round.

That was a good thing. My husband seemed more pleased with my efforts and would love it when I would say "Store bought tortillas are nasty!" She also taught me how to make beans, rice, carne asada, fajitas,guacamole,salsa, enchillada's and my husbands favorite;menudo. It always seemed odd to me that every dish was so different but yet had most of the same ingredients; comino (cumin),garlic, onion, salt (alot), pepper, and whatever meat.

The meat would also be different. I learned that fajitas were not made from steak that was hard to chew. It was made from a skirt steak and was tasty and tender!! Nothing like I had ever made them! I also learned that ground meat and beans were not just for dinner anymore either. They actually ate ground meat and eggs, potatos of whatever sort and a side of refried beans (from pinto beans that were made the night previous).

One thing that grandma would emphasize was two facts, one that I know she believed because my brother in law had recited it to me years before: As long as you have rice in your cabinet, you will never starve and most important to her was to practice cooking (which I learned was not only for dinner anymore either). My kids should be the test subjects as the man of the household is so important; I needed to serve him (her baby) with the best cooking possible!

I kept my promise to her and would learn how to cook so good that my sister in law,the one whom I always thought of as the master chef of the family, even compliments me on my cooking every now and again.

I owe a lot of what I know to Grandma. She knew how to feed her family on a budget and feed them well. We lost her in 2004 and it was devistating to me that she was gone. She taught me so much and I as her apprentice would make her happy one last time that September when I fed her and her husband breakfast that could have been disguised as her own.

By then we had moved back to Virginia due to the declining health of my parents and the knowledge that I brought home has since blown away my mother and a few other Mexican friends of mine. In fact, one particular childhood friend of mine often comes and picks up Menudo when I make it because as he explained one time when he came by to see my husband and pick up a tupperware bowl full, he said "My mom is white and dont know how to cook authentic Mexican food!" and I then replied by reminding him "Hello, so what, I'm white!". He then said, "Well, your the whitest Mexican that we know! You cook just like my grandma does in Texas and my dad really loves this dish!"

Just then, Robert walked in the house and stood at the door and took a deep breath in and said "mmmmm, it smells like Grandma's house in here!" Just then I knew....that she had accomplished her goal, and so had I.

Bonnie Carriles

Krazyb73@aol.com

~**~**~
 

Poetry Corner

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 Thy Will, Not Mine

Conrad S. Cardinal

This world of ours is a very sad place.

It's hard for one to keep a smile on

their face.

A tear, a frown, a cry of pain come

easy to us now.

When we see a person filled with joy,

we can't help but wonder how.

It simply isn't normal for one to be happy

and always smile.

If they do it only lasts for a little while.

God created the earth to be a wonderful

place.

For one to have what they need regardless

of their race.

We've been given instructions to help us

find our way.

The scripture contains all we need to bring

happiness each day.

Perhaps if we begin to abide by his word,

we'll see where we've gone wrong.

Then we'll realize all we hoped for, could've

been ours all along.

Conrad

cconseth@aol.com

p.s.

Free will is a wonderful gift.

However it sure gets us into

trouble .

~**~**~

 A True Friend

Conrad S. Cardinal

It isn't very often that one makes a

true friend.

Someone you know will be there until

the very end.

A person you feel close to and find

comfort when you share.

It's okay to bear your soul because

you know they really care.

You know you can be honest and say

just how you feel.

They take the time to listen, their

interest is real.

Even when they don't agree, they'll

allow you to have your say.

They do their best to be supportive,

though they feel a different way.

I don't mean they'll placate and not

be honest with you.

They'll share their thoughts and beliefs

with you, always being true.

They are a blessing and a special

treasure.

Their love and support will help you, their

importance you can not measure.

If you have a friend like this, nurture

them sure.

Know they'll be there and have what

it takes to endure.

Conrad

cconseth@ aol.com

p.s.

True friends are far and few

between. If you find one, you

are fortunate. Treasure the

relationship.

Readers Feedback

~**~**~

 Joe Walker - Cute story about the candied yams on Thanksgiving day.,

Earla Hollon

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