Over the weekend, my husband and I had a freelance television production gig and we got to meet a pretty neat Mexican family. The story they shared with us for the TV program we were working for has nothing to do with bilingualism, but I had to conduct all the interviews in Spanish and I must say I was very impressed by how well it was spoken by the children in the family. What surprised me the most is that both, the young man and woman, were born in the United States and have only been back to Mexico a handful of times.

The most amazing thing for me is that these young people were raised by a single mother who has spent the majority of her time  working at least two jobs to ensure her children got the opportunities she never did. In other words, it’s not like she was home with them making sure they were exposed to the language on a regular basis. And yet, she managed to raise two bilingual kids who today, at 21 and 27 years old, are able to be interviewed on camera for a television program solely in Spanish!

It might not seem like a big deal to some, but in all my years as a journalist I’ve often found that the children of immigrants — particularly the working class — are more or less able to communicate with their Spanish-only speaking parents, but their vocabularies are limited and English is definitely their preferred language. But this was not the case with the Mexican family we met this weekend. The kids English was impeccable, but their Spanish was not far behind. There were no issues with verb conjugations — one of the easiest ways to botch the languages — and there were only two times that the young woman couldn’t remember the words she wanted to use in Spanish.

I was so happy about all that that after the interviews were done I congratulated both the kids and their mom and I asked her how she managed to do it. She said that there was never a question in her mind that — even though they were born here — her children wouldn’t speak her native language, Spanish. She didn’t know anything about methods to raise bilingual children nor the countless myths surrounding this topic, for her it was only natural — and logical — that her kids would speak Spanish at home and learn English in school.

Now, her 27-year-old son is married and thinking about having children. I was delighted when he told me he definitely wants to pass on the bilingualism gift to them. He said he plans on doing it by speaking to them only in Spanish, even if that means his monolingual wife won’t understand. Luckily, she’s all for it!

{Image via kate.gardiner}

Photography by Jeanine Thurston

Guest post by Yvette Marquez, from Muy Bueno Cookbook.

I remember the holidays when all my relatives would gather at my grandma’s or one of my tia’s houses.  There would always be tables overflowing with food, cerveza chilling in the refrigerator, and Mexican music playing in the background. The women would be cooking, drinking, and giggling in the kitchen and the men reminiscing in the living room.

Nostalgic for the big family meals of my childhood, I decided to bring that same custom into my own home and continue that Mexican cooking tradition.

This weekend I hosted my first cooking fiesta called “Cook for our Men.”  I had a house full of gorgeous friends and cousins gathered in my cocina, each one assigned a Muy Bueno recipe. Unlike a traditional cooking class, which can be a rigorous affair, this was a deliberately loose format — with simple yet flavorful appetizers and dishes that can accommodate cooks of all levels. It was all about delicious, trouble-free meals that can be prepared with friends. My fiesta menu consisted of pan fried tilapia with mango and avocado salsa, camarones brochette, chicken tinga tostadas, elote en vaso, and liqueur-infused fruit sangria. The menu had enough surprises to inspire experienced cooks, without intimidating novices.

Once all the dishes were prepared the men were invited to join the festivities. As sandiatinis were shaken and sangria poured, guests complimented one another’s dishes. It was a house full of laughter and dancing, and by the end of the night, everyone was friends and trading phone numbers. It was everything I had hoped for and more.

I can’t think of a better way to toast the Bicentennial of the Mexican Independence than to celebrate like the border girl that I am. Call it culture, call it tradition, or call it roots. I’m really not sure what it is. All I do know is that I want to continue the Mexican food and traditions in my home with my family.

Thank you to all the lovely ladies who cooked the Muy Bueno recipes to perfection and with dazzling presentation. Thank you to Jeanine, an amazing photographer who captured the beautiful occasion. And thank you to my lovely husband who was up all night washing loads of dishes — I love you babe!

Next festivity on the horizon…A tamale making party! Making tamales is not just about eating; it is about sharing old stories and creating new memories, and I look forward to sharing that memory with my children.

Photography by Jeanine Thurston

Corn in a Cup (Elote en Vaso)

Recipe makes 12 cups

This is Mexican street food at its finest. Anytime I visit El Paso or Mexico the craving of Elote en Vaso steps into high gear. Now anytime I crave this I whip it up at home, except I make it fancy by serving it in a pretty glass instead of the traditional Styrofoam cup. No matter how you serve it the taste is sweet, crunchy, fiery, and juicy.

Ingredients
10 ears of corn, shucked and cut from the cob
2 tablespoons butter, per serving
1/4 cup lime juice, per serving
1/4 cup crema mexicana, per serving
2 tablespoons crumbly, salty white cheese (ideally cotija but parmesan is acceptable), per serving
Chili powder
Valentina hot sauce
Lime wedges for garnish
Salt to taste

Husk the corn, remove the silks, and slice the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife.

Place the corn in a saucepan with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil; let boil for two to three minutes, then drain. Turn off the heat, and return corn to saucepan.

Add 3/4 cup of corn in a glass, add butter, and stir to melt the butter. Mix in lime juice and crema.

Sprinkle with a good heavy coating of chili powder and salt if desired, though the cheese adds plenty of salt. Mix well.

Top with crumbled cheese.

If you like spicy then add a few drops of some hot sauce for that extra kick of heat.

Serve with a spoon and lime wedges.

Note: This is a very loose recipe. Feel free to adjust the proportions of lime juice, crema, cheese, and spices to taste!

Yvette Marquez–Sharpnack was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, and she now lives in Colorado and is a wife and mother who is proud of her Mexican cultural background. Yvette was inspired to celebrate her culture, celebrate her grandmother and celebrate her mother by preserving the generations of tradition en la cocina. And so, she set forth to design a beautifully colored cookbook with delicious recipes from her grandmother and mother to ensure these dishes were recorded for future generations to enjoy. This compilation has evolved into a three-generation cookbook with authentic Mexican flavor.  You can follow her and her recipes through her blog–Muy Bueno Cookbook.