Jacob Tomita
Professor Miller
English H-6
“Nothing is better than going home to family and eating good food and relaxing.” -Irina Shayk
Our attitudes toward food are often influenced by family, community, or some kind of larger culture in which we grew up. Food is on our mind more often than we would like to admit. We typically eat three meals in a day plus all sorts of sacks, so food is a constant cycle we need to remain healthy and energized. Food can be unique like people, different cultures produce different ways to eat or design a meal. This is called cuisines. Indian cuisines have a curry base with your choice of meat or lentils served with rice and Naan bread. Some may think only sushi is a Japanese Cuisine but there can be a variety of dishes associated with a culture’s cuisine, like, a less heard about Japanese dish in America is Sukiyaki, which is prepared in front of you. The meal consists of thinly sliced beef along with mixed vegetables, tofu, and thin pasta, cooked on a shichirin table (a grill in the center of a table). My uncle makes this on occasion and it’s a real treat. I have a favorite cuisine that comes to salvation and memory when thinking about food and that cuisine is Mexican.
Many non-Mexicans describe Mexican cuisine as spicy, flavorful or just plain delicious. Rich in vitamins and minerals it also provides great ways for intake of protein and calories. Early Mexican food consist of different soups such as the menudo and pozole, tacos, tamales, and enchiladas. I had my first experience with Mexican food at the ripe age of four. My dad and his brother are partners and own a Mexican restaurant in Key West, FL. They make authentic homemade food, it might not be exactly the same way they do it in Mexico but that’s what makes it my favorite, adding your own family’s touch. I was catered with Mexican cuisine all throughout my childhood and early adulthood because it was always there for me, after hockey practice, school or just casual eating. A favorite meal of mine at the restaurant is a Mexican dish called enchiladas because of the process, memories, culture, and variety it provides me. An enchilada is a lightly fried corn tortilla wrapped in your choice of meat, cheese or veggies with different flavors of sauce and served with Mexican rice and refried beans.
The way food should be made is with a natural/homemade process by hands and raw ingredients, and not processed with chemicals to keep it fresh or taste better. That’s why I eat at local restaurants made with homemade food rather than fast food chains. The process is the most important ingredient to me and enchiladas are made fresh every day at my family’s restaurant ‘Chico’s Cantina’. From the sauces to the cooking of the meats. When I was young I would watch my uncle prepare the sauces that day, squeezing, chopping, stirring ingredients into his famous enchiladas sauces. When I asked him “what his experience with the dish was,” he said, “we’ve served the dish for over 35 years and it remains one of the top selling meals on the menu,” pricing at $14.95. He also states, “I put a lot of hard-work in this dish and it pays off, people love it”. It might seem simple to make an enchilada, but the process is quite long if your starting from scratch. First, I’ll tell you how to make my favorite enchiladas (Ground beef). Since there are multiple choices you can stuff it with. So, starting off with the ingredients you’ll need: corn tortilla, ground beef, flour, butter, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, garlic, and new Mexican red chilis. Second, while boiling the new Mexican chili, make a rue with flour and butter. Once the chili is soft from boiling, cut open and strain the seeds and stems. Then, blend the chili and add to rue with salt, cumin, and little garlic and mix. You now have your sauce. Third, start cooking your ground beef with cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and garlic. Once done with this your now ready to add the ground beef to the lightly fried corn tortilla. To fry the tortilla, you simply dip in hot oil till it softens. Then add sauce on the top of the rolled-up tortilla, kind of like a burrito but without tucking the back flaps in and served with Mexican rice and refried beans. Although I tried to make this dish multiple times it still doesn’t beat the taste the restaurant provides. I guess you can’t fake a good enchilada, sorry fast foodies. Start being more of a locavore.
Some of my most fond memories were hanging out at the restaurant after elementary school grabbing a bite to eat and watching my mom work. I would sit there two hours after school and talk with the employees and customers, discussing what I learned at school that day or if I passed a big quiz I was studying for. It goes to show food brings people together. Most of the time after school the meal that I would salivate over was almost always, probably four out of the five weekdays, ground beef enchiladas. I would sometimes walk in and they would have it waiting for me like clockwork. Other times I would have to wait. There were times when the restaurant would have a late rush, I wasn’t always happy about this but my mom always seemed to be. I guess more money for her. I can remember the sound of it being finished with a ‘ding’ to signal come get your food by the chief. The first bite was always scorching hot and my mom would never miss a beat to yell at me “slow down and chew your food.” But I would never listen and be done while the plate was still hot.The plates hot because Enchiladas are put in the oven a minute or two to make sure the cheese on top is melted. Hot pads provide the wait staff to put the plate down, so the customers and them don’t get burnt. I always wondered what my family thinks of why I like the dish so mush, so I asked them. And my uncle puts it “You grew up eating it every day and it was free.” I had to laugh, this was true. You can’t beat delicious free food.
Rolling of meats in a wrap dates back to ancient Mayan times in Mexico’s history. A couple thousand years ago and we still use a similar method in the way we eat food today. And that process sprouted up a whole cuisine. It gave people livelihood in the modern age and is still influencing more cultural cuisines in other parts of the world. It originated in Mexico but now it’s known nearly worldwide.
Food can make a person feel comfort. Enchiladas are my comfort food. They bring me together with family, friends and the people that work at Chicos. Enchiladas are very versatile in the sense that they can be had in different combinations. From different sauces on the outside to meats/veggies on the inside. There are three sauces or toppings available at Chicos’; Enchilada (red), Green chili, Verde (green). And different meats include; pork, chicken, ground beef, or fajita chicken/steak, For vegans; spinach, mushroom, or asparagus. There also convenient to take on trips and eat if you don’t want a big meal, since enchiladas were also known as not just a meal but a snack back in Mexico. Mexicans first invented them to be a snack. I like how they can be consumed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Egg enchilada for breakfast, pork for lunch, Chicken for snack, and shrimp for dinner.
Given my favorite meal as presented in this essay and my lack of culinary sophistication with possibly presenting the recipe. I hope the reader gathers what this meal really meanings to me and how they might think after a homemade meal is made for them. And if there in college and they come home for a meal, they might even relate to a family recipe as a “Labor of love.” according to Jeff. The point is that, so much work goes into creation and hopefully more love come out. I’m concerned I came off as a boring writer, but I feel that with every paper I finish the better I will become, maybe this can go hand in hand with cooking and perfecting the enchilada recipe. Overall my favorite meal has a sentimental value to me because of the process, memories, culture and varieties that are present when I dig in to my first bite.
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Ingredients:
Ground beef (Marinated with chili sauce, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt and garlic. )
Enchilada Sauce (ingredients you’ll need: butter, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, garlic, and new Mexican red chilis. Second, while boiling the new Mexican chili, make a rue with flour and butter. Once the chili is soft from boiling, cut open and strain the seeds and stems. Then, blend the chili and add to rue with salt, cumin, and little garlic and mix.)
