Newspapers and magazines are predictable animals, especially when it comes to timing stories to "holidays." Which brings me to Cinco de Mayo. It is not, as many people think, Mexican Independence Day (that's Sept. 16). Here in the U.S., it's become a big marker of Mexicanness -- and Latinity overall -- thanks to beer companies that wanted to -- surprise! -- sell more product. Most of the Cinco de Mayo events you'll see have to do with eatin' and boozin'.
So WTF?? I found almost nothing in this week's food sections related to this "holiday." If you can't count on a planning cliché like Cinco de Mayo, what can you count on?
Thank the goddess for Mark Bittman, patron saint of haimish food (that's Yiddish for "tastes good, less filling"). He profiles Carmen Ramírez Degollado and Patricia Quintana, two awesome Veracruzan chefs in Mexico City. With great recipes, too.
The reliably latinophilic SF Chronicle has a great recipe for beef alambres (think shish kebab) and a taste test that ranks Trader Joe's tortillas #1 among five packaged brands. Here in NY, thanks to all the Tortilla Triangle in Bushwick, we now get decent $2/lb. tortillas. Of course, not as good as Southwestern tortillas made from fresh-ground masa, but better than we used to get.
The Village Voice (despite reports of revival after the arrival of Tony Ortega, I'm still staying away from my once-favorite weekly) has a quickie item from Nina Lalli's blog headed with one of the chowhound's cardinal rules: "Where there are immigrants, there is often delicious", with a shot of porky snacks available after yesterday's immigration march.
Otherwise, slim pickins'. Now we have to wait till "Hispanic Heritage Month," September. Oy.