As a native of the Rio Grande Valley, crossing the Mexican border with my family every Sunday was a regular event. Speaking Spanish on a daily basis was the norm. Participating in the Charro Days Parade was a tradition. And eating Mexican food was simply a part of life.
I didn’t know it then, but growing up in Brownsville granted me the privilege of a rich cultural upbringing. It was a childhood filled with experiences that I wouldn’t truly appreciate until I moved out of the area. On top of that, it wouldn’t be until more than a decade later that I realized there was a need for bilingual children’s books.
One day, I went shopping specifically for these types of books. It was close to my daughter, Palomita’s, arrival, and I was setting up a library in the nursery. I was shocked to find myself struggling to find books with pictures and stories depicting our culture. How could it be possible for an enormous store with thousands of books to have such a tiny Spanish section for kids? Most of the available books were translated from English, and few of them authentically represented our Mexican traditions.
Fast forward to 2020, when like many others I worked from home. I took advantage of the extra family time and spent many days in the kitchen with Palomita. It wasn’t easy trying to simultaneously balance work, school and cooking. However, the beginnings of Palomita’s Cravings, or Los Antojitos de Palomita in Spanish, resulted from of one of those difficult days.
That evening I sat in bed while everyone else slept. I was on the verge of crying myself to sleep, but instead I opened my laptop and did something I hadn’t done in years: typed for fun. It started with a sentence, which then became a paragraph. It was at that moment I realized the time had come to do something about the lack of Mexican cultural representation in children’s sections at bookstores. It was time to offer kids, like my daughter, stories in which they are reflected.
Since the day Palomita was born, she and my mother have shared a special bond, and the two are the muses of the series. Mom was the third person to hold Palomita in the hospital. When Mom visits, the two of them eat rolled up, warm corn tortillas with a little bit of salt while they chat. I did the same thing with Mom when I was little.
So it came as no surprise that Mom gifted Palomita the apron that her own mother had given her when she was young. The orange apron made in Mexico has become a part of the series in its own right. It may appear to be just an old rag, but to us it’s a special heirloom, a vintage apron that Palomita gravitates to as soon as we get in the kitchen.
I’ve had Palomita help me cook ever since she was two years old. We’ve made smoothies and aguas frescas. Chocolate chip cookies and also buñuelos and chocoflan. We’ve made grilled cheese sandwiches and taquitos. And when Mom visits from the RGV, she and Palomita enjoy making their own specialty together, gorditas.
Like me, Palomita is Mexican American, and I strive to integrate our culture into our everyday life as much as I can despite our very different upbringings. I visited my grandmother in Mexico every Sunday, and spoke Spanish and heard Latin music blaring wherever I went. North Texas is not the RGV, although some Mexican traditions can be found here and there. And that’s OK. It means that I have to be creative about exposing my daughter to our unique and colorful culture.
I also strive to incorporate our beautiful culture in the Palomita’s Cravings series. It’s my hope that Palomita and other bicultural children can see themselves reflected in American literature that shares our heritage with kids of all cultures. It is my hope that bilingual children’s books have an increased presence in major retail stores and libraries of all sorts. Until then, I will continue to write books that are geared to represent our heritage and blend all aspects of Mexican American culture.
Buñuelos
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240 grams) flour
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 grams) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
- ¼ cup (47.7 grams) shortening
- ½ cup (118.3 milliliters) warm water
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- Cinnamon
- Oil
Instructions
- Add cinnamon to sugar and mix until it has a light brown color and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add shortening and knead mixture. Slowly pour in the water and knead until the dough has a smooth texture.
- Roll the dough into small balls. Roll each dough ball into a flat circle.
- Heat oil in a pan. Fry dough circles on each side, one at a time. As the dough is frying, poke it with a fork. Place fried buñuelos on a napkin-covered plate.
- Sprinkle both sides of buñuelos with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Enjoy!
