Conference turris::cooks

    How about fix'ins for "build your own taco/burrito"?
    We're celebrating Cinco de Mayo in our dept here next wk.
    People are bringing different things: homemade tamales,
    flan, cheesecrisps, refried beans, etc. (I'll try and sneak
    a peek at the list to get some more ideas for ya ).
    
    pat

    As long as you have really good margaritas, who cares what the food is? 
    ;-)

    Don't forget the sopapillas, with extra honey!
    
    (Last year I made a batch, and burned my hand on splattered grease, it
    was bad enough to be taken to a doctor!  My husband had to finish the 
    batch).  So if you make them, be careful %-}

    Hi,
    
    I have a good recipe that always gets rave reviews....but you have to 
    make it and serve it immediately!  :
    
    Tex Mex Dip
    
    1 lb hamburger
    1 8 oz can tomato sauce
    1/2 c chopped onion
    1/2 c chopped green pepper
    1 pkg taco seasoning
    3 tbsp chili powder  (or to taste)
    1 can refried beans
    
    1 cup sour cream
    1 cup shredded lettuce
    1 cup diced tomato
    1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
    1/2 c chopped black olives
    
    brown hamburger, peppers and onions.  Strain grease. add tomato
    sauce, taco seasoning, refried beans and chili powder.  Simmer 
    until bubbly.  Spread in a large glass pie plate (or something
    similar, about 10" diameter). 
    
    Top with sour cream, lettuce, tomato, cheese and olives.  Serve
    with nacho chips.
    
    

    There is a good recipe in this file for a Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
    Chile Rellenos, tamales, and gazpacho all sound great to me.
    
       

	I'm bringing a pot of Black Bean Chili to our facility's Cinco de
	Mayo party.  The recipe is in 88.8. I made a half-batch of it a
	couple of weeks ago and it was great!

	Sue

    OK, enlighten those of us in the dark: whats Cinco de Mayo?
    
    b

    Cinco de Mayo is The 5th of May.  I think it's Mexican Independence
    Day, a day of great celebration and festivities, not unlike our own
    Fourth of July.
    
    ed

    Cinco=five,de=of, Mayo=May. Literly it is five of May or May Fifth.
    
    Ben-from-New Mexico

    Sounds scrumptious!  So when is the Greater Maynard Area having a Cinco
    de Mayo celebration?

    Thanks, Gerardo!  Appreciate the explanation, and yes, I think I'll
    pick another day to celebrate, too!

Differently than the popular belief in the US.  "Cinco de Mayo" (May 5th) is not
a big deal in Mexico.  It is not the independence, it isthe "D�a de la 
Batalla de Puebla" (Puebla's battle day). Puebla is a City � 100 miles east of
Mexico City.  This day is basically celebrated in Puebla (of course!), but the
rest of Mexico really does not care much about it.

The reason is that although Mexico won the battle in 5/5/1862 against Napoleon
III's French Army, the Mexican Conservative party made a deal with the 
French which allowed Maximilian of Hapsburg (from Austria) to become the Emperor
of Mexico!!!  (weird?, yes!). As you might realize then, Mexicans won the battle
but lost the war...   So why celebrate then?... Do not ask me!  ;-)

If you really want to celebrate Mexican Holidays, take a pick:

	February 5	- Constitution Day
	February 24	- Flag Day
	March 18	- Oil Industry Expropriation Anniversary
	March 21	- Benito Ju�rez' Birthday
	May 1		- Labor Day
	May 10		- Mother's Day (always this day)
	May 15		- Teacher's Day
	September 16	- INDEPENDENCE DAY
	October 12	- Race's Day
	November 2	- Death's Day
	November 20	- MEXICAN REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY
	December 12	- OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE'S DAY

The ones in Capitals are the most important for Mexicans.  The "Semana Santa"
(Holy week), Christmas and New year's day are also very important, as well as 
few other days, but the one's listed are the ones with some significance.
Most of this celebrations have parades, parties or other type of events (some
of these are religious).

I imagine this big deal of celebrating "Cinco de Mayo" is just another 
commercialized thing that some people made up.  

Sorry for the disappointment, but that does not mean you can not celebrate.
After all you can use it for preparation of May 10th which is the FIXED day
to celebrate Mother's day in Mexico.

Salud!

Gerardo (from Mexico)

	

    I guess it's just another sign that the US really does not understand
    Mexican history.  I was hoping it wasn't the anniversary of some other
    events ("Halls of Montezuma,"  Pershing chasing Poncho Villa, it seems
    there were a couple of other unneighborly events...)
    
    ed

    "Oil Industry Expropriation Anniversary"??????
    
    	/Harry

    
    Oh no Ed, do you think we'll let everyone in to the fact that
    Cinco De Mayo isn't such a big holiday? Ed and I are drumming
    up lots of participation at our facilities luncheon this Friday.
    
    mike

    yeah let's be hush on this, luncheon excuses are hard to come by.
    
    ed

    Only in recent years has the Cinco de Mayo come to be celebrated
    in the United States. In New Mexico, where for centuries we have
    held fast to our fiestas, the holiday has not been widely observed,
    even by Hispanics. What then is this obviously important but relatively
    unknown observance? Quite simply, Cinco de Mayo commemorates an
    event similar to Anglo- America's War of 1812; Cinco de Mayo is
    Mexico's liberation over attempts by outside countries to rule her
    fortunes.  Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of freedom.
    
    The day itself was not a particular turning point in any war. In
    fact, the fifth of May of 1862 was the beginning of a French experiment
    in Latin American imperialism that would last nearly five years.
    It was during this time that culture flourished under the rule of
    Maximilian, the emperor. Nonetheless, the First Battle of Puebla,
    which the holiday commemorates, was a victory over French troops.
    It was a win very much cherished by a Mexican populace used to
    centuries of losing.
    
    A little historical perspective is required to understand the battle
    and its consequences. Mexico freed herself from Spain in 1821, after
    almost THREE full centuries of colonial rule. In comparison, the
    North American colonies had only belonged to England for 168 years
    when the United States declared its independence. Where the English
    colonies had always enjoyed a measure of freedom and autonomy, Mexico's
    decisions had, for a good chunk of her history, been made from Spain.
    
    It is not surprising, then that upon winning her independence in
    1821, Mexico immediately found herself in trouble. The first Mexican
    government was established by Augustin de Iturbide, who, following
    Napoleon Bonaparte's lead in Europe, declared himself "Emperor of
    Mexico." He was overthrown in 1824 when a democratic government
    came to power. However, beginning in 1827, a series of dictators
    and yes-men occupied the president's office. Antonio Lopez de Santa
    Anna, in particular, would often control the country's policies
    from behind the scenes, occasionally calling himself president or
    king. Democracy did not last long in Mexico unaccustomed to self-rule.
    
    Meanwhile, Mexico had financial problems. A number of countries,
    including Great Britain and France, had helped finance Mexico's
    war of liberation. These creditor nations would demand their money
    from the new poor state and would threaten Mexico militarily if
    she didn't pay. In 1837, French troops occupied the port town of
    Veracruz as part of France's debt demands. They eventually left,
    but set a precedent to be followed in later years. 
                                 
    The United States also posed problems. In the early 1820's, Mexico
    invited many Americans to move into what was then the state of
    Coahuila. By 1837, tens of thousands of these 'Texans', as they
    called themselves, had legally taken land from the government in
    exchange for Mexican citizenship and adherence to the country's
    laws. The Texans, however, unused to the different legal system,
    balked. When they introduced Black slavery into Texas, expressly
    in violation of Mexican prohibitions, Santa Anna moved to subjugate
    them. He might have succeeded had he not been such a poor military
    tactician at the end. Nonetheless, the rest is, as they say, history,
    Texas was lost.
    
    The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which followed the Mexican-American
    war (1846-1848) was the biggest blow of all. In one fell swoop and
    for fifteen million dollars, Mexico lost more than half her territory
    to a covetous United States. Some of the wealthiest land in North
    America (from California to New Mexico) was turned over in that
    deal. It was a transaction for which the Mexicans have not yet for
    given Anglo-America. For those of us who are New Mexicans, 1848
    was also the time at which our second and third-great grandparents
    became U.S. citizens. It was the time when the border "crossed us."
    
    Into the political vacuum created by loss of the war once again
    entered Santa Anna. For five years in the middle of 1850's he ruled
    a "kingdom" corrupt from the head down. He was finally overthrown
    in the bloody three year long War of Reform. Never before had the
    country seen such destructive fighting. During the conflict, much
    wealth (both historical and economic) was lost. The Catholic Church's
    vast land and other holdings were sold to pay expenses. One direct
    result of the conflict was that the nation now ruled by Benito Juarez
    amassed considerable debts to Spain, England and France. When Juarez
    announced a moratorium on debt payment in 1861, the three creditor
    nations decided that action was warranted.
                                                                         
    The time could not have been better for intervention by an outside
    power. France, Spain and England were all at peace and the United
    States could not intervene on Mexico's behalf as they were embroiled
    in a bloody civil war(over 650,000 lives lost). It was in this climate
    that the three nations dispatched a joint expedition to redress
    grievances and meet wit the Mexican government.
    
    Neither England nor Spain really wanted a war with the Mexican
    people. France, on the other hand, was ruled by Napoleon III. The
    French emperor desired a Latin American empire and had his eyes
    set on Mexico. For some time, the Europeans had been worried about
    the United States' expansionist policies. Napoleon and some Mexican
    royalists felt that a strong Mexico, led by a European prince, would
    help deter North America. Thus, when Benito Juarez refused to meet
    with the three powers, France pushed on. The Spanish and British
    returned home while the French military marched to the town of Puebla.
    
    It was here that the commemorated battle took place. The French
    general Lorencez expected an easy victory. Surprisingly, the army
    of General Ignacio Zaragoza held. On the Cerro of Guadalupe, the
    Mexican forces inflicted casualties upward of one thousand on the
    French, forcing them to retreat to the town of Orizaba. On the fifth
    of May 1862, the Mexican triumphed over the world power that was
    France. Ultimately, the French would win and Napoleon II's relative,
    Emperor Maximilian Hapsburgh of Austria would rule Mexico for nearly
    five years. However, the Mexican people never wanted an empire and,
    led by Benito Juarez, ultimately overcame European designs on their
    country.
    
    This is why Cinco de Mayo is important to Mexican. It is a sign
    of successful resistance against a major power in favor of self
    determination. It shows the world that, despite her problems, Mexico
    did not stand idly by while her independence was threatened. North
    Americans should appreciate the holiday for this reason. The United
    States has a long history of independence, and when threatened from
    the outside, has always re asserted its autonomy. Mexico's struggle
    occurred more recently but she too was able to overcome the outside
    threat and remain a free state.
        
    Consequently, Cinco de Mayo is not simply one more foreigner's holiday.
    It is rather a celebration of an often long and difficult struggle
    for liberty. It is the celebration of a win in Mexico's long, otherwise
    tragic history. Most important, however, it is a holiday about which
    we all, whether Mexican, American or Mexican-American, can be justly
    proud.

    
    Thanks to my friend Ray Salas for letting me enter this in here.
    He wrote it and I thought it would shed some light on the holiday.
    
    Ben