A Tortilla Is Like Life
Food and Culture in the San Luis Valley of Colorado
Reeks: Louann Atkins Temple Women & Culture Series
Carole M. Counihan
- An
- innovative
- portrait
- of
- a
- small
- Colorado
- town
- based
- on
- a
- decade’s
- worth
- of
- food-centered
- life
- histories
- from
- nineteen
- of
- its
- female
- residents.Located
- in
- the
- southern
- San
- Luis
- Valley
- of
- Colorado,
- the
- remote
- and
- relatively
- unknown
- town
- of
- Antonito
- is
- home
- to
- an
- overwhelmingly
- Hispanic
- population
- struggling
- not
- only
- to
- exist
- in
- an
- economically
- depressed
- and
- politically
- marginalized
- area,
- but
- also
- to
- preserve
- their
- culture
- and
- their
- lifeways.
- Between
- 1996
- and
- 2006,
- anthropologist
- Carole
- Counihan
- collected
- food-centered
- life
- histories
- from
- nineteen
- Mexicanas-Hispanic
- American
- women-who
- had
- long-standing
- roots
- in
- the
- Upper
- Rio
- Grande
- region.
- The
- interviews
- in
- this
- groundbreaking
- study
- focused
- on
- southern
- Colorado
- Hispanic
- foodways-beliefs
- and
- behaviors
- surrounding
- food
- production,
- distribution,
- preparation,
- and
- consumption.In
- this
- book,
- Counihan
- features
- extensive
- excerpts
- from
- these
- interviews
- to
- give
- voice
- to
- the
- women
- of
- Antonito
- and
- highlight
- their
- perspectives.
- Three
- lines
- of
- inquiry
- are
- framed:
- feminist
- ethnography,
- Latino
- cultural
- citizenship,
- and
- Chicano
- environmentalism.
- Counihan
- documents
- how
- Antonito’s
- Mexicanas
- establish
- a
- sense
- of
- place
- and
- belonging
- through
- their
- knowledge
- of
- land
- and
- water
- and
- use
- this
- knowledge
- to
- sustain
- their
- families
- and
- communities.
- Women
- play
- an
- important
- role
- by
- gardening,
- canning,
- and
- drying
- vegetables;
- earning
- money
- to
- buy
- food;
- cooking;
- and
- feeding
- family,
- friends,
- and
- neighbors
- on
- ordinary
- and
- festive
- occasions.
- They
- use
- food
- to
- solder
- or
- break
- relationships
- and
- to
- express
- contrasting
- feelings
- of
- harmony
- and
- generosity,
- or
- enmity
- and
- envy.
- The
- interviews
- in
- this
- book
- reveal
- that
- these
- Mexicanas
- are
- resourceful
- providers
- whose
- food
- work
- contributes
- to
- cultural
- survival.“An
- important
- contribution
- to
- Mexican
- American
- culture.”
- -Oral
- History
- Review“Counihan’s
- book
- is
- well
- written
- and
- will
- appeal
- to
- a
- wide
- spectrum
- of
- readers
- .
- .
- .
- I
- would
- recommend
- this
- book
- to
- those
- whose
- interests
- lie
- in
- foodways,
- gender
- studies,
- ethnography
- and
- folklore.
- A
- Tortilla
- is
- Like
- Life
- would
- be
- a
- good
- addition
- to
- any
- reading
- list,
- and
- a
- beneficial
- resource
- for
- those
- who
- desire
- to
- understand
- the
- complex
- associations
- of
- gender,
- food,
- culture
- and
- ethnicity.”
- —Digest:
- A
- Journal
- of
- Foodways
- and Culture
pro-mbooks3 : libris
