El Paso Food Voices

25: Licon Diary: A Family Affair

In this episode of EPFV, Meredith Abarca speaks with Sandra Licon, from San Elizario, Texas Licon Dairy.  Sandra, who married into the Licon family, shares not only the journey of how Licon Dairy has become a much beloved establishments in El Paso Texas’ lower valley, but the matriarchal lineage of asadero cheese makers. The production of asadero cheese begun in California, and in the 1940s continued in Ysleta, Texas. Eugenio Linco, bought it from his father-in-law in 1963 and moved the operation to its current location in San Elizario, Texas. Sandra, beyond sharing the on-going history of cheese making and the expansion of the dairy, she also offers the story of how this dairy became a zoo which at one point included a camel. The Licon Dairy continues to grow as new generations add their own sazón to the kinds of cheeses, butter, and cream produce at the dairy. The Licon’s family commitment to the San Elizario community is evident in the partnerships they established with other locally own food entities in the area—like tortilla makers.

24: Las Guardianas de la Cultura

In this episode of EPFV, Eloisa Arenas talks with our guest, Rosalinda Guadalajara, a Ralámuli woman, about her Culinary Heritage and her indigenous community in Juarez, Chihuahua, on the border with El Paso, Texas. Rosalinda shares with us some ancestral recipes, like Pinole, and a couple of traditional ingredients as corn and quelites. They discuss the significance of Las Guardianas de la Cultura (The Guards of Culture) as preservers of family lineages, as well as some of the challenges the younger Ralámuli people face in keeping their traditions alive in the urban context, through cultural spaces such as Las Tres Marías restaurant or Festival Umukí. English Transcript Available Here [https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vfz5r68wsakn29ch/Las_Guardianas_de_la_Cultura_English_Transcript9qet1.pdf].

23: To Eat or Not To Eat

“To Eat or Not to Eat” is part of El Paso Food Voices’ special feature on “Culinary Heritage and Culinary Kinship” as it looks at the role of culinary dystopia. Culinary dystopia is the tensions that create toxic relationships between people through food, hindering the potential for kinship. We focus on culinary dystopia formed through restriction, looking at national restrictions such as the criminalization of beef in Nepal, restriction through racial and class oppression in the United States, and cultural and individual restrictions of food through a Mexican-American lens. Through viewing culinary dystopia, we explore how and where the positive and negative relationships of food both exist and create spaces where perceptions of food can be shifted.   Works mentioned in the episode are: Bennion, Natalie, Alisha H. Redelfs, Lori Spruance, Shelby Benally, and Chantel Sloan-Aagard. “Driving Distance and Food Accessibility: A Geospatial Analysis of the Food Environment in the Navajo Nation and Border Towns.” Frontiers in nutrition (Lausanne) 9 (2022): 904119–904119. Bordo, Susan. Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. 1st ed. University of California Press, 2023.

22: A Gustatory Journey Towards Home

In this episode of EPFV's special feature on "Culinary Heritage and Culinary Kinship," we deal with the theme of a gustatory journey, exploring the profound impact of food on our sense of home and belonging. Sharing personal experiences of using food to reconnect with home while living away, we discuss the significance of dishes, Nepali mo:mo and eggs with chorizo in particular, in shaping identities and creating a sense of belonging. Drawing insights from the scholars such as Meredith E. Abarca, Claude Fischler, Jon D Holtzman, Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, David Sutton, and William Safron, this episode explores topics like home, incorporation, memory, palate memory, prospective memory, and diasporic nostalgia. Emphasizing the power of food to evoke the comfort of home through sensory experiences and associated memories, the episode invites listeners on a journey of rediscovering their own culinary connections.     Works mentioned in the episode are: Abarca, Meredith E. “Foreword.” Food identities at home and on the move: explorations at the   intersection of food, belonging and dwelling, Routledge (2020): xii-xix. Abarca, Meredith E., and Joshua R. Colby. "Food memories seasoning the narratives of our          lives." Food and Foodways 24, no. 1-2 (2016): 1-8. Fischler, Claude. "Food, self and identity." Social science information 27, no. 2 (1988): 275-292. Holtzman, Jon D. "Food and memory." Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 35 (2006): 361-378. Ortíz Cuadra, Cruz Miguel. "Eating Puerto Rico: A history of food, culture, and identity." (2013). Safran, William. "Diasporas in modern societies: Myths of homeland and return." Diaspora: A     journal of transnational studies 1, no. 1 (1991): 83-99. Sutton, David E. "Synesthesia, memory, and the taste of home." The taste culture reader: Experiencing food and drink (2005): 304-316.

21: Food Pleasure

In this episode, Samuel Rodriguez and Frank Nabi join Meredith Abarca to discuss the topic of food pleasure and culinary kinship. They examine the teachings of Epicurus and Mother Teresa in order to talk about the spiritual pleasure that sharing food with others can bring. Samuel and Frank both share personal stories of how sharing food with others brought them joy and helped them form a culinary kinship.     Works mentioned in the episode are: Annas, Julia. “Epicurus on Pleasure and Happiness.” Philosophical Topics 15, no. 2 (1987) Dennett, Carrie “Food is More Than Just Fuel — It’s Also Pleasure”. originally published May 23, 2018. https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/food-is-more-than-just-fuel-its-also-pleasure/ [https://www.seattletimes.com/life/wellness/food-is-more-than-just-fuel-its-also-pleasure/] Lucy Fischer West ‘Food Traditions from Afar.’” n.d. Www.youtube.com. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uOB3CMX7pAE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uOB3CMX7pAE] Machado, Eduardo, and Michael. Domitrovich. Tastes like Cuba: An Exile’s Hunger for Home. New York, N.Y: Gotham Books, 2007 “Robert Flores Spiritual Nourishment.” n.d. Www.youtube.com. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69xSDSdZwE8 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69xSDSdZwE8]