Posts Categorized: Legends of Food

The Deer Who Suffered

Looking through my car window, the doe looked okay. But something wasn’t right. I approached slowly, wondering, “Why is she resting in the middle of the intersection?” My car rolled to a stop a few feet away. Still, she did not move. Then I saw it. Her sides heaved and her nose bled. Not knowing what to do, I stepped… Read more »

Today I Ate Kañiwa

I grew up in the era of TV dinners and rice that cooked in a minute. Literally. This fare deadened my taste buds for years, so when I discovered how inexpensive and easy it is to prepare food in its natural form, I went gung-ho. Today, my pantry is stocked with dried pinto beans, garbanzos,… Read more »

The Essential Milkweed

Monarch butterflies (not to be confused with Catholic Monarchs, such as Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, who sponsored the exploration of the New World by Christopher Columbus) require milkweed plants to survive. In fact, Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed. But the breakfast table can easily become the lunch and dinner counter too. Each… Read more »

Eating Quail

Lots of critters lived in and around the backyard of our Arizona home. The arroyos (dry riverbed that holds water for brief periods) behind our lot invited snakes, javalinas (a sort of peccary, or wild hog), lizards, and an assortment of insects, some almost as large as my cat. Well, almost! And did I mention… Read more »

The Versatile Century Plant

Not long ago, all I knew of the agave plant was the printed picture on bottles of tequila. We’ve had a few of those in my kitchen, and the subtleties of varieties is akin to appreciating the nuanced differences in a bottle of wine. I also believed the tale that the Century Plant was so named… Read more »

Aztec Red

Think Red What images come to mind when you think red? Little red dress? Red lipstick? Blood? Red has a diversity of symbolism. Sin – (red-light district) Salvation – (The harlot Rahab and her family are spared when she places a scarlet cord in her window. Joshua 2:17-20) Power – The British army had red coats to denote virility during the American Revolutionary War. Red… Read more »

Ninety-Seven Avocados

The first time I tasted an avocado, I was nineteen years old. I remember because it was a luscious experience, and avocados have been a mainstay in my diet ever since. Ugly Good I was at a party in Laguna Beach, CA with one of my dearest friends. Everyone brought appetizers to share (no idea… Read more »

Franciscan Grapes for Authentic Wine

Last year I hiked the Montezuma Pass in Coronado National Memorial. At the ridge, I stood in awe as I beheld the vast landscape with golden vegetation that glittered in the sun; or maybe I had heat stroke. Still, it was a treat to imagine Francisco Vázquez de Coronado leading the expedition to find Cíbola,… Read more »

Dragon Fruit, Better than Gold?

As eyewitness accounts go, Pedro de Castañeda’s Narrative of the Coronado Expedition is as fresh as if the search for gold was only yesterday. Too bad they didn’t find gold, yet they did find other treasures — even if they were the edible kind. Castañeda recounts events in the Valley of Suya (exact location unknown,… Read more »

The Turkey Travelogue

There are wild turkeys in my backyard. They come down from their mountain roost and often appear in autumn. Guess no one told them about their being the traditional holiday menu centerpiece. I have counted as many as seventeen at one time gobble-gobbling, scratching the ground, and leaving their fertilizer where nobody wants it. But… Read more »