….A Request for Feedback (ATTN: Hispanic/Latino Groups/Restaurants in the Greater Pittsburgh Area)

I need a favor.

I started this blog for 3 reasons:

1.)  To broaden the horizons of my students by making them aware of the Hispanic/Latino culture that is present in the Pittsburgh area.

2.)  To broaden the horizons of people in and around my community, who are normally stuck in their routines and need to try new things.

3.)  To broaden my own horizons – to try new things, to meet new people, and to educate myself

After 2 ½ months of blogging and 1 ½ months of school, #3 has definitely been most successful.  I have learned much, tried things that I have never done before (food and activities included), and met some great people via Twitter and Meetup.com. 

My students are trying new things – not all of them, but a lot.  I have had two students turn in their reports for extra credit, and both of them commented on the fact that they tried foods that they had never tried before.  I have other students that have visited restaurants that haven’t written their reports yet (procrastinators!) that have also told me that they tried new foods and restaurants and liked them – this thrills me every time I hear it!

I need help with #2 – people in and around my community. 

I can’t force people to go out into the world and discover new things – sometimes we need to bring the new things to them to encourage the “broadening of horizons”.  I try to do that in my classes, but my students are just a small sampling of my community – and let’s face it, children are products of their environment, not vice versa. 

Not everyone from the area will travel outside of the United States at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that they should be ignorant of other cultures, perspectives, and customs. 

Ignorance results in intolerance.

I want to make my community aware of the Hispanic/Latino culture.  Even if it is not their own culture, perhaps seeing how a different culture lives, eats, and entertains will make them willing to open their minds to the perspectives of other cultures as well.  I can’t force them to go outside of our community – so I want to bring the culture to our community.

Here is my proposal:

I want to have a huge Hispanic/Latino cultural event in the West Mifflin/Whitaker/Duquesne area.  I need Hispanic/Latino restaurant owners and group leaders to email (senoritacibulka@gmail.com), tweet (@senoritacibulka) or comment (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Se%C3%B1orita-Cibulka-Savors/255069364535085) with answers to the following questions:

1.)  What time of year would be best to have a HUGE event, in which we would charge admission (I am planning a trip to Spain, and I am co-sponsor of our Spanish Club, and we need funds!)?  Spring?  A specific month?

2.)  Which day of the week would be best? 

3.)  What time of day would be best?

4.)  In what kind of event are you willing to participate? 

a.    Food competition (best guacamole, best salsa, best appetizer, best main entrée, etc.)

b.    Event (like Spain’s “La tomatina”, or something similar)

c.     Cultural exposition (dance groups, demonstrations, etc.)

d.    Other ideas?

5.)  What specifically can your group do for the event? 

Please feel free to share this post with anyone you feel can add to this event – whether you think they are related to the Hispanic/Latino culture or not – you may be surprised where resources can be found!

Thank you for your time and attention.  Hope to hear from you soon!

Señorita Cibulka

E-mail: senoritacibulka@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Se%C3%B1orita-Cibulka-Savors/255069364535085

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SenoritaCibulka

…Ají Picante

“A Whole New World”.

I was obsessed with that song from the Disney movie “Aladdin” back in 1992.  I had the entire soundtrack on cassette tape (yes, I know, I’m SO old), and played it constantly.  We played it in Wind Ensemble, and I was thrilled to conduct the song during the homecoming game as drum major of the Titan Marching Band for 2 years. 

Stepping into a Disney theme park makes you feel like you’re in a “whole new world”, one where people are kind and generous, and problems don’t exist.

In EPCOT Center’s World Showcase, you really do step into a whole new world – constantly.  You’re in Mexico, and then you walk a little further…and you’re in Norway.  Walk a little further…you’re now in China.  You pass through 11 different countries, including the United States, within the span of about one mile. 

Fastest world tour ever.

When I drove down Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, I felt like I was driving through a whole new world.  I hadn’t been down this road in probably about 10 years.  My friends and I had decided to try something new, for once, and we looked up a restaurant – I honestly cannot remember what it was – and decided to go there for dinner one night.  We drove into Squirrel Hill, walked to the restaurant – only to discover that it was closed.  We still had to eat, so we walked a bit further down Murray Avenue to Gullifty’s.  Only once we arrived did we discover that it had some of the most famous, delicious, award-winning desserts in the city, and we just HAD to try them after our dinner. 

Best accidental discovery ever.

I couldn’t help but look around constantly as I drove down the road – so many places that I had heard of, and never tried; so many stores that I had never heard of – and wanted to check out.  This one especially caught my eye, and I took a picture so that I would remember to Google it when I got home (don’t worry, I was stopped when I took the pic!):

I’m intrigued – and I will be going to see what it’s all about in the near future.  In the meantime, you can check out their website here: http://www.mexicolindo.biz/index.htm

I drove down Murray Ave. until I spotted Aji Picante – then I needed to find somewhere to park.  I figured that parking in the garage at the Carnegie Library on the corner of Murray and Forbes was my best option.

I arrived at the restaurant, went inside, and spotted Clara, who writes the “Food Collage” blog, waiting at a table for me.  About a week earlier, we had chatted via Twitter, and since we both wanted to try Aji Picante to review for our blogs, we figured that meeting up and trying it together was a good idea. 

Best Twitter convo ever.

We greeted each other and immediately tried to decide what would be the best thing to try.  We agreed on an appetizer – Torrejas de Choclo.  They are basically corn fritters, seasoned with aji amarillo (a yellow Peruvian pepper) and cilantro.  They were served with 3 sauces – guacamole, a mint sauce, and a red pepper sauce.

The fritters themselves were great – just what you’d expect from corn fritters, with a good amount of flavor.  I was not thrilled with the mint sauce, but the guacamole and red pepper sauce were tasty with the fritters (don’t worry, Las Velas – you are still my choice for best guac!)

Clara and I both decided that the Chupe sounded like our best option for an entrée, although we were both intrigued by the purple potato ravioli that was on the menu as well.  I was a bit put off, though, at the number of dishes that were served with French fries – not unheard of in Latino restaurants, but not exactly authentic.

This bowl was HUGE, and both of us ended up taking about half of it home.  The flavor was amazing – this was like eating a flavorful bowl of a light seafood chowder, with plenty of vegetables and different types of seafood, including shrimp, clams, mussels, and these little guys:

Yup, squid.  Squid is delectable. 

Our waitress, who was very helpful and friendly, asked if we wanted dessert.  Clara and I looked at each other, and asked to just SEE the dessert menu, since it was not posted on the website. 

The descriptions of the desserts made me hungry once again, and I asked the waitress about the Mazzamorra Morada – she described it as a very purple-y Jell-O (“morada” does mean “purple” in Spanish, after all), almost like a compote, with a lot of flavor – and very purple-y (she couldn’t stop describing it as purple-y).  Despite our fullness, Clara and I decided to split one.

When it came out, the group at a nearby table – a very LOUD group, by the way – could not help but check out our dessert and ask what it was.  They then proceeded to watch us eat the dessert (awkward…) to see our reaction to the taste.

I hope they ordered it, because my reaction was one of absolute delight.

I can describe the taste as this – it tasted like sangria Jell-O (non-alcoholic, of course).  Sangria is usually made with wine and fruit, but there are non-alcoholic versions, and that is what this tasted like, in a Jell-O-like form – dark, purple-y fruits, such as grapes, plums, and berries, spiced with cloves and cinnamon for an excellent, light-tasting dessert.  It wasn’t extremely filling (thank goodness, since we had eaten such a big entrée), but it was refreshing.

Clara and I chatted long after we had finished our dessert, and we both agreed that our experience at Aji Picante was a positive one, due to both the delicious food and the pleasant company.  Hopefully, we’ll have the opportunity to review more restaurants together in the near future!

In the meantime, I cannot wait to explore my “whole new world” within Pittsburgh – Murray Avenue.  I have a Groupon to use at Cuzamil, also located on that road, which is also not far from Mexico Lindo.  There are other restaurants and stores that I passed that intrigued me – some Hispanic/Latino, some not, but all worth a look (hard to do while driving, too, by the way).

The best part?  It’s only a 20-minute drive from my end of West Mifflin. 

Best local whole new world ever.

Aji Picante

1711 Murray Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Website: http://www.ajipgh.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf#!/AjiPicante

Food Collage (Clara’s blog): http://www.foodcollage.com

...Savor Pittsburgh

I was never a fancy person.

I spent a good part of my teen years in jeans and sweatshirts (hoodies weren’t the norm back then, believe it or not.)  Putting on a dress was a tedious task, and my senior year of high school caused me to be in a dress more often than I liked – band concerts, senior girls’ tea, senior convocation, National Honor Society induction ceremony, graduation…all events that required me to wear a dress. 

A few years after high school began my run as a professional bridesmaid, causing me to wear dresses that cost a lot more money than they should cost to wear only once.

If you knew me then, you’d also know that I did NOT look good in any type of bridesmaid’s dress.  I’d post a picture, but it might ruin my position as an authority figure.  I don’t embarrass easily, but…those pictures should be burned.

Even as a teacher, I refused to wear a dress to school.  They weren’t comfortable, or flattering, or appropriate for my, uh, “style” of teaching (you know, dragging desks around, standing on desks…not easy to do in a dress).

However, something has changed.  I wear dresses to school much more often now – they fit better now that I’ve lost weight, which makes me feel more comfortable in them, but I owe much of that confidence to the re-emergence of a once-popular fashion trend.

Leggings.

Basically, pants under your dress.  Genius.  I hope they never go out of style again.

This dress-wearing phase only makes me want to attend events that require dressier clothing now.  I had heard about Savor Pittsburgh via Twitter – I follow many Pittsburgh-area food bloggers and chefs, and one actually contacted me because I had mentioned that I had a “big idea” dealing with Hispanic/Latin American restaurants in the Pittsburgh area.  His name is Daniel Aguera, a Spanish-born chef who writes for the Pittsburgh-based Table magazine and the blog “Dinner with Daniel” (http://dinnerwithdaniel.com)  He judged Savor Pittsburgh last year, which is how I came to follow the event on Twitter, which then caused me to check out their website….

…and I wanted to attend.  Badly.

The event was scheduled for September 1^st in the South Side Works – 25 restaurants from the area, competing for “Best Appetizer”, “Best Entrée”, ”Best Dessert”, “People’s Choice”, and “Dish of the Year”.   I emailed Daniel to see if he was judging this year, and unfortunately, he was not; however, we will meet for coffee soon to discuss our interest in Hispanic foods.

Only one restaurant – Alma Pan-Latin Kitchen in Regent Square – is an “approved” restaurant for the extra credit project, but I was curious as to the other restaurants, such as SAVOY, Meat and Potatoes, Habitat, and Braddock’s American Brasserie, because they were all restaurants that I had heard of, but never tried. 

I relayed my desire to attend to my brother, who listened and bought me my ticket for my birthday, which was less than a week earlier than the event.  Hooray!

What to wear?!

I decided on a dress that I had only worn once so far to a rehearsal dinner for a wedding – a long maxi dress with a floral pattern.  I love that dress – my mom encouraged me to buy it after I had tried it on, and I’m so glad that she did.  Here’s a picture of me in the dress before the rehearsal dinner back in July:

It was really, REALLY hot the night of September 1^st, and there was a slight threat of rain (this is an outdoor event), but we were determined to make the best of it.  We arrived just as the event was beginning, so we decided to try to avoid the crowds that were forming in the front and start in the back.

Luckily, Alma was located in the back, and was the second dish that we tried.  Their dish was an appetizer, which on their menu is known as  “Ceviche de camarones con ají y camote” – shrimp marinated in lime juice with chili peppers and sweet potato.  There were also some dried plantains with our sample, too:

Their ceviche was delicious, but I had much, much more to try.

I went on to try many other delicious dishes, some of which were a blur – lots of seafood dishes, gelato, banana French toast with chocolate-covered bacon, ribs, and my ultimate favorite and vote for “People’s Choice” – the lobster corn dog from Steelhead Brasserie.  I went back for seconds on that one.

My brother and I definitely got more than our money’s worth – me even more so than him, since he paid for both tickets (haha).  Eating all of this food, as you can imagine, did wonders on my stomach.  I was full, nauseated, and feeling guilty about the amount of food that I ate. 

The event itself was very well organized, and the atmosphere was electric.  It was refreshing to see so many people enjoying food from local restaurants, ones that you cannot find in every city around the country.  Most of the chefs from each restaurant were passionate about their dishes, explaining the ingredients and cooking process as he or she served the sample. 

There were a few restaurants that were a little slow at getting their samples out on the table for people to try, but I can’t imagine trying to cook some of these dishes for hundreds of people – in a tent…with no air conditioning.  In addition, I would like to see more Hispanic/Latin American restaurants participate next year. 

We did not stick around to see the winners of the event, although I found out later that SAVOY won “People’s Choice”.  The other winners have not yet been posted on the site, but I am quite eager to see who won in the other categories. 

I need to start picking out my dress for next year…

Savor Pittsburgh

East Carson & 27^th Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (South Side)

Website: http://www.savorpgh.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/SavorPittsburgh

...Las Velas

I’ve missed speaking Spanish. 

Who would’ve thought that was possible?  Unless you speak more than one language and not used one or more in awhile - then used it again - could you even understand the feeling.

Not teaching Spanish for a year wasn’t weird at the time, but it’s weird to me now.  How did I go a year not speaking Spanish, not making sugar skulls for the Day of the Dead, not explaining that “Cinco de Mayo” is NOT Mexico’s Independence Day?  How did I not teach how to conjugate verbs, not talk about cognates and using context to figure out meaning, and not yell at kids for chuckling at “funny sounding” words (like “sacapuntas”)?

Blasphemy.

I will admit that I have had to do some brushing up.  I found myself reading the Spanish on an HP toner box out loud while working at Kennywood this summer to practice my accent once again – and good thing I did.  I was rusty.  I was out of practice.  I sounded so…American. 

I went to Las Velas in Market Square (downtown) tonight with my brother.  I had been there before their recent re-opening for a pre-opening party with him a few weeks ago, since I had heard so much about it from him (he plays softball with the owner, David, and goes there for lunch often since he works in the area).  In my quest for finding authentic Hispanic restaurants in the Pittsburgh area, I thought this would be a good place to start.

I love it when I’m right.

For the pre-opening party on July 16th, we started with the homemade tortilla chips, served with salsa, guacamole, and salsa verde.  The chips were perfectly fried and warm, and the salsa had the BEST cilantro content of any salsa that I have had.  I love cilantro, and I am thoroughly disappointed that my attempt at growing it in my garden this summer failed miserably.  Salsa verde was never my favorite, but tasted much better in comparison to others that I have had.  The guacamole – O.  M.  G.  I am picky about my guac – avocados are a fickle fruit, and a bad avocado can ruin the guac.  No bad avocados here.  It was – no exaggeration – THE best guac I have EVER had.  I know I have a lot more restaurants to try out, but in my experiences so far, this is the standard.

The rest of the meal was served family-style – fajitas, with homemade tortillas, chicken, beef, pico de gallo, peppers, onions, rice, and refried beans with queso fresco, a traditional Mexican cheese.  Having been to Mexico and eaten traditional foods there, this was as close as I have come to having something “authentic” in Da ‘Burgh.

I could not wait to go back and try the traditional menu.  Of course, my brother has been there for lunch on several occasions already, but the dinner menu is a bit different from the lunch menu, so he was eager to try it for dinner.  We started with the delectable chips and salsa (he doesn’t like guac – party pooper).  I honestly think that the chips were even better this time than the first, and I can’t pinpoint why, since I thought they were amazing the first time.  

Then I got to practice my Spanish again.  Briefly.  Ahhhhh.

I ordered the “Pollo en mole poblano” – which, according to the menu, is “Deliciously slow-cooked mole rojo sauce smothered on…chicken…Served with your choice of three sides: rice, beans, lettuce/pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, rajas/crema, papas Laticias, or cheese.  Corn or flour tortillas.”  Yeah, choice?  No.  It came with ALL of that – the only thing that I chose was corn tortillas.  I’m not complaining one bit – it was a lot of food, though, which just means that I brought about half of it home, and I have dinner for tomorrow, too!  

I wanted to try this because I had never had mole sauce.  I know, I know – how could this BE?  I teach about it all of the time, but had never tried it myself.  Mole is actually partially made with chocolate, but doesn’t taste like what you would pour over your ice cream or put in your milk to make chocolate milk.  It is also made with peppers (in this case, poblano peppers, which are not very hot), and it has a unique taste.  See http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--35996/mole-rojo.asp for a simple explanation.

I loved it.  I’m so glad that I have leftovers.

My brother is also all about dessert, and he wanted to try the dessert at Las Velas, since it is not something that he would normally have with lunch. 

Not to mention that he misses Chi-Chi’s with a passion, and REALLY wanted fried ice cream.

So he ordered his fried ice cream, and I ordered the sopapillas (more Spanish!  Ahhhh…) – tortilla chips, covered with honey and served with ice cream and strawberry sauce.  Who could go wrong with that combination?  

I know I didn’t.

My brother tried my dessert, and when I asked to try his, he said, “It’s just ice cream.”  Riiiiiight.  Hoarder.

I left so, so full, and so, so happy.  I will be back, Las Velas.  I will try something different next time, although I was completely smitten with the meal that I had chosen.  I will bring friends.  I will encourage others to patronize you, even if I am not with them. 

Nos vemos pronto. (Ahhhhh…)

Las Velas

21 Market Square

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Web: http://www.lasvelasmex.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/?sk=lf - !/LasVelasMex

Twitter: @lasvelas

Follow me on Twitter: @senoritacibulka

Finally...My Bright Idea

Really cool Spanish teachers just don’t exist.

My goal in life is not to be “cool”.  I was never, ever in my life considered “cool”, and I’m ok with that.  Being cool has its downfalls – always having to look, act, and just BE perfect is not my style.  I have faults.  I have flaws.  I have quirks.

I’m just like any normal human being.  Normal people aren’t cool.

My Spanish teacher in high school, Mr. Walendziewicz (pronounced “wall-in-JEV-ich”) was not what I would consider to be “cool”.  He was, by far, my favorite teacher ever, and he is the reason that I became a Spanish teacher – but he wasn’t “cool”.  He worked hard, loved what he did, and did not put up with stupid crap.

If I had to describe him in one word at that time, I would have chosen “odd”.

Now, I would describe him as “passionate”. 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”?  It’s one of my favorite mantras.  Mr. Walendziewicz definitely was a perfect example of this.

I do love teaching Spanish.  Not teaching Spanish for a year unquestionably made me realize how much I love it.  I made the most of my time teaching ESL, so I didn’t think that I would miss it as much as I did.

Now that I will be teaching Spanish again, I am excited, as I usually am when a new school year approaches – but, I need something to keep the passion alive throughout the year.  Reading China Millman’s article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and visiting Smoke as a result of reading that article sparked a bright idea to help keep the fire burning, and I cannot wait to see how it takes off.

Here is the basic concept:

My goal is to allow my students to explore the different Hispanic/Latino restaurants that exist right here in the Pittsburgh area.  However, this will be difficult, given that the district’s budget is EXTREMELY tight this year.  Students and parents will have to pay more out-of-pocket expenses for supplies, equipment, etc., so spending money for school-sponsored field trips will most likely be low on the priority list.

As part of my Spanish 1 and 2 classes, my students will have the opportunity to earn extra credit.  This will be the ONLY way that they will be able to earn extra credit, as extra credit is defined as “going above and beyond the regular classroom expectations.”  Of course, my students are expected to learn the material as defined by the curriculum, to do their homework, to study, etc.

My students will be able to earn extra credit by visiting the “authentic” Hispanic/Latino restaurants, ordering an “authentic” food item, and bringing me proof.  “Authentic” meaning NOT Taco Bell, Qdoba, Chipotle, Don Pablo’s, etc.  and ordering a Chalupa, or ground beef taco, or chimichanga.  It means trying something new, something that may not be on a chain restaurant’s menu, like fried plantains, or mole, or chicken prepared Peruvian-style.

I have been working diligently this summer to contact restaurants about their authentic menu items.  Several have been very receptive to the idea, and I thank Ibiza Tapas Restaurant on the South Side, Las Velas in Market Square, and Chicken Latino in the Strip District for being so quick to respond to my letter or email, detailing my plan.  I hope to hear back from others in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, I have been compiling a list of restaurants and their locations for my students to refer to in the event that they chose to explore these establishments.

How will my students get to these places?   Some of my students drive, but most are not old enough to do so.  Hopefully, their parents, family, and friends will be supportive and offer to go with them (there will be incentive for this, too).  Also, public transportation is an option, or perhaps carpooling with friends who do drive.  This is the “above and beyond” part of the extra credit – it needs to be earned, not handed out like any other homework assignment. 

Essentially, I will be advertising for these restaurants like crazy this school year.  I am planning on visiting these restaurants myself, if I haven’t already (but I have no problem going back to them, either!)  I will write a review of my experience so that my students know what to expect.  Those reviews will be part of this blog, just like my review of Smoke in the last post.

In the spring, I want to expand this knowledge into the community and surrounding communities with a Latin American festival, of sorts, as a fundraiser for a trip to Spain that I am planning for my students who are interested in traveling.  I hope that these restaurants and other community groups will want to be a part of this celebration of Latin American culture.

So that’s my idea, in summary.  I will have more details for my students at the beginning of the school year, and in the meantime, I will post reviews of the restaurants that I have visited so far.

Follow me on Twitter: @senoritacibulka

See you August 29^th, kids.

Where There's Smoke, There's an Epiphany

How often have you come to love something, only for it to suddenly not be around anymore? 

This has happened to everyone at some point, whether it be as simple as losing your favorite toy, or as heartbreaking as the loss of a loved one.

Too often, also, have businesses closed suddenly, especially with the unstable state of the economy.

During my visit to Smoke in Homestead, I was blown away by how delicious the food was; however, I was overcome with the feeling of “I hope this place actually stays open”.

Smoke is located on 8^th Ave., two blocks up from The Waterfront, which is bustling with chain restaurants such as Eat ‘N Park, PF Chang’s, TGI Friday’s, and UNO.  Personally, I know that if I’m looking to go out to eat, that is the first place that I think to go.  Given the history of 8^th Ave., I would never think to eat at an establishment on that road.  Parking is mostly metered and on-street, and my parallel parking skills are…well, almost non-existent, given that I didn’t even have to parallel park for my driving test back in the day.

After reading China Millman’s Post-Gazette article, however, I had to try the place out.  I had passed it so many times, and I was feeling especially adventurous on the morning of June 24, 2011.

After an unsuccessful fishing trip to Duck Hollow that morning, where I lost 4 hooks within an hour due to the incredible amount of branches and debris in the Monongahela River (and a complete lack of fishing skills), I needed a pick-me-up.  I went to Old Navy and bought some clothes, and on the way home, I decided to stop at Smoke.

I was afraid that they would not be open yet, since it was only 10:50 in the morning, but upon my first trip around the block of 8^th Ave., Ann St., 7^th Ave., and Amity St., I saw that the door was wide open and a large “OPEN” sign was in the window.  On my second lap, I parked in a very wide-open metered space (not many parallel parking skills required).

I was overcome by the smoky smell inside the restaurant – it reminded me of the smoky corn tortilla smells in Mexico.  The woman working inside was very friendly and offered me a paper menu from the counter.  I perused it carefully – the first side was entirely breakfast, and the other was tacos and sides.  I was also elated to see that they make their own tortillas and use all-natural ingredients.  After careful deliberation, I settled on the veggie taco, brisket taco, and an agua fresca, which that day was watermelon and mango flavored.

I had a seat at a patio table to wait for my food.  Two older gentlemen were sitting at the other table (not a lot of seating here) and acknowledged me with a nod and a “hello”.  I said hello back and occupied my time with my iPhone, sipping my delicious agua fresca and telling myself, “Slow down, or you’ll have nothing to drink with your tacos.”  It was so tasty, though, that I could have had it gone instantaneously.

My tacos came out wrapped in foil, and I opened both immediately.  I tried the veggie taco first and loved the flavor, mostly because of the cilantro – I love cilantro, and anything with cilantro in it, I will devour.  The brisket taco was also delicious, but I preferred the veggie taco, mainly because of the cilantro flavor. 

After an intelligent conversation with one of the older gentlemen about the tenderness of the brisket and asking the woman at the counter if they take call-in orders (they do!), I left the restaurant with a smile on my face – and the thought of, “I really, REALLY hope this place stays in business.”

My next thought – “What can I do to help keep this place stay in business?”

I had the idea of taking pictures of the menu and posting them on Facebook, ranting and raving about how delicious the place was – so I did.  I got lots of comments on the pictures, and I had no problem commenting back on how great the place was and how everyone needed to try it, in lieu of automatically thinking of places in The Waterfront for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Many of my friends said that they were going to try it, and some had even said that they already had, and loved it.

Then – after the wheels in my head turned, spun, and careened out of control some more – The Epiphany…

Fiestas, Food, and The Epiphany

Fiesta.

There was a confetti explosion in your heart when you read that word.  “Fiesta” stirs up contentment, exhilaration, anticipation – we humans like parties, but LOVE fiestas. 

I know – a fiesta is a party, it’s just the fancy Spanish word for one.  Being a Spanish teacher, I know my Spanish vocabulary…but I also know that if you really want your party to sound Party-of-the-Year-worthy, you call it a fiesta. 

The most common question of my own Spanish teachers in school was not, “How do you conjugate this verb?” or “What does ______ mean?” or “How do you say _______ in Spanish?” – it was, of course,  “When are we going to have a fiesta?”  Fiesta day = Best day ever.

Of course, the only reason anyone wanted to have a fiesta was because of the food.  We had to bring food and materials in for our potluck feast, of course, but it also meant that we got to eat a plethora of foods that others had made.  Of course, the slackers (me NOT included, of course) were the ones who brought in plates, forks, pop (not soda – this is Pittsburgh, after all)…but the “real” students, as my one teacher referred to them (ok, us), brought in a recipe that they (we) had found and made themselves (ugh, ourselves).  Typically, it was something Mexican – tacos (or at least some ingredients for tacos – the shells, the lettuce, etc.), tortilla chips (store-bought – no one was ambitious enough ), salsa (the overachievers made it themselves, but typically store-bought), beans, etc.  One time, my teacher actually made fried ice cream right there in the Home Ec room (it didn’t have that fancy “Family and Consumer Science” title at that time). 

My views of the foods that Spanish-speakers ate were completely off when I visited Mérida, Mexico after my freshman year of college in 1999.  My professor warned me and the two other girls that I traveled with that what we were expecting to eat may not be what we actually eat.  Although that was 12 years ago, my thoughts of the food and smells of Mexico are still quite clear.  Basically, the air smells of corn tortillas no matter where you go.  The cheese is “queso blanco”, which doesn’t have a lot of taste, but goes well with the other flavors of Mexican food.  And given the not-so-adventurous nature that we had back then, Burger King was our savior pretty much every night.  Whoppers saved the day…and our starvation.

During my time in Mexico, we visited a family that my professor had befriended over many years.  They were very poor, and lived in a village called Hoctún, which, up until about a year previously, hadn’t even had running water.  They invited us to eat with them twice, and when a family with hardly a peso to pinch invites you to eat, you eat.  I watched them make corn tortillas from scratch.  We ate watermelon that was surrounded by flies at all times.  Chickens wandered in from the outside (there were no doors in the back, since it was an adobe), and…well…pooped on the floor next to us as we ate.  It was an unusual experience, and one that I remember clearly. 

I also remember the other night that we were invited to eat with them at their bakery.  The food was placed in front of me, and I couldn’t believe my eyes – spaghetti.  Really?  In Mexico?  Upon further inspection of the noodle-y concoction, there was some sort of mystery meat mixed in with the tomato sauce, so I asked my professor, “Is this ham?”  I can’t eat ham – my body can’t digest it properly, and being in Mexico and having eaten many other native foods throughout the week, my stomach was already in disarray.  She looked at it and said, “No, it can’t be.”  So I ate it. 

Guess what?  It was ham.  My body knew, and proved it.

Over the course of college and my Spanish-learning days, I came to find out that Mexican food was WAY, WAY different from the foods of other Spanish-speaking countries.  Unfortunately, I had to read about them in books, magazines, or newspapers, or see them on TV - I did not have the opportunity to experience these foods for myself, mainly because there was nowhere for me locally TO experience them. 

Until recently.

On June 23, 2011, I read an article in the “Food & Flavor” section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette entitled, “Latin-American influence gaining momentum in Pittsburgh restaurant scene”.  In the article, Smoke, a restaurant that had just opened in Homestead, no more than 10 minutes away from my humble abode, was mentioned.  I was as excited as if someone had said the word “fiesta”. 

I had to go. For some reason, one that I still cannot explain, I had to try it.  So I went the next day.

The verdict?

Heaven. 

This is how my epiphany began.  Details of the actual epiphany to follow.

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