Friday, December 23, 2011

Celebrating America by Choice - What’s Yours?

The other night the Lovely Melis turned on the teevee while I was reading and clicked over to Lidia Bastianich’s new show Lidia Celebrates America - Holiday Tables and Traditions.

I kinda like Lidia’s shows, especially when Grandma makes an appearance to taste Lidia’s desserts, but I find her son Joe rather pompous.

Anyway, this new offering of Lidia’s consisted of four (4) segments.  An Italian American Christmas Eve, a Mexican American Christmas Eve, a Chinese American New Year, and a Jewish American Passover.  All four of the segments were interesting in their own way, but I was especially drawn to the segment on the Mexican American Christmas, which focused on the Cortez family of San Antonio, Texas.  The Cortez family owns Mi Tierra Cafe in San Antonio’s Mercado, and have for four generations.

What I found especially interesting about this segment was the Cortez family’s work ethic, which, by all appearances, seems to extend unbroken from the founder’s right on through to the current children and grand-children, and this is well expressed by the current owner Michael Cortez.

“America has a lot to offer to anyone who is willing to work hard,...”  “My grandfather would often say he was an American by choice, not by chance.”

Well said, Michael Cortez.

I’ve not been to San Antonio, TX, but if I ever do wander down that way, I know where I’m going for lunch or dinner.

Posted by John Venlet on 12/23 at 08:38 AM
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