Sharing my Mexican Culture

Growing up in South Texas I was fortunate to be surrounded in my culture. We lived three hours from the Mexican border and visited our family in Mexico regularly. We would spend a weekend in Mexico and come Monday I was in class speaking-living as an American enjoying a cheeseburger and fries for lunch. I had the best of both worlds and it has helped to shape the person I am today. I attended quinceñeras, helped my mami make tamales, decorated our altar for dia de los muertos and spent hours listening to Menudo on the record player. I was living authentically Mexican in America.

I didn’t really have to worry about keeping my culture alive that is until I had a family of my own. Over the years we have moved or relocated as my husband served in the military to areas in the United States where we were not surrounded by our Latino culture or even had the opportunity to engage with fellow Latinos. We were alone and it was up to us to keep living authentically Mexican in America. I wanted my family to experience, enjoy, love the traditions of their beautiful, passionate Mexican heritage.

I began with food, of course. Recreating my families’ recipes in the kitchen with my family would become a passion for me while opening a door of communication. As we gathered ingredients, chopped, diced and cooked I would share stories of our family. We would make aguas fresco de guava and I would share stories of my abuelito, assemble tamales as I shared of stories of my mom working the fields with her parents or why abuelita preferred this chocolate or that chocolate for her special mole. Delicious plates with the flavors of their culture that they helped create instantly made an impression on them. I knew at that moment food was a powerful vessel to help keep my heritage alive.

From food, to language, to music, to cultural events living authentically Mexican in America can some days be stressful. If you find yourself living in an area where your culture is nowhere to be seen this can make is especially hard, but trust me, investing a little of your time to share your heritage with your family is a gift worth more than gold.

When Cerveza Montejo reached out to ask me to share how I live authentically Mexican in America I was excited to share my story. For me living my heritage daily means that I am sharing with my family who I am. This also means I can enjoy quality ingredients, products in my daily life that stem from mi Mexico lindo. From queso to tortillas to cerveza Mexico is the leading producer in quality ingredients that I use in my kitchen daily. After a long week nothing is more refreshing than a cold beer. A light lager Montejo is smooth, crisp and full-flavored.

Brewed in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca for more than 100 years Montejo was introduced to the Unites States in 2014, lucky us! Perfect for entertaining outdoors or for your next fiesta Montejo pairs well with Mexican cuisine and is amazing base to create cocktails. I’m excited to be joining the Viva Montejo crew in celebrating this delicious golden lager. I’ll be sharing a series of cocktail featuring Montejo, so keep an eye out for future beer cocktails that are sure to be the hit of your next fiesta!

For more information on Montejo be sure to check them out on facebook, instagram and twitter.