When you are trying to raise a family with two very different cultures blending foods together can get a bit tricky. For us because we are dealing with American and Mexican (with a big dash of French) spices tend to be our biggest issue.I have a stomach that, like many Americans. Simply is not designed to handle the scorching heat of many Mexican spices and peppers. Edgar’s favorite thing to do to me is tell me something is not hot and for me to try it.
However like a big dummy I proceed to put whatever it is to my lips. I once tried some food that was so hot I could actually feel the heat on my lips before the spoon went in. One tip, never try to drink water when your mouth is on fire! It doesn’t work, in fact, it makes it worse. Drink some milk and if you are with someone like Edgar a little beer! So we have Rita dishes and Edgar dishes. Mine is not spicy and his will burn the hair off your chest.
Another issue is I love desserts (can you tell I am half French) and he is not a big dessert eater. I mean what kind of person doesn’t like homemade cream puffs? That’s okay though it just means more for the rest of us. Holidays can be a bit tricky but I have learned that at our table there is turkey with salsa instead of cranberry sauce. So has my family, they now bring their own cranberry sauce. We are creating our own traditions but we both agree that I make the best Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes!
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
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My husband love hot food too he puts hot sauce on everything. I like some of my food with hot sauce but not so hot it burns your mouth off. Neither one of us is Mexican but we both love Mexican food and eat it often in our house.
I think I’d love the challenge of blending foods–I grew up on Tex Mex, Louisiana Creole, and Southern Cooking–aka “Soul Food”–(don’t think fancy like Paula Deen; think black-eyed peas and cornbread.) 😀
However…I do have to compromise a bit on the hottest spices and just serve the hot sauce or peppers on the side.
I know how difficult blending bi-cultural foods can be, I was raised in Southern California by a French/Indian mother and German/Italian father so we had a big mix of ethnic foods growing up. Then I met and Married a Filipino/German, haha crazy right! When I met him he was pretty stuck up as far as foods and flavors went. But after some experimenting and some epic fails we have learned to compromise on things. I am okay when it comes to spicy foods and so is he… But when it comes to things like rice, I HAVE to have it with a broth or spices or some kind of flavor, he likes it plain ole white rice. Being raised in SOCAL I have learned my fair share of mexican dishes or Baja dishes… my favorite is fish tacos when I met him he refused and went and got KFC for him self, I convinced him to try it and now it is a staple around here as long as I serve it with cilantro lime rice and a bottle of hot sauce lol!
I imagine to him it is often not hot, but I agree with you, it would burn my tender American mouth. Love the salsa with the turkey!
Lol i like spicy foods hubby likes them scorching!!! Im the dessert lover and hubby not soo much he’d rather have a juicy steak than a plate of tiramisu (my favorite!)
You can blend Mexican food with American food in my house. I love having Mexican food and other different cultures dishes. I like different flavors in my food, and Indian Food is another food that I love to eat. Of course Asian food is so good!!
My family is from Peru but I grew up in the Midwest. And my husband is also from the Midwest. Since getting married, and I being the one who knows how to cook (he admits it) I have been trying to blend our cultures when it comes to meals. We both don’t like hot/spicy food, so it works out pretty good.
Oh, will you share your potato recipe??!!
I have the exact same problem here. Mexican spices kill my taste buds and my stomach. We have solved it in most cases by spice control. My son (who does the majority of the Mexican cooking) does his very best to keep the heat to a medium. Or he will remove some for me and then add more for them. That is how he handled chicken tortilla soup he made Sunday. By the way, do you have a recipe for homemade ice cream puffs? YUM.
We grew up with a American/Italian meal for all our holiday meals. There was always homemade raviolis next to the turkey. also pastas and tons of Italian desserts to go with the pumpkin pie. I love when you bring the two cultures together.
I would love to try some of Edgar’s dishes. I love very spicy foods. Yum!
Ooh that’s mean to trick you into eating blazing hot foods! I hope you have an appropriately sneaky way of getting him back! I like flavor, but not necessarily heat, in my foods. I grew up in California, so I tend to enjoy a lot of Asian and Mexican dishes (as long as they are not TOO hot). Thai chilis can give Mexican chilis a run for their money!
Your potatoes sound great! I like a little bit of spice to my food and my husband and kids like none. My husband is a meat and potatoes type eater. I was surprised that my kids like butter chicken!!
The picture above looks so good. I have recently fallen in love with avocado, I do not know why it took so many years, I just love it! I was not raised in a household that cared much for food, we ate to live not because we enjoyed it. My husband though, came from what I call a “foodie” family.. and we got together when I was really young so I fell in love with their meals!
You are reminding me of a Restaurant in Portland that has the unlikely pairing of Brazilian and Lebanese! I went to eat at an off hour in the late afternoon one day after a medical appointment, as I love Middle Eastern Food. It was delicious and then the owner asked me if I would like to sample some of his wife’s dessert, and I believe it was a citrus flavored type of flan that was absolutely amazing. I always meant to go back for a full meal at dinnertime to see how they blend both types of foods on their menu. It was a real surprise and an unplanned midday treat. It was also really smart of the owner to give me a sample of the dessert and explain the marriage of the two cultures in the one restaurant.
I am Puerto Rican, and my husband is one of those mixed blended men (German, Scottish, Irish, English, but I say Americano). We live in a happy medium nowadays, but I remember the first time we had Thanksgiving and my parents came over and helped me cook. It was so funny. My hubby who was only my BF at the time was confused with what my Dad was doing to the turkey. He was adding spices like paprika and adobo to it, and Bryan was curious. It came out wonderful, and he’s loved it since. His favorite Latino dish is pernil con arroz y habichuelas (roasted pork and rice and beans). He’s never really made anything that was awful, but his mother sent me a recipe for some chicken and rice that was pretty horrendous. Just saying…
I’m glad you can agree on the mashed potatoes! I Sounds like fun! and I do luv homemade cream puffs, that was one of the first things I learned to make as a kid. I know someone who married Sicilian, and she couldn’t stand the food, and he couldn’t stand hers. It can be challenging, esp for newlyweds!
I also enjoy spicy food. However, if it involves burning, then not so much. Your children are fortunate to have two or three different cultures incorporated into their foods and more. Sounds like a job well done.
I am a new reader of your blog. I enjoy the fact that you are bi racial and are married to someone of a different race. this makes your blog very interesting. BTW thanks for the giveaway
I don’t have a tough stomach either. My husband loves the hot sausages, etc. My daughter has his belly and can take it. I often find myself eating separate food but I don’t mind. saves me being up that night.