2 years after the insurrection on Capitol Hill the implications of the event and its aftermath for Texas and Texans. We’ll have more. Also on this January 6th, a look at concerns about extremism among some who previously served their country in the military. And order in the court? Despite discrepancies in representation between men and women in many fields, Texas bucking national trends with what some have called a golden age of elected female judges. And taco journalist Mando Rayo serves up some tips for home cooking. Plus the greatest Texas guitarists of all time, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Tacos
Ultima Palabra con Mando Rayo
It’s 2022 and yes we’re still dealing with taco tropes, Latino stereotypes & pendejadas. But in between all that hot mess, we still have lots of tacos to enjoy. Today we’ll tackle some of the highlights and low lights of 2022 with Ultima Palabra with special guests from the Taconet, Lucy Flores from Luz Media and Junior Taco Correspondent, Samuel Franco.
Taquiando y Hablando: The ingredients to making a taco podcast
Producer and host, Mando Rayo talks with story producer and filmmaker Sharon Arteaga on the steps they took to create the Tacos of Texas Podcast, Season Dos, from research to guest interviews and specialized segments to eating ojos, cabritos, all the tortillas, finding vendedoras along the borderlands, decolonizing our maíz, all while listening to taco beats and traveling over 2000 miles without leaving the state of Tejas.
Texas Standard: November 8, 2022
From the Governor’s office to the Attorney Generals race and other statewide contests plus 38 congressional seats, it’s decision day in Texas. With early voter turnout reported low across the Lone Star State, turnout at the polls today could be make of break in several key races. We’ll be checking in with reporters to see how it’s looking at ballot locations across Texas. Other stories we’re tracking: concerns about voting observers and fears among election workers over voter intimidation. Also, an F.A.Q. for those voting today. Plus world series victory celebrations in Houston and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Tardeadas
Move over Sunday brunch! Today we are vibing at a Tardeada in Seguin, Texas. Travel with us as we fill our panzitas with Tacos and our soul with good music y good afternoon vibes at Burnt Bean Co. The Pope of BBQ Ernest Servantes will guide us through a Sunday ritual of some sacred tacos of Texas. We talk tardeada traditions, memorias, and some of our favorite tardeada tunes y comida.
Thank You Jesus
Let’s explore the original purveyors and growers of our foods and honor the hard work of Migrant Farmworkers. Thank you Jesus…De Nada says the migrant farmworker. Going beyond the internet meme, let’s not only explore where our food comes from but who cultivates it, picks it and gets it to local grocery stores and restaurants. The farm-to-market movement has exponentially grown in the U.S. but when it comes to taquerias and Latino farmers, are they included in the make-up and do they benefit from the farm-to-market economy? In Texas, migrant farmworkers have been part of the farming community since the 1950s and while they may go unnoticed, we’ll talk to some of these unsung heroes who are feeding the people of Tejas though farming and local taquerias. Guests include Elizabeth Marquez and Maria Elena from La Union Del Pueblo Entero (LUPE) as well as Norma Flores López from Justice for Migrant Women.
Taco Gentrification
In Austin, East of IH-35 is considered the great divide, from the wealthy and the poor, the whites and Black and Latino communities. With Austin’s growth and gentrification comes even more displacement. You can literally experience it through the city’s tacos, where you can buy tacos for $2.00 at one location and $9.00 at another, all within 5 blocks of each other! In this episode, we’ll explore Taco Gentrification and how it impacts taqueros and the communities we live in. We will take a taco tour of the east Cesar Chavez and 7th Street and also hop over to East Riverside, a place of dos mundos where one side of the street is home to immigrants and families while the other side is inhabited by millenials and new condo dwellers. Guests include Regina Estrada from Joe’s Bakery & Mexican Restaurant, Mincho Jacob from BASTA Austin and Samuel Franco, East Riverside resident and advocate.
Las Jefecitas: using comida to sustain immigrant households.
Many immigrants have leveraged the delicious cuisines of their países as a means of income and work when they first arrive in the United States. Even before setting up a taco truck or even a brick and mortar, we see vendedoras earning their income by selling tacos out of their hieleritas in grocery store parking lots or wherever they know they’ll find foot traffic. In this episode we explore what motivates these women to leave their kitchens and go out into these parking lots. We discuss these informal economies and how they look in today’s digital age. We also spend time at La Mujer Obrera and Cafe Mayapán to see how the organization supports immigrant and indigenous women by training and employing them.
Decolonizing Maíz
Corn is the most important crop of the Americas. It sustained the Western Hemisphere for centuries, and with the colonization of its lands, came the colonization of corn. In the past century, corn went from maíz production to mass production, with companies modifying it and depleting it of its natural riches. In this episode we rally with masa makers on a journey to reconnect our comunidades with the nutrients and flavors of the superfood in a more pure form than the mass-produced maseca, with which many of us are familiar. We talk to Andres Garza, now Nixta Taqueria’s Director of Masa Development and Fermentation, Olivia Lopez, chef and co-owner of Molino Olōyō in Dallas, Texas, and Julian Maltby of Mercado Sin Nombre in Austin, TX about decolonizing the once magical maiz and the many shapes of tacos being made with their corn tortillas.
Politi-tacos: The Politics of Tacos
As some politicians take more notice of the voting power of the communidad Latina, we see our cultura make its way into campaign slogans, hear Spanish being spoken from debate podiums, and even Tacos being used as an effort to rally up support! While some taco tactics may just be lip service, others have made sincere connections with the communities they go into. In this episode we talk tacos and politics with Councilmember Vanessa Fuentes, AISD Trustee Ofelia Zapata and Jilma Palacio from Taqueria King as we get to know the Dove Springs neighborhood in Austin, Texas.
Cabrito y Familia: Rebecca’s Mexican Restaurant
The tradition of cooking cabrito goes back centuries. For Rebecca’s Mexican Restaurant, in McAllen, Texas, it goes back over 30 years, for a mother and her two daughters. In this episode we stop by this G.O.A.T. of a restaurant and talk cabrito traditions of the RGV with both hijas, Jessica Gutierrez and Laurie Johnson and some fellow taco-loving customers at the restaurant.
Vitamina T
Don’t forget to take your Vitamin T! That’s T for Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales. In this episode, taco journalist Mando Rayo and bilingual educator Suzanne Garcia-Mateus sit down and browse through the spanglish children’s book that they co-wrote called Vitamina T for Tacos. They connect over their shared experiences of growing up bilingual and speaking spanglish and how that motivated them to write a book that represented the complex culture that they didn’t see in children’s books when they were growing up.
The Filipino Guey
They say that Filipinos are the Mexicans of Asia. From the adobo and the chicharrones, to cultural traditions, we share an overlap in our identities. In this episode, we bond with our Filipino primos Isabel Protomartir (host of Identity Productions show Até) and Ralph Xavier Degala (Master Chef Season 9). We discuss how Filipino culture is thriving in Texas and the tasty tacos that come with it.
Taco Identity
Latino culture isn’t exactly known to be LGTBQia+ friendly. We’ve seen this through some of our biggest cultural icons, who remained closeted their entire lives. Much of the intolerance is driven by machismo in our culture, which can be prevalent in spaces like taquerias. We connect with Angel Cabrera, owner of Tacos Doña Lena in Houston, and Kristen Martinez, owner of MB Foodhouse in Minneapolis, about their experience in the taco community. They share with us how they have persevered and risen above the odds… even during a pandemic.
Taco Beats
What goes better with tacos than with a little Screwmbia? That’s cumbia chopped and screwed. We’ll talk with los mero meros de screwmbia, including Principe Q (Corpus Christi DJ, chef, and nephew of Selena, yes that Selena) and Gracie Chavez (co-founder of Houston’s Bombón collective) to understand how the music genre took off. We’ll also take a deep dive into creating taco beats with music producer Adrian Graniel who helped IDENTITY Productions create their own taco beats that go perfect with tacos al pastor and a bien sazonada carne asada.
Trailer: Tacos of Texas Season Dos
Let’s talk tacos with Mando Rayo, Taco Journalist and the co-creator of United Tacos of America TV Show & Tacos of Texas book and PBS digital series.
As an avid taco ambassador, food explorer and street ethnographer, Mando has traveled across the U.S. to uncover the tastiest tacos, from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to L.A. and New Orleans to New York City. And we’re keeping the conversation front and center through the Tacos of Texas podcast Season Two.
Keeping it true to our TacoJournalist roots, we’ll talk to Texas taqueros, tortilleras & makers; we’ll also explore food cultures & people while exploring issues like Taco Beats, Taco Identity, Smoked Beef Barbacoa, Taco Gentrification and of course, we’ll keep it muy caliente with our “sound of tacos” and “where taqueros eat” segments by people across the great state of Texas.
How to Run a Modern Day Taqueria
Learn from two Chingonas making it in the taco world including Lis Mariscal, Veracruz All Natural and Victoria Elizondo, Chef/Owner of Cochinita & co. Moderated by Taco Journalist, Mando Rayo. Recorded live on the podcast stage at Austin City Limits Festival 2021.
Building a Taco Empire
Learn from Taco Journalist, Mando Rayo and Director Dennis Burnett on how they’re building platforms for people of color, from the tacos of Texas Podcast, United Tacos of America tv show and cooking shows, Tex-Mex Queen and ATE (ah-teh). Recorded live on the podcast stage at Austin City Limits Festival 2021.
The Rise of Tex-Mex BBQ
If you asked any natural born Texan what food they most associate with their home state, chances are you’ll get one of two answers: BBQ and Tacos. In this episode we examine how these two disparate food traditions collided to to create the Lone Star sensation that is Tex-Mex BBQ. We’ll get a comprehensive look at this trend’s history, uncovering what exactly is Tex-Mex BBQ? How far do the style’s roots go? And most importantly, where are the best BBQ Tacos in Texas found? Guests include Ernest Servantes of Burnt Bean Company in Seguin, Joel Garcia of Teddy’s BBQ in Weslaco, and Eliana Gutierrez of Valentina’s Tex-Mex BBQ In Austin. Check out this Tex-Mex BBQ map we made with all the spots we mention in this episode.
Trailer: Tacos of Texas
Have you ever wondered why Birria tacos are so popular? Or how tacos are saving Texas, even during the pandemic? Or which Texas city has the tastiest tacos? If you find yourself dreaming of tacos, this is the podcast for you.