A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture

by Denise Chávez

Acclaimed author/actress Denise Chávez explores the history, lore, and preparation of tacos—and other art forms—in a warm and exuberant memoir, with recipes."Tacos are sacred to me," writes Chávez, who's set many a fictional scene in a Southwestern restaurant or around a dinner table. And here are her special recipes, including her mother's Tacos a la Delfina ("I swear these tacos are really good cold!") and Granma Lupe's Pasta (not macaroni but a savory mincemeat-like taco filling). Here, too, are tips on shopping, cooking, and "Offer up the meal with gratitude and Tacos are one of life's greatest things!""We live in chile country," she adds. "We are blessed to be here. Food is more than food; it's a culture. And tacos are more than tacos."Chile country is the setting for Chávez's magical, tragicomic fiction. And in A Taco Testimony she also tells wonderful stories that connect literature with culture and food with life along the Mexican-American border."Time and love are the essence of all Mexican cooking," Chávez says—including her spicy, juicy writing, and this feast of a book.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Autobiography, Memoir

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2006

About the author

Denise Elia Chavez (born August 15, 1948) is an American author, playwright, and stage director. She was born to an Hispano family in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States, and graduated from Madonna High School in Mesilla. She received her Bachelor's from New Mexico State University and Master's degrees in Dramatic Arts from Trinity University. While in college, she began writing dramatic works. Upon graduation, she worked at the Dallas Theater Center while continuing her studies in drama and writing. She then entered the MFA program at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and earned a degree in writing. In 1986, she published her first collection of short stories, called The Last of the Menu Girls. She received several awards, including the American Book Award, the Premio Aztlán Literary Prize, the Mesilla Valley Author of the Year Award, and the 2003 Hispanic Heritage Award for Literature. Chavez was offered a professorship in creative writing at UNM, during which time she wrote the novel Loving Pedro Infante, which earned her critical acclaim. She left the University, however, to work at a rape crisis center. She is the founder of the Border Book Festival that is held every year in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She also serves as Executive Director of the Cultural Center de Mesilla, and manages its book, music and arts store.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Veronica Perez-Picasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was nice to read another of her books. it made me feel like i was having a conversation with a comadre. it made me feel close to denise and identify with her story.

[Scott Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I don’t often see too much difference between fiction and memoir (people live their lives out by what they can imagine what happened, real or not) memoirs normally need something extra for me, a new form, extra information whether historical or factual, along with all the other factors that make up a good story, character, motif, and blood, risk, etc.
Taco Testimony does all this with its story and the use and inclusion of recipes which relate and helps to put me in the shoes of the family described. The importance of food, parties, and the author’s relationship with her mother are reinforced with the family recipes. People eat and talk about the food. It’s realistic and like a Mexican American Como Agua para Chocolate with more emphasis on coming of age than romance.

[Igonzales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, I wanted to love this book because Ms. Chavez is one of my favorite authors but I didn't. The writing style seemed sometimes stilted and forced and at other times, rapid-fire and unfocused, as a result of this blend of writing, the prose was awkward and disjointed. Or maybe it had to do with her description of tacos and how her family prepared them (rolled vs. folded), stating there was no other way to eat them, which I disagree with. I did enjoy her description of New Mexico and life there.

[Mert · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Stars (%60/100)

It was definitely much better than I expected but I once again realize memoir/life writing is not for me. I'm okay with non-fiction to some degree but these types of books really bore me. I found myself losing interest. Yet, it was interesting enough that I was able to finish the book. Chavez focuses on food culture to talk about her experience of being a Mexican American. There are also some good recipes scattered throughout the book. Some parts were really sad as well. Overall, it is an interesting book but I don't really like life writing so yeah.

[Tami · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so very true that you never really value what you have until it's gone. Such is the tone of A Taco Testimony. Like many of us, much of the author's life was spent wanting to get away from her small hometown and well away from her family. She wanted a life of her own where she could define who she wanted to be and where she could be a shining star.

Fortunately, as being part of a family seems to do, the author could never quite shake off who she was, where she came from, and those that loved her. She was the one that ended up taking care of her parents. In doing so, she was given a gift- the understanding that her parents were human just like her, they made mistakes, they had regrets, and like her they were extremely stubborn which often left feelings unsaid. Throughout it all, during the good times and the bad, there were tacos.

A Taco Testimony serves as both a memoir of the author's life experiences and a tribute to her parents. It was this latter aspect of the piece that really touched me. I started reminiscing through my own experiences, began seeing them in a new light and had the incredible urge to phone my mother and have a real conversation.

[Rachelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book more than the book itself, but there's not much wrong with it. Miss Chavez does not have an exceptionally interesting story to tell, but perhaps that is the beauty of it. It isn't so much a biography as it is a celebration of culture and family. The non-linear storytelling sometimes added to the book's charm and other times detracted from it.

The recipes were not what I was expecting, in both good ways and bad ways. Good because they gave an amusing perspective to Miss Chavez's life experiences; bad because they weren't usually the kind of recipes I'd like to try. (But maybe I'm a little partial to my own taco recipe.) Telling stories through recipes is a very interesting idea, in any case.

I would love to read other books written in the same style, though I don't think that I would read this particular one again.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting to me mostly because the author is writing about her life in Las Cruces, New Mexico and New Mexico is my adopted home. It's also different that she bases her memoir around food and especially the taco. I learned a few things (like that tacos can be rolled-I thought those were taquitos), but overall I just didn't like the book much. It's very repetitive and covers some aspects of her life multiple times. It also feels like she sat and just wrote out random thoughts as they occurred to her, but without a cohesive plan. There are random poems in the book and I don't "get" poetry so I didn't like that part. It is organized in chapters like a meal (appetizer, soup, main dish, etc.), but the content of the chapters doesn't follow any real plan or seem to go with the chapter titles.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I applaud the author's examination of how identity, comfort and love are all inextricably linked with the foods of our families. However, I think that there comes a point when the musings seem a bit repetitive. I'll be trying the recipes however!

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love your mother's cooking, no matter your culture, this is a wonderful celebration that will take you into the layers of her recipes.

[Wendy]

Such an intimate voice -- and I can't wait to try the recipes.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Liked the idea, however, did not enjoy the style in which it was presented. Incorporation of the taco theme was overdone and empty. Disappointed to have to give up on this one part way through.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely memoir, growing up in Las Cruces when it was much smaller--family stories, recipes and poetry. Charming local history for me.