For Catherine Contreras, a few of her fondest childhood recollections contain meals — particularly, making tamales along with her household.
Desirous to seize this reminiscence for her kids, and certain that others felt the identical concerning the vacation custom of tamaladas, Contreras pursued an thought born out of the early days of the pandemic 4 years in the past.
“After we have been in lockdown, we have been having digital tamaladas with my household. My youngsters have been little or no, they usually actually wished to do it,” mentioned Contreras, the mom of 5. “I assumed we might take some playdough and get a husk and allow them to play that method.”
Seeing how a lot her youngsters loved the exercise, Contreras knew this was one thing she needed to pursue. Alongside along with her retired schoolteacher mom, Marie Bauml, Contreras based Recent Masa, a enterprise that produces sensory-friendly toy kits that can be utilized to teach and entertain.
Every package accommodates Play-Doh and small instruments to create a themed exercise — together with the Latino-themed Tiny Tamalada, Teeny Taco and My Favourite Panadería — that enable customers to faux to unfold and form “masa” to make tamales, tortillas and pan dulce.
“As an autism mother, we accomplish that a lot that includes sensory issues, like Play-Doh. I assumed ‘let’s convey this to everyone,’” she mentioned, whereas exhibiting among the gadgets bought at Recent Masa’s spot inside Painted Tree Boutiques market on town’s North Facet.
Contreras, who was one of many founders of the San Antonio-centric T-shirt firm BarbacoApparel, once more regarded to her heritage and household historical past to craft a solution to assist her household whereas additionally retaining traditions alive.
She isn’t alone.
Restauranteur Drew Glick pays homage to his Jewish heritage and New York roots by meals.
Open since 2016, Max & Louie’s New York Diner serves a number of conventional Jewish dishes, together with matzo ball soup, potato latkes and cheese blintzes, as a part of its common menu choices.
Glick mentioned serving such meals at his North Facet eatery is a solution to share the traditions he grew up with, not solely with these aware of the dishes but additionally with diners who’ve by no means tried them.
“Many of the gadgets on the menu are there for particular causes,” the Queens native mentioned, including that most of the dishes “have a really particular historical past within the Jewish heritage however they’re additionally Japanese European.”
Glick talked of shoppers who recalled household gatherings of their childhood whereas consuming the diner’s Hungarian stuffed cabbage or cheese blintzes. Others, he mentioned, have recalled their time residing in New York and consuming at diners like Max & Louie’s.
“Historical past is historical past. Some issues transfer away from our recollections, and also you overlook. However you strive to not overlook,” Glick mentioned, including how a lot meals can set off our recollections.
“I’ve very fond recollections of my grandmother’s break up pea soup,” he mentioned. “I believe it’s the very first thing I’ve ever eaten.”
The soup, ready the best way his grandmother made, is a part of the diner’s soup-of-the-day lineup. It’s additionally included in meal packages and particular menus designed for Jewish celebrations, together with Hanukkah and the Excessive Holidays.
The menu isn’t the one method Glick honors his household historical past. The diner’s title is a nod to his ancestors — paternal grandfather, Louie Glick, and nice uncle, Max Braverman. Each immigrants and each butchers, the boys’s likenesses adorn the diner’s emblem.
For some San Antonio enterprise house owners, preserving custom and honoring heritage extends bloodlines.
At Chas Market & Kitchen, proprietor J.T. Kim and his household honor the historical past of the East Facet enterprise that originated within the Thirties as Charles Grocery store. The Kim household purchased the market within the Nineteen Eighties and determined to honor its authentic proprietor, Charles De Leon, by retaining the title Chas.
The institution is an element neighborhood comfort retailer, the place prospects can discover mainstream groceries alongside Korean specialty gadgets, together with jars of do-it-yourself kimchi. And it has continued to serve the breakfast tacos made with recent do-it-yourself tortillas which were neighborhood favorites for many years.
For lunch and dinner, prospects can order from a Korean menu of bibimbap, bulgogi, banchan and all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue. All dishes are served recent and in the identical method as Koreans eat throughout mealtime, the Kim household mentioned.
“Many shoppers are shocked that now we have Mexican breakfast tacos within the morning and genuine Korean meals from lunchtime,” mentioned Brian Kim, J.T. Kim’s son. “We’re concurrently preserving the heritage of Mexican immigrants in addition to our personal immigration story from South Korea to San Antonio.”
Hwa Y. Kim, J.T. Kim’s spouse, began sharing her do-it-yourself Korean recipes with patrons about 10 years in the past by the dishes served at Chas, Brian Kim mentioned.
“We’re so happy with our heritage and meals, however on the similar time so grateful that many in our group love Korean meals,” he mentioned.
For one San Antonio group devoted to preserving historical past and customs, a part of its mission is to assist black-owned companies by weekly markets and particular occasions, together with the upcoming Kwanzaa Market Competition on Dec. 7.
The Pan African Cultural Group, primarily based on the East Facet, is a nonprofit that strives to be a “cultural useful resource for the group,” its web site states.
Aundar Maat, founder and director of the group, mentioned the Kwanzaa Market Competition isn’t simply for individuals who commemorate the vacation. It’s additionally an opportunity for the group to be taught concerning the annual celebration of African heritage and tradition that originated within the Nineteen Sixties.
The market competition gives a possibility to buy gadgets from native distributors that can be utilized in Kwanzaa celebrations, together with candles, clothes and artwork, Maat mentioned. Kwanzaa begins Dec. 26 and concludes Jan. 1, highlighting one of many celebration’s seven ideas every day.
The Pan African Cultural Group holds lots of its occasions on the constructing that after housed Our Place Grownup Day Care Heart, which closed in 2020. Weekly cultural occasions, together with a drum circle and poetry open mic, happen on Saturdays, when a market selling Black-owned and small companies is also held.
For many who try to protect customs and honor historical past, they are saying the hassle is price it, particularly when seeing youthful generations present curiosity.
Contreras, who has recollections of constructing tamales and spending time within the kitchen along with her grandmothers, mentioned for some households like hers there’s a hole in generations passing on traditions.
“My mother is of the era that headed to the workforce, so she didn’t spend as a lot time within the kitchen as my grandmothers,” Contreras mentioned. “There’s a spot in that facet of the tradition.”
That’s the place Contreras hopes her Recent Masa kits can assist households reignite customs, or a minimum of promote households spending time collectively.
Although the kits are toys designed for younger youngsters, older kids and adults with dexterity issues can profit from dealing with the gadgets, she mentioned. And a few older adults with cognitive points could be helped by the recollections that enjoying with the faux masa brings.
One of many causes Contreras and her mom mentioned they created Recent Masa merchandise was so households might spend time collectively and share tales of ancestors and traditions.
“That is one solution to join and have these experiences whereas instructing them concerning the tradition and household historical past,” she mentioned.
