by Cocina
Hispanic Heritage is not celebrated once a year
However this month is about visibility for our community. It’s about honoring the heritage that binds us. It’s about remembering those who fought throughout history to preserve our traditions and our culture. It’s about giving our youth a platform that they can use to continue to move our culture forward. More than anything, it’s about us being able to be fully, unapologetically, and authentically ourselves.
But it’s important to remember we are so much more than the language that we share because of the country that colonized the lands of some of our ancestors.
While our heritage is Hispanic, it’s also Indigenous, African, Asian, European and more. Our history is a long one, and as a result we are not monolithic. We come in all shapes and colors. We speak in different dialects. We wear different clothes. We have different dances. We sing different songs. Although we are all forged from the same flame, we are made from different steel. The heritage of every place, belief, and tribe we come from deserves to be honored as well.
Our diversity is Our Heritage and our legacy. We at Cocina invite you to join us in celebrating it this month.
The Cocina Staff
Este mes es sobre la visibilidad de nuestra comunidad. Es sobre honrar la herencia que nos une; recordar a aquéllos que lucharon a través de los años para preservar nuestras tradiciones y culturas; es darle a la juventud una plataforma que puedan usar para seguir construyendo nuestra cultura en el presente y el futuro. Pero por sobre todo, es sobre nosotros siendo completamente auténticos, sin tener que dar excusas de quienes somos.
Es importante recordar que somos mucho más que el lenguaje que compartimos por el país que colonizó las tierras de parte de nuestros ancestros.
Aunque nuestra herencia sea hispana, también es indígena, africana, asiática, europea y más. Nuestra historia es larga y, como resultado, no somos monolíticos. Somos de todas las formas y colores. Hablamos distintos dialectos. Vestimos diferentes prendas. Bailamos muchos ritmos. Cantamos distintas canciones. Aunque surgimos del mismo fuego, estamos hechos de diferentes metales. La herencia de cada lugar, creencia y tribu que nos precede merece ser honrada.
Nuestra Herencia es nuestra diversidad y nuestro legado. Desde Cocina los invitamos a unirse a nuestra celebración durante este mes.
El equipo de Cocina
Hispanic Heritage Month: Food and culture
COCINA has a simple mission: To honor and uplift Hispanic Culture and Hispanic Tradition through powerful stories. By putting Food and Latino together we honor something a whole lot bigger. When the word food and Latino blend, a taco is no longer just a taco but likely the moment you met new friends for life. And chimichurri is no longer just chimichurri but the picture of your child’s face forever engraved in your heart the moment he first tasted it. When Latino and Food come together, the end result is expressed in journeys. Those journeys start with smell, taste and color, and then they extend into experiences, landscapes, memories, and life stories. Admittingly, this task may prove greater than ourselves. That’s why we view COCINA as an open table set to host chefs and foodies who, regardless of origin, are in the business of honoring our Latino roots through the lens of food. Our journey began in the US with Aaron Sanchez, COCINA’s co-founder. It has now extended across all the Latin geographies. Although, each geography is different across its own traditions and flavors, at the end of the day they all taste the same. They taste of openness, of hugs, of inclusion and of nearness to earth while stitching together any differences. Our hope is that every time you see one of COCINA’s pieces, you feel your journey begins as well.
Here are some of our favorite and most representative stories around Hispanics
