In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we visited a local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Many of the people who were there are from Mexico, and the manager agreed to speak to us about the significance of the holiday.
We ate at Torero’s, a local place with bright decor, flat-screens mounted near the ceilings throughout, and a very yummy menu. (Well, the food is good, not the menu itself, but you know what I mean.)
This is my chair. See what I mean? The whole place is like this – tables, chairs, wall hangings, etc. It’s very bright, but there’s lots to look at, and my kids love to go there – because they can eat chips while they wait for their meals, and so they can talk about all the things carved into our table. It’s just fun.
First, we ate, with my kids really getting into the Mexican theme. My Little Man with his ‘matoes, nuggets, and rice …
and My Big Helper with her cheeseburger. Oh, well! (Most of the rest of us did actually eat Mexican food – but I must admit, they do have good burgers!)
While we finished our meal, the fabulous manager David brought over one of his staff members to tell us about the history of Cinco de Mayo. Basically, we learned that the holiday is a celebration of a Mexican defeat over Spain back in the 1800s, and that the holiday carries with it no special foods or traditional means of celebration. Whatever the case, we certainly celebrated with an abundance of chips, salsa, and chicken nuggets!
David and his staff were very kind in sharing a bit of their heritage with us. Are there any restaurants near you where you could visit and learn a bit of another culture?
