Re: [ranchos] More about Nopales

[Alicia Carrillo <alliecar@...>]

Here's more on Nopales

 

My family originates from Zacatecas, specifically Tlachichila from the Municipality of Nochistlan. As we all know many people have migrated to the Norte or Los Estados Unidos or as many say El Otro Lado. I grew up in the US of A in San Jose Calif in an all Anglo community and one thing I didn't want to be was different from the rest of my class. However different we were. We had to speak spanish at home which for one who doesn't want to be different or admit to anyone that you're different this was a tough one to hide.

 

When we brought friends home we had to speak spanish to my parents and if someone stayed over for lunch or dinner we had tortillas, nopales, salsa, mole etc etc.( trying pretending that you're not Mexican). Our parents knew that we were ashamed and a famous saying was "what are you trying to hide, anyone who sees you can see the nopales on your forehead and hanging on your ears. Translation "De que to escondes, se te ven los nopales en la frente y los traes colgados de las orejas". When I was young I couldn't understand this saying having been raised here since I was two and not knowing what Mexico looked like. The first time I went in 1977 I finally understood what they meant by Los Nopales on the forehead. Nopales grew wild everywhere in that region. They even fed nopales to the cows when there was nothing else to feed them during the dry season. They would burn or scald off the thorns then feed them to the cows, how's that for a recipe for nopales.

 

Just a little Zacatecas family story.

Alicia

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