Recently I was asked to write about the approaching Film and Food Festival here in town where folks view food-focused films and enjoy film related treats from local restaurants and chefs. It made me wonder about my own culinary contributions to town.
When I first arrived I thought for sure my mastery of grits would be appreciated as it can be anything from a breakfast side dish to dinner’s main course. Mexicans use corn for everything but grits, alas, grits are viewed with contempt, at best, as the ground corn could have made a really good tamale.
I had far greater success with Barbie doll cakes. A doll cake, if you aren’t familiar, is a cake baked in a bowl. Once baked, the bowl is flipped over to remove the cake, and the cake part becomes the skirt to a Barbie doll that is placed in the middle. My mother would then decorate the Barbie and her pastry skirt to be a fetching mini-bride of Christ that little girls adored on their First Communion.
Once here I went back to my Barbie roots and starting making Guadalupe cakes for my students name Lupe on the feast day of Virgin of Guadalupe. Their appeal broadened my horizons to include hundreds of cakes modeled after many Virgins, movie characters from Malificent to Dorothy, can-can gals and a variety of holiday themed desserts. My wide variety of pastry delights are adored by little, and not so little, Mexican gals!
I only wish I knew about the Film and Food Festival farther ahead of time so Barbie could sponsor one of the food focused films and be consumed after the screening with proceeds benefitting So Others May Eat (SOME). SOME is a non-government organization (NGO) providing free meals every Wednesday alongside St. Michael’s church (the Parroquia). Luckily we all know Barbie isn’t much of an eater so it is easy to keep her culinary desires in check in hopes for an appearance next year.
Films are being shown from February 22 through the 24 at Belle Artes at noon and five in the afternoon followed by the tasty treats from local chefs. For further information about the third annual Film and Food visit foodinfilmsanmiguel.com
To donate or volunteer with SOME visit SoOthersMayEatMexico.com. SOME was the brainchild of Mrs. Antonette Lim who based the free Wednesday meals on her experiences with her grandmother in the Philippines giving free food each Wednesday to seniors. Mrs. Lim died in 2016 and her daughter, Dr. Lim, continues her work that started back in 1989.
by JOSEPH TOONE
Joseph Toone is the Historical Society’s short-story award winning author of the SMA Secrets book series. All books in the series are Amazon bestsellers in Mexican Travel and Holidays. Toone is SMA’s expert and TripAdvisor’s top ranked historical tour guide telling the stories behind what we do in today’s SMA. Visit HistoryAndCultureWalkingTours.com, and JosephTooneTours.com.
