Title: The Adventure By: Adrian Meza Jr.

Menudo
Have you ever had Menudo before if you have you probably know how it tastes but if you havent then you dont know what you missing out on. Menudo is really good you should try some soon because it is really good and most of the people I talk to have had Menudo. Menudo is a red looking soup it is nice and warm and has Tripe and Homony those are the main ingredients in he soup and you usually add your own toppings to the dish. That is why Menudo is not just a regular dish but very cultural and has been around for a long time and has a very interesting history.

The History of Menudo goes back a long time into the pre Mexican revolution. The way Mexicans found out to make Menudo was the rich were given all the good meat of he cow and all the other meats they could find but when they were done they gave the poor all of the leftovers. They would get things like the foot and the stomach and anything the rich didnt get it would go to the poor so they decided to make something really good with what they got and they made Menudo and the chiefs decided to feed this to poor and I was still delicious and cheap for people. Now mostly in Mexican restaurants serve Menudo for breakfast and only on Sundays so it went from scraps put together for food into a delicious dish most people know today and eat.

There are many different ways you could make Menudo depending on how you like it you may make it a different ways and different styles but I am going to tell you how we make It in our family. First we would have to start off by boiling some water in a big pot depending on how many people you are trying too feed then you will throw all of your meat in like the Tripe is the main meat that most people use. Some more things you will is: Homony, Onions, Oregano, Water and some red chili base thats what makes it red. When you make the Menudo you want to

make sure you keep on switching the water out with new fresh water because the more often you do that the more cleaner your meat will be. Then once thats all done you start adding whatever spices and flavoring you would like into the pot and let it sit.

I remember the first time I had Menudo it was really good. My family and me were at this Mexican restraint for breakfast and everyone ordered when the waitress came except for me. She said that she would come back to see if I was ready to order the waitress came back with all the food and she gave my grandma Menudo at the time I didnt know what it was. I asked my grandma if I could have a taste of her Menudo and she let me try it was a little spicy and he meat was really good and so was the Homony Then the waiter finally asked me what I wanted but my parents ordered it for me. After that day I have always loved Menudo and every time we go eat breakfast at a restaurant I order Menudo.

This is why Menudo is a cultural dish that many traditions and races love not just Mexicans and it also has a interesting history. The poor basically made scrapes into a wonderful dish that was not disgusting. The Menudo is also a great dish because it allows you to make it however you would like it to taste like. Know you know what Menudo is and the basic stuff and the history so next time you go into a restaurant remember to ask for Menudo.

The Mexican Culture

The Mexican culture is misunderstood and has contributed a lot into the American culture everyone uses today and the traditions have changed from a long time ago and now. There are a lot of things people use today that have been token from the Mexican culture and used as what Americans use today like in birthdays and also quinces and many other celebrations we do today. These celebrations were no always like this though they were way different than what the people did way back then. That is why the Mexican culture has participated in a lot of what Americans do today at their celebrations and that the celebrations have changed.

Back in the Aztec times they didnt celebrate the celebrations we have today they celebrated It way differently back then and more harsh. Well today most Mexican families know what a quince is most girls have them when they are turning 15 for their birthday but its not like a regular birthday it is really important to some people because it is suppose to be the celebration of when a girl turns into a woman. But this was actually celebrated differently back then when a woman turned 15 it meant that she was able o have babies and was able to say around the house and cook for the family and get a husband. Also for the boys they were sent into the wild with a bow and if they came back alive it proved that they were a man.

Today a lot of people know what a piata is right? Almost at every party people have piatas, Piatas are this object that is made of newspaper and cardboard and you could create it into anything you want. They are usually used at parties for people to hit with a object and when they break it its full of candy and all the candy falls out. This idea didnt just come out the sky I originally happened in Mexico and Chinese then moved here to America. The Chinese made their traditional animals like the ox and other animals out of very bright colors and stuff so we took the idea and made piatas but used them in a different way than the Chinese did. But back

then the piata meant charity and it was the celebration of everyone sharing in he divine blessings of gifts, but know a days hat has basically lost its meaning and has turned into a fun little activity for people to play at a party.

So know you know he basic tradition of piatas and also where he idea has came from and how some of the traditions have been changed from what they used to be. Also how piatas were created in China then originated in Mexico. This is why the Mexican culture is misunderstood and has been changed from he way we used to celebrate things and how I has become part of Americas celebrations.

Mexican American Heroes

In America there are many different cultures but the most common and most important is probably Mexican and Mexican American. Not just the culture but the people in it like Mexican American heroes like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta and many others that are famous but not in history like Selena. Cesar Chavez is one of the people who helped create culture in America and so was Dolores Huerta she also helped for women rights. Thats why there are many Mexican and Mexican American heroes that influenced America.

One of the main people that helped create American history was Cesar Chavez. He was a Mexican American who fought for better environment in he fields because they were no good before he fixed it. He did this by protesting the farm owners and going on strikes and trying to get other workers to stop working for hem so they wouldnt have anyone to pick the fruits. But some people didnt even leave the jobs because they needed the money but after a while they convinced workers to leave. They did this very long walk through like half of California all the way till they reached Stockton. They even tried to convince buying customers of fruits to stop buying them so the businesses wouldnt get any money. Eventually nobody was buying the fruits and the companies were loosing money and the fruits were going bad so they had no choice but to give them better environments and water breaks and stuff like that. This effects us today because people still pick fruits and people who do have way better environments than they did before.

Another famous person in history is Salena she is nothing like Cesar Chavez she is famous but In a different way. She was a Mexican American singer who was in a band ever since her dad made her play in one when she was a kid with her brother and sister. She started singing in her parents restaurant she was the singer her brother was the guitarist and the sister was a drum

player. Her parents lost the restraint and so they started to do touring so they could build a name for themselves and get popular. When she eventually started turning into A teen is when she really started to get heard and famous and started to perform at concerts and people loved her songs to see her perform and her family. She didnt know Spanish that good but her father made her learn Spanish because when she sang at concerts she had to know how and she also had to be perfect at speaking English. She is one of the American heroes in my list because she was one of the first Mexican American singer who just didnt speak Spanish she spoke both. Her dad said that they had to speak better English than Americans and speak better Spanish than Mexicans.

These are some of the Mexican American heroes that I think have changed at least a little bit of History one more than the other. Cesar Chavez was a great change from the old working Environments to the ones we have today which are way better. Even though Salena wasnt a big History change she is still is one of my heroes who helped Mexican American women sing. This is why we have Mexican and Mexican American people who influenced America.

My Influence on the World

I think my culture and my cultures community has really effected the world at large because Mexicans and Mexican Americans cultures has been spread out throughout the whole world a lot Of people celebrate parties with piatas and I am pretty sure almost anyone you know, knows Cesar Chavez. I think that most of our cultural spread is all mostly positive I mean who doesnt like piatas or what girl wouldnt want to have a quince it is like one of the most important days of her life. Personally I would define my culture as complicated because I am Mexican American and whenever I go to school people say that if I dont speak Spanish Im not a Mexican and that is true I am Mexican American. Also Mexicans can be Mexican American just because you do not speak the language does not mean you are not a part of that culture. Well I think the culture will just keep on changing because first we went to girls at 15 were able to have babies and become a woman and have a family well know that is not possible we just celebrate that she is turning into a woman and that is what I think will happen as we keep on moving further into the future. I hope that my culture achieves just to spread around and even if people do change the cultures then at least know why you are celebrating a certain event dont just celebrate just to do it actually learn why. I will be apart of this by telling the Mexican American cultures to my grand kids and my future kids.