Plantcestors
Daisy Salinas:
“As the daughter of Mexican migrants, reviving the traditions of my ancestors and reconnecting to my cultural roots often comes in the form of food, especially beans. My entire life, beans, in all their varieties, including pinto, black, red, and bean pods, have been a family staple. Every holiday season in Mexico, I have the fondest memories of my mom and aunts gathered in the kitchen making my favorite bean dish: bean tamales! They would also make frijoles de la olla, frijoles charros, tostadas de frijol, dulce de frijol, and more. But my love for beans wasn’t always a source of pride growing up as the only Mexican kid in a primarily all-white neighborhood and school. I experienced racism including being called a “beaner” and having my house referred to as the “Mexican burrito.” Due to racism, I tried to assimilate towards white American ways of being and eating. It took years until I was able to decolonize my mind from the white supremacist reality I became indoctrinated into. Through my journey of decolonizing my mind and restoring ancestral food knowledge (beans have been indigenous to Mexico for thousands of years!), I became proud of my heritage and proud of my love for beans! I even went so far as to reclaim the word beaner and named my punk band “Frijolera Riot” (Beaner Riot) with our slogan being, “If you mess with one bean, you mess with the whole pot!” I am so happy to say that I am now a proud Frijolera for life!"