14 minute read
Hidalgo County food writer shares her story
FACES OF THE VALLEY: MEET THE KITCHEN WRANGLER
Hidalgo County Food Writer Shares Her Story
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by Elisa Garcia | photos by Melissa Guerra
In 2017, Melissa Guerra closed her retail shop, Latin Kitchen Market, in San Antonio and hopped on a plane the next day to England to study photography from Aimee Twigger of Twigg Studios and Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation. Guerra’s goal was to recreate the dark and moody aesthetic from Twigger and Espinel and apply it to her up-and-coming food blog, Kitchen Wrangler. The inspiration behind Kitchen Wrangler’s aesthetic comes from Mexican painter, José Agustín Arrieta, mostly known for his still-life paintings depicting Mexican foods and dishes.
Now, four years later, Guerra continues to share recipes specializing in Texas, Mexican, and Latin-American cuisine. Guerra is no stranger to the food industry. She has been a culinary expert and food historian for nearly 20 years and is the author of two cookbooks, The Texas Provincial Kitchen (1997) and Dishes from the Wild Horse: Norteño Cuisine of South Texas (2006).
“Talking about the complexities in the beauty of being in the Rio Grande Valley and seeing this point where Latin American and North American cuisine are at the dovetail point here on the border,” Guerra said. “I cannot think of anything more inspiring, or more compelling, as an artist and writer to be able to explain that combination and extend the food history of the Americas, and understand the blend of indigenous cuisine and colonial influence.”
Born and raised in South Texas, Guerra began writing as a project of self-identity. In December 2020, Guerra graduated from the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley with a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. With most of her work showcased via social media, Guerra explained the MFA program aided her in creating stories and sharing them with the world to see.
“I think there are some people that look at colonialism or immigration patterns, and they find their identity there. But for me, it was food,” she said. “Getting down to the nitty-gritty of who exactly belongs in the Rio Grande Valley because we're all from someplace else. And food is cool — let's look at the most common food in the Valley, rice and beans. If rice is originally from China and then beans are from the Americas, what are they doing on the same plate? How are (rice and beans) the oldest and most traditional dish here in the Rio Grande Valley?”
The bi-culturalism of the RGV is something Guerra loves and tries to showcase the area’s diversity through the dark and mysterious tones of her photos.
“I think (the Valley) is somewhat similar to the crossculture that you see between New Orleans and French culture. The Valley is its own amalgam of different cultures because we're remote,” Guerra said. “Not a lot of people travel here. I think it makes us even more mysterious. People are like, ‘What? You speak mostly Spanish in the Valley?’ Like, yeah. It's just the way it is. It's just very unfamiliar to outsiders. So it's cool to be that person that's attempting to create that.”
Guerra shares weekly recipes and video podcasts across Kitchen Wrangler platforms, receiving the most engagement on foods such as desserts, guacamole, and botana platters — a dish that is “super Valley,” according to Guerra. As an eighth-generation Texan, Guerra said food writing is political and incorporates the realities of the RGV, such as immigration, in her food, photography, and writing.
“Keeping the Rio Grande Valley in social media and getting people to pay attention to my part of the country is like a responsibility,” she said. “I want to talk about food and politics. You know, if you love a place, you have to talk about it honestly. It’s about knowing how to choose the right words so that you can inspire somebody to get involved and to be more interested.”
Growing up on a ranch in Hidalgo County, a major part of Guerra’s childhood was collecting broken shreds of English dinnerware found using a metal detector. Some would not think twice about the hidden relics, but Guerra found herself digging deeper into the colonialism of the Valley with the stay-at-home order from the pandemic.
In 2020, Guerra wrote an article for Texas Monthly discussing the fragments. According to the article, English china indicates the rise of consumer culture in 1800s Texas. Despite South Texas producing pottery, transporting these ceramics to South Texas became more
efficient — and thus more affordable. Guerra explained hunting and collecting the fragments have brought her closer to female predecessors of the Valley.
“None of (women’s history) was really written down. Nobody really thought it was all that interesting or worth recording. That’s one of the reasons I got into cuisine, because it's more of a women’s history of the Rio Grande Valley,” she said. “I love getting these old cookbooks that were created in church groups. Women would put these cookbooks together for fundraisers, and you see what women's perspectives were, and how they acted in their normal day, and how things have changed tremendously. They had a very separate society, compared to men.”
Two women Guerra holds great memories of are her grandmothers. Cooking with her grandmothers was one of her favorite experiences growing up and putting together traditional Tex-Mex dinners or cakes and cookies.
“Back in those days, people didn't go get hamburgers and pizza. They cooked at home. And we cooked three meals a day,” she said. “I still live out in the ranchlands, and we cook three meals a day. We don't go out. There's no delivery. We never have ice cream. We just cook. And it's really fun to just prepare all your meals all day.”
For the latest recipes from Kitchen Wrangler, follow Guerra on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Twitter.
VALLEY HISTORY
De Hoyos DRIVE-THRU
by Steven Hughes | photos provided
Juan De Hoyos walked into court in Edinburg. His mission: to make De Hoyos Drive-Thru a registered business. He wandered around, asking employees there for directions to the office that will help him achieve his goal. After the staff answered his questions, he found where he needed to go. A woman greeted him and directed him to a book that listed all the registered businesses — the purpose is to make sure no one else claimed his drive-thru’s name. He perused through the book, looking for other drive-thrus; however, there were none in 1996. That was how he discovered he started the first drivethru in the Rio Grande Valley. After filling out paperwork and paying $13, his next step was city hall in Palmview. This is where he filled out more paperwork with De Hoyos Drive-Thru's address, Federal Tax Identification Number, and paid a yearly fee.
Alondra De Hoyos, daughter of Juan De Hoyos, translating for her father
Twenty-five years later, the drive-thru still stands, although it has gone through name and ownership changes. Regardless, De Hoyos holds the title of first drive-thru in the Valley close to his heart.
He saw drive-thrus operating in Mexico, watching cars drive in and leave with snacks, sodas, and alcohol. De Hoyos decided he wanted to bring that to the Valley. He had no doubt it would flourish here — its uniqueness aided the success.
The community appreciated De Hoyos’ drive-thru as it allowed them to dress casually — some even came in pajamas — without worrying about their appearance and being able to drive home quickly. Even Winter Texans enjoyed the drive-thru. "[The community] would tell him that it was pretty and it was something new they haven't seen," said Alondra De Hoyos, De Hoyos’ daughter, translating for her father. "Thankfully, because they went to see what was going on ... they became frequent customers."
Changes came to the Valley four years after De Hoyos Drive-Thru opened. He and his faithful customers noticed more drivethrus popping up; some asked De Hoyos if he owned them, to which he answered that he didn't. He didn’t see them as competition because he understood that everyone needs to make money.
Of course, maintaining a following is challenging. The drive-thru achieved this by having the products sold at affordable prices, which added to its success, customer retention, and compliments from beer delivery drivers.
“The people who [brought] the beers tell him it’s the drive-thru that needs more beers because they sell them fast, even though there are other drive-thrus closer to the company that brings the beers,” Alondra De Hoyos translated.
De Hoyos’ drive-thru was a hit in the Valley. There has been a time where more than 25 cars lined up. Unfortunately, this attention became stressful for De Hoyos — drive-thrus don’t get holidays off. The stress caused him to change the drive-thru's ownership. After giving control of the operations at De Hoyos Drive-Thru to a new owner around the 2000s, they changed its name to Ramos Drive-Thru; it held that name for 17 years. Now, it's called El Mexican Drive-Thru, located at 600 E. Loop 374 in Palmview.
De Hoyos hopes the future of the historic drive-thru is to keep bringing in customers.
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DROPPED, LIFTED, & CHROME
Trokiando Culture in the RGV
by Nathaniel Mata | photos by Yadira Hernandez
If you've ever seen a loud truck with a shiny paint job, usually with a decal to mark a crew or family name, you've experienced Trokiando culture. Some people joke about the practice, but others appreciate the camaraderie, friendship, and fun that comes with the hobby of customizing and showing off a decked-out pick-up truck.
The Valley is always a little different than the rest of the world. While car culture is a nationwide hobby, the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico love their trucks — dropped trucks.
Luis Chavez is a member of Pro Gear Racing. The group participates in events and will enter trucks in races at Edinburg Motorsports Park. "I've always been involved with trucks; I've always liked the low trucks, the speed, the adrenaline. It just looks nice when you get in a little group with five or 10 trucks," Chavez said. "It feels good when someone turns and gives you a thumbs up when someone admires your ride."
He stressed right away that he and his peers follow the rules. Trokiando culture, similar to car and street racing culture, often gets a bad name because of stereotypes and
stories of illegal racing and activities.
So why is truck culture such a good fit in the Valley? It connects Mexican with modern culture on both sides of the river. "In my point of view, it's because we're Mexicans, and we just like that stuff," he said with a laugh. "We're getting more involved in the look and style."
Style, music, and clothing are a big part of what makes this more than a hobby but a deep and growing culture.
Events are key to building strong connections with fellow truck enthusiasts and fostering community around the interest, like the Valluco Throwdown Car & Truck show that took place in July at Hidalgo's Payne Arena.
Chavez says this is what makes the scene grow. "The simple fact that you have a tint with the crew name, your family comes out. Everyone wearing the same crew shirt looks so nice," he said. "The gathering, having a cold beer on a 100-degree day, and walking around enjoying other types of trucks."
Chavez says the most common trucks out there are GMC or Chevy. He's more of a Ford guy. "And you don't see too many Fords," Chavez said. "Not a lot of people know how to build Fords, but when you get it done right, it's really nice. Most of the parts you find online, but more shops are offering more of the products. There's a shop that only paints; there's some that only put audio systems. As it seems to be growing here in the Valley, now these shops are purchasing all the stuff you need."
Chavez says the scene is growing more than ever, especially with youngsters straight out of (or still in) high school owning and dropping trucks. "It's insane; it's rocking high right now,” he said. “I'm only 26, but I remember when my older brother was into it. It was big then, but now you see kids only 15 or 16 years old coming out with trucks. Back in the day, you wouldn't have a truck until you had a license. I'd rather them do that than do bad stuff on the streets."
Chavez did admit that there can be issues in the community, but lawbreakers don't respect the movement.
“There are all types of crazy people in this world, and there's always going to be. It sucks to say it, people doing bad things,” Chavez said. "If you just obey the law, there can be all types of fun. And there's going to be people doing bad, and others are going to see trucking in a bad way that it's everyone's fault."
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