JOAN L. GARCIA

"TRADITIONS"

2006 Tampa Hispanic Heritage Poster Entry

Family "TRADITIONS" are at the heart of the Latin Culture. I became a Garcia on March 20th, 1972, eloping to Alabama with my new family in tow.  Of course immediately after the ceremony we ate, but this story starts earlier when I was swept up into the Garcia Family of Ybor City, Florida.  From the first morning I visited Tampa it was "all about the food". Cafe' con leche was the required start to the day with fresh Cuban bread. My husband required his fix of black beans (frijoles negros) and rice and steak and there was always a special dinner on Sunday with family and extended family.  Everything seemed to revolve around the food, and of course to satisfy my husband's cravings I began to acquire the needed skills. This resulted in the greatest compliment, that my flan is as good as his Yeya's (his grandmother).

But my Hispanic food adventures only began with my first visit to Tampa, living in Miami for the next 20 years added it's own Latin flavors.  I loved the palomilla steak with piles of onions, french fries and black beans. From Miami we moved to Costa Rica and I still miss the restaurants and their national dish "gallo pinto", you ate it with everything, my favorite being with scrambled eggs in the morning. From there we spent ten years in Texas.  Though we lived in Central Texas, known for it's Czech sausage and kolaches, every large banquet we attended was catered by Las Casas, and I still have never had better fajitas.

Finally, we are now living in Tampa and I'm a working part of the annual family celebrations, instead of just a guest. I've cooked my first Thanksgiving, turkey of course, but with the required olives in the stuffing. Next cqme Noche Buena with the full compliment of lechon, yuca and flan. But the biggest challenge has been adapting the recipes to our changing health needs, yes, brown rice does taste good with black beans and you can make it into yellow rice and chicken (arroz con pollo).

So...all the items in this painting have particular significance; the coffee, bread and flan you've heard, but there are stories for the rest as well. The wine, a Spanish Rioja, goes back to a trip to Spain in 1976 and the family's bodega in Villa Esteba. The chorizo and cheese represent the trip as well and the lunch we had sitting on the ground next to a stream.  Ah garlic, there is never enough garlic and a staple of Latin cooking. Finally the olives, my husband's favorite, in fact, a friend gave him a whole case for a birthday gift.

Like many families we'll carry these recipes and memories with us through the years.  They represent our family heritage as well as the Hispanic Heritage of the Tampa Bay area.  

24" x 36"

oil on canvas