Photo: Goya.com

Plátanos are a wonderful part of the Latin American diet and can be served in a number of ways. Here is a wonderful recipe, from Goya, that covers chicken in plátanos.

In this weeks edition of Flashback Fridays we turn our attention to El Rey de La Cancion Ranchera, Vicente Fernandez and one of his most recognizable songs “Volver, Voler.” This song is about a long lost love in which the singer is yearning to return to but is coming to grips with the reality that this will never happen. The song itself is a short one but the lyrics, combined with the power and passion in which “Chente” puts into it has left such an impression in Ranchera music that it is one, if not the most popular song in the artist’s impressively long discography. 

Written by Fernando Z Maldonado, this song has been covered time again by artists such as Costa Rican singer Chavela Vargas, Spanish Latin Grammy Nominee Concha Buika, Chicano Rock band Los Lobos, multi-platinum artist Lucero, as well as Vicente Fernandez’ own son, Alejandro Fernandez, but none have been able to leave an impression the way Vicente Fernandez has.

With his trademark “Charro” suit, wide brimmed hat, and accompaniment of Mariachi, Chente has performed in the largest and most prestigious venues in the world. In a career spanning five decades he has also countless awards and recognition throughout the entertainment industry, as well as regularly topping the charts throughout this journey. Chente claims to have 300 unreleased songs, meaning there are a possible 30 more albums that have yet to be released even after retiring. So here’s to looking forward to more of El Rey de La Cancion Ranchera. Like fine wine, he only gets better with time!

The top networks: CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC se unieron in their programming on Tuesday night for what are the political Academy Awards. The biggest night of the year for politicos (other than presidential election day, the World Cup of politics): the State of the Union Address.

However, for us Latinos there was something missing. The largest networks for Hispanic America were absent in providing this critical programming, instead choosing to broadcast their bread and butter, telenovelas. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with catching an episode or two or three or getting hooked (not that I speak from experience) on the promise of a happily ever after, but there is also nothing wrong with showing them at a later time or postponing for the next day.

Now, I will give Univision and Telemundo some credit. They did broadcast it on their other networks, Galavision and Mun2 respectively. However, these networks have a much lower viewership than Univision and Telemundo.

Univision Network states on their website, “No other network has such an unparalleled connection with America’s youngest and fastest-growing consumer group.” They are the media leader when it comes to the Hispanic audience, therefore they should lead by example. Let’s make that connection they speak of count. People rely on them for educational content, especially when Hispanic political involvement is critical for our nation’s future. What we must realize is that we must not only vote, but we must be educated on our vote and an important component to this is to be exposed to significant political events such as the annual State of the Union address.

This address is not second best; therefore it should not be passed on to your second best channel. And no, it is not enough to run “highlights” later when most people go to bed. There is a reason why the nation’s top networks delay their award-winning, multi-million dollar programming and make room to provide this educational content for their viewers. It’s that important.

As we work to have Hispanic America’s political voice heard, we can’t help but look to our powerful media allies to assist with information. At the end of the day if we are not unidos, it does not matter how many Hispanics there are, we will still not be represented well.

To learn more about Luis, visit Contigo Global Philanthropy.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

But what’s Friday without a little music? Join us in celebrating Friday’s arrival with some of the team’s Friday-themed favorites.

This one is made for chair-dancing…

But if you prefer something a little more mello…

And the favorite of some of our team (we’re shaking our heads too, play at your own risk)…

Happy Viernes, from the Being Latino team!

Some may be students, part-time workers or anyone else trying to supplement whatever it is they’re earning. Some of them may be good enough for you to stop and listen for a while to enjoy their sounds, others not so much.

But what if a famously, classically trained musician set up shop (dressed as any other busker) and played his best pieces? Would you recognize talent and beauty when you heard it, or would you tune it out with the rest of the world? In 2007, The Washington Post had Joshua Bell, one of the nation’s great classical musicians, do just that. Watch the results:

Read the full story at The Washington Post.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

Photo EFE

Over the years, the rise in childhood obesity has been an issue that many have spoken out against. The lack of nutrition in school lunches and the fact that some school have gotten rid of recess, haven’t necessarily helped the matter.

But a big question is how to get children excited about exercising? One way is to make it fun and engaging. Reggaeton duo Edgardo Y D’Niel seek to do just that as the new spokesmen for Puerto Rico’s “A Moverse” campaign, which seeks to motivate children and teens to exercise.This campaign is a response to the juvenile obesity that affects about 32 percent of Puerto Rico’s population.

Read more at Fox News Latino.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

While stumping on Florida’s famed Space Coast, Gingrich made new commitments to the space program – a program that has been largely diminished by the Obama administration. His claim is that by his second term, the United States will have an established base on our moon, and be well on our way to a manned mission to Mars.

Read more at Politico.com.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

Even President Obama weighed in on the debate, when he said that the law threatened, “to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.”

A day after the State of the Union Address, President Obama traveled to Arizona and was barely off Air Force One when, what should have been a cordial meeting on the tarmac, turned into an apparently testy discussion between the President and the Governor. While the reporters on the scene could not hear what was said, their body language spoke volumes. The encounter ended when the President walked away from the Governor while she was still talking.

Read more at the LA Times.com.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

I recently spoke with, Dash Harris, a Panamanian-American filmmaker whose project “Negro: A Docu-Series about Latino Identity,” seeks to open a dialogue about the perception of beauty, and its relation to skin pigmentation; the stigmas one faces within the perception of race, and the resulting effect on one’s identity.

What does a Latino look/sound like? There’s no simple answer. We are over 24 different countries that have been labeled many differing terms, but as a whole, Latino/Hispanic, by modern civilization. Still, the world judges everyone primarily by outward appearance.

Dash shares, “Everyone speaks differently, not every [Latina speaks] like Rosie Perez… You have so many documentaries, books and series on Black American History, which is great, but what about descendants from Latin America, what’s our history?” We agreed. Accurately detailed Latin American History is not a reality in the school curriculum because of its Eurocentric favor. When the topic is brought up, focus is primarily on Mayan and Incan civilizations. The subject of African influence is often just chalked-up to slavery, and not looked at as people who banded with, and influenced another indigenous culture, due to a common oppressor. That resulting untold truth can have such a profound impact on the disenfranchised youth.

“I used to tutor a Dominican kid, [whose little brother] was learning about Africa, thought it was boring, [until I explained how] Africa had such an influence on Dominican culture; how runaway slaves hiding in the villages, were taken in and exchanged tools with tribes. They both sat there eyes wide like ‘Really?’ their minds were blown, in that ten minutes [we spoke]. They had no idea, smiled, thought it was so cool and wanted to learn more about it. Had I not been there, maybe their parents would tell them eventually, but who knows?”

Continuing we discussed the reality of racism not being something immigrants are faced with until they leave their country; that the concept of being Latino or Hispanic is learned when arriving in the U.S., “My host family in DR, said ‘We don’t know that term Latino, we have to learn that when we go to the U.S., nobody says that, you say you’re Dominican, that’s what you are.’”

Talking for over an hour, we agreed on quite a bit, above all, the necessity to celebrate our culture and undo the stereotypes giving it a bad name.

“Like the term, Pelo Malo, I never knew, because my family never said it, [their mindset was], ‘This is what we are, and we celebrate it, you have a big nose, big lips, big eyes, and that’s beautiful,’ but other people didn’t think that, their family may have said [the opposite]… I had to learn that others didn’t embrace it as readily as my family did. Which was really upsetting – because you go home and that should be the place you’re most comfortable and feel most part of a community; and for some people that’s not the case. Could you imagine if we didn’t have these notions of this is pretty and this is not, where we would be at this point? My father used to say ‘Somos gente primero’ our blood is still red, we are one human race.”

As a close to our discussion, and as we do with everyone we meet, I posed the question: What does it mean to #BeLatino/a?

“I ask that question to everybody, and either it’s easy or hard for them. For me it was pretty easy because my parents were very aware. They knew where they were from and what was what – so to me being Latina is everything I know. When I woke up and went to school – that was America; when I came home and entered my parents’ house – that was Panama. Any American references, they had to learn from me. Even today my mother says to ‘You’re the Bomba!’  ‘You mean the bomb Mami? Who taught you that?’ To me, it was what I knew, I had to learn to be American and these pop culture references from my friends, because [that wasn’t present] in my house. So when you talk about culture and identity, I identify as an American Latina, and that’s another identity crisis – straddling those two worlds. To me it’s inherent; it’s just what you are.”

“Aside from the implications of colonialism and Europeans imposing the word on us, Latino/Hispanic – we did develop our own culture from what we had. From our colonizers, indigenous people, and African slaves; we made something out of that. I think that’s what to be proud of, you have both sides of the argument, you shouldn’t label ourselves as this, but that’s the culture – that culture that developed from what we made due with; and I think that’s the fact that needs to be celebrated.”

Latino, Hispanic, Indigenous, Afro-Latino, Spanish, Caribbean, South American, African, European, Asian, or American, we are a product of this world. Our ancestors – no matter which country they were from, evolved, and developed their own rich culture; then were influenced by colonizers, war, slavery and religion.

Through progression, modernization, and technological advancement we’ve maintained a core set of traditions, mannerisms, and community that bond us all through social interaction. No matter which way you cut it, that is the human experience and maybe if there were less argument over what divides us, we’d be able to focus on what brings us together.

Events Director, Robert Rios III.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________

Which did you learn first: the Our Father, or el Padre Nuestro?

If you were raised in a Spanish-speaking household, you were most likely taught to say your prayers in Spanish. And if this was the case, you probably also went to mass en español.

I never liked going to church, but I was forced to wake up early and attend. One Sunday, at the age of 10, I thought I was smart and tried to get out of it. I lied and told my mother I didn’t want to go because I didn’t understand what was being said.

So she took me to an English mass instead.

That was the day I came to appreciate la misa. I sat there in that English mass and felt completely out of place. It was very dark and quiet, with most of the light focused on the priest at the front of the church. I didn’t know most of the prayers, and I didn’t know how to answer during the call-and-response part of the service. The tone of the mass was so serious, so cold. There were people there, but somehow the place felt empty anyway. Everything felt wrong.

I suddenly started missing my usual priest, a very nice gringo who spoke Spanish with a funny accent. I missed seeing familiar faces, and knowing whether to kneel or stand at certain times. And I remember asking myself: where was the live music?

I didn’t know it then, but what I was missing most were my Latinos, and the Latin flavor we give to everything we do. Even if we’re in church, estamos gozando (unless it’s Good Friday, or Holy Saturday). The songs at my church were festive, always accompanied by a guitar, tambourine, and maracas. People would be moving to the beat, clapping their hands, and singing along loudly as they stood in their pews. And at least once per mass we prayed out loud together. We’d raise our hands up to shoulder-height, and hold hands with the person next to us, even if they were strangers. We were unified, not only by our faith, but by our language and our culture. I had no idea that church could be any other way.

After that experience, I told my mother that I preferred going to the Spanish mass instead. She just smiled and nodded, pleased with the outcome of her experiment. Although I’m not a Catholic anymore, I still occasionally need to attend mass for other family members and their religious events. To this day, although English continues to be the language I speak most comfortably, I still prefer a Spanish mass. No matter what church it is, the warmth and love of our community is always there, and that is something I can always appreciate.

To learn more about Cindy, visit Cindy’s Chronicles.

______________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of
the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

______________________________________________________________