Soup at the Distinguished Table in Mexico City, 1830-1920
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SOUP AT THE DISTINGUISHED TABLE IN MEXICO CITY, 1830-1920 Nanosh Lucas A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2017 Committee: Amílcar Challú, Committee Co-Chair Franciso Cabanillas, Committee Co-Chair Amy Robinson Timothy Messer-Kruse © 2017 Nanosh Jacob Isadore Joshua Lucas All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Amílcar Challú, Committee Co-Chair Francisco Cabanillas, Committee Co-Chair This thesis uses soup discourse as a vehicle to explore dimensions of class and hierarchies of taste in Mexican cookbooks and newspapers from 1830-1920. It contrasts soups with classic European roots, such as sopa de pan (bread soup), with New World soups, such as sopa de tortilla (tortilla soup) and chilaquiles (toasted tortillas in a soupy sauce made from chiles). I adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, combining quantitative methods in the digital humanities with qualitative techniques in history and literature. To produce this analysis, I draw from Pierre Bourdieu’s work on distinction and social capital, Max Weber’s ideas about modernization and rationalization, and Charles Tilly’s notions of categorical inequality. Results demonstrate that soup plays a part in a complex drama of inclusion and exclusion as people socially construct themselves in print and culinary practice. Elites attempted to define respectable soups by what ingredients they used, and how they prepared, served, and consumed soup. Yet, at the same time, certain soups seemed to defy hierarchical categorization, and that is where this story begins. iv To Lisa and Isadora Lucas. Thank you for your sacrifices. To Esther and Bruce Lucas, my parents. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful for… My wife, Lisa, and daughter, Isadora, for their patience and understanding during the many nights I wore a dent in the couch and was slow to wake up in the morning to join the family. Three moves and three years away from home, we return with two freshly-minted Master’s degrees and a wealth of experiences to share. The abiding faith and encouragement of Dr. Amílcar Challú, who read and re-read my work with interest and incisive feedback. Our conversations these past two years have been some of the most thought provoking in my academic career. I will cherish the time I spent under his mentorship. After having read so many books from his personal library, I have begun to plagiarize his annotation style of triangles, jagged underlining, and asterisks. The support and encouragement of Dr. Amy Robinson, whose phone call while I was in a parking lot in Phoenix, Oregon, convinced both Lisa and me to come to Bowling Green, and who has left an indelible imprint on my thinking and scholarship. Her mentorship, especially in this final stage, has been imprescindible. The penetrating intellect of Dr. Francisco Cabanillas, who forced me to examine my binary modes of thinking, both in class and on paper. The wit and intellect of Dr. Timothy Messer-Kruse, whose course in American Culture Studies will stand out in memory—he strikes the final note in the quartet of this thesis committee. Dr. Ruth Herndon, who in three semesters convinced me to take myself and my work as a professional historian seriously. I thank her for any grey hairs she may have added under my tutelage. Her question, “What sacrifices will you make?” will continue to challenge me to find balance as I enter this new phase. vi Dr. Michael Brooks, without whose assistance in the History Department at key moments would have left me floundering. Dr. Apollos Nwauwa, in whose class I cut my teeth as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Lynn Pearson, for her support throughout my Spanish teaching at Bowling Green State University. Dr. Javier Blanco Planelles, Dr. Susana Juarez, Dr. Elisabet Magro García, Dr. Roshan Samtani, and Magda Gallinat from the satellite school in Alcalá de Henares, all who were instrumental in preparing me for my Spanish qualifying exams and facilitating life in Spain with a family. My two-decade friendship with Dr. Joseph Woolcock, who was on the ground floor of my intellectual awakening and has seen me through some of the most difficult challenges in my life. Clint Rodreick, at Phoenix High School in Phoenix, Oregon, a history teacher who inspires his students and colleagues every day to think critically. He has been my friend and mentor since we both started teaching in 2008. My family, whose value for education has been an underlying source of inspiration. Friends and acquaintances who have endured my obscure emails, random texts, and the long answer to the question, “How is your thesis coming along?” Faculty and Staff at the Departments of History and Spanish, and especially Tina Thomas, who has imparted much wisdom over the last few years. Rachel de La Cruz and Amy Smith, for their forever-filled bowls of candy, assistance in times of dire need, and cheerful energy. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER 1. SETTING THE TABLE: CONTEXT, THEORY, AND METHODS .......... 4 Thesis and Contributions ........................................................................................... 4 A Brief Historiography of Food in Mexico ............................................................... 7 What is Soup, Anyway? ............................................................................................. 9 The Porfiriato ............................................................................................................ 11 The Gente Decente ..................................................................................................... 16 Theoretical Framework .............................................................................................. 16 Methods ............................................................................................................ 20 CHAPTER 2. A STEW OF INGREDIENTS: CALDO IN FAMILY MENUS AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE .......................................................................................................... 23 Vignette: Rafaelita ..................................................................................................... 23 The Clock in the Kitchen, 1909 ................................................................................. 26 A Weberian Weekly Menu: Advice to Newlywed Housewife .................................. 27 Text Mining ............................................................................................................ 30 Cookbooks ..................................................................................................... 31 Newspapers .................................................................................................... 34 Caldo Recipes ............................................................................................................ 37 CHAPTER 3. BREAD AND SOPA DE PAN: TEXT MINING FOR STORIES AND RECIPES ............................................................................................................................... 40 viii You are What You Eat ............................................................................................... 40 Text Mining Pambazo and Cemitas in Google Ngrams ............................................ 42 “Sopa de Pan” in Cookbooks and Newspapers .......................................................... 43 Vignette: The Last Supper ......................................................................................... 48 Sopa de Pan Recipes .................................................................................................. 50 CHAPTER 4. CHILAQUILES AND SOPA DE TORTILLA: THE SAME SOUP IN DIFFERENT RECIPES? ....................................................................................................... 59 Cantinflas and the Chilaquiles ................................................................................... 59 Trends in Newspapers and Cookbooks ...................................................................... 61 Chilaquiles and a Family Budget ............................................................................... 66 Chilaquiles in a Poem ................................................................................................ 67 Chilaquiles in a Family Meal ..................................................................................... 67 Sopa de Tortilla: The Not-so-Splendorous-but-Acceptable Rustic Meal .................. 68 What Happens when the Country Mouse Comes to the City? ................................... 69 CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................... 74 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 76 APPENDIX A. FIGURE 5: INGREDIENTS IN FIVE COOKBOOKS: ORGANIZED BY FREQUENCY OF MENTION ....................................... 84 APPENDIX B. FIGURE 6: INGREDIENTS IN FIVE COOKBOOKS: ORGANIZED BY RANKING AND TYPE .................................................. 86 APPENDIX C. FIGURE 11: NEWSPAPERS: “SOPA DE PAN” MENTIONS, 1800-1920 ................................................................................ 88 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Restaurant Advertisement .......................................................................................... 1 2