Copyright by Vanessa Fonseca 2003
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Copyright by Vanessa Fonseca 2003 The Dissertation Committee for Vanessa Fonseca certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Fractal Capitalism and the Latinization of the US Market Committee: _________________________ Neal M. Burns, Supervisor _________________________ Dana L. Cloud _________________________ Brian M. Stross _________________________ Richard R. Flores _________________________ Federico Subervi _________________________ Minette E. Drumwright Fractal Capitalism and the Latinization of the US Market by Vanessa Fonseca (B.A., M. Litt., M.A.) Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fullfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December, 2003 Truth is the kind of error without which a certain species of life could not live Friedrich Nietzsche The Will to Power, 493 (1885) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the following people for their direction, assistance, and support in making this project a success Mr. Roy G. Martinez, Neal M. Burns, Ph. D., Dana L. Cloud, Ph. D, Brian M. Stross, Ph. D, Richard R. Flores, Ph. D, Federico Subervi, Ph. D, Mimi Drumwright, Ph. D, Elizabeth Mikel, Frank Mikel, Clarena Larrotta, Yaron Shemer, Guiselle Garcia, Razmik Oganesyan, Rita Porras, Alicia Gurdián, Luz Escoto, Ayse Binay, Yolanda Duque, Elvia Casanova, and all my friends at the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Texas at Austin whose social capital, humor, solidarity, and friendship gave me the strength to finish. v Fractal Capitalism and the Latinization of the US Market Publication No. ____________ Vanessa Fonseca, Ph. D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2003 Supervisor: Neal M. Burns This study proposes the analysis of four different aspects of the Latinization of the US market as showcases representing the multifaceted nature of the phenomenon. The first case explores the incorporation of the maize culture and the invention of corn chips and tortilla chips in the USA. The second case analyzes the emergence and popularization of a trend in gourmet cuisine called Nuevo Latino and its impact in the restaurant industry. The third example studies the Hägen Dazs’ Dulce de Leche vi phenomenon as a fair example of glocal practices in late capitalism. Finally, the fourth case assesses the development of Goya Food Inc. and their role in producing subjectivities and branded communities not only among Hispanics, but also among members of the general American market. The Latinization of the US market takes place in different instances, segments or niches, targeting a myriad of groups with different marketing strategies. From the exoticism of gourmet cuisine to the mass production of tortilla chips, this process encompasses not only the introduction of new products and flavors to the market, but also the transformation of traditional Latin American artifacts and practices and its correspondent re-semantization among other groups of consumers. Inspired by critical theory, cultural anthropology, and semiotics, this project analyzes the Latinization of the US market within the frame of coloniality of power. This concept addresses conflicts among structures of power (the state, the market, the economy), discursive formations (latinidad), and systems of knowledge (Hispanic marketing & advertising). Coloniality of power will evidence how in late capitalism, the commodification of culture and the colonization of lifeworlds results from the implementation of marketing practices as neocolonial forces leading to the reconfiguration and transformation of subjectivities, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic through consumption. This is a project in cultural studies implementing a transdisciplinary approach. Rhetorical and critical analyses are the basic tools employed by the researcher in de- construction the Latinization of the US market as an example of Fractal Capitalism. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..…......……………………………………………………....v ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………vi INTRODUCTION…..………………………………………………………………….1 1. Research Questions…………………………………………………............6 2. Methodology………………………………………………………………..6 3. Theoretical Dialogues towards a Border Thinking…………………….….10 CHAPTER ONE: From Tlaxcalli to Tamalina. A Prelude for the Mexicanization of American tastes. San Antonio, Texas (1896-1932)…………………………………...16 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………... 16 1.Ab Initio, Tlaxcalli...……………………………………………………..………….19 2. San Antonio, Texas, 1890-1934: From the Chili Queens to the Modernization and Industrialization of the Maize Culture…………………………………………...24 2.1. Azteca Mills, San Antonio, Texas, 1896……………….………………...26 2.2. Branding Mexican Food with a German name...…………………………31 2.3.Achtung! Wir produzieren Mexicanishes Essen…………………………. 37 3. Toward an archeology of corn chips, tortilla chips, and the birth of restaurant snacking in San Antonio…………………………………………………………….. 41 4. Tamalina, Tejanas entrepreneurs, and the development of the Mexican restaurant industry in Texas…………..………………………………………………48 5. Deconstructing chips’ mythologies: The case of Frito Co. versus Martinez Sons Co. …………………………………………………………..…………………..52 CHAPTER TWO: Fritos: Creating a Brand Experience……….…………………….59 Introduction: Fritos’ first printed ad (April 16, 1934).. ………..…………………….59 1. Truly Krisp and Tender, Fritos, ask for them by name……………………………61 2. From the Frito Kid to the Frito Bandito……………………………………………63 3. The Frito Bandito ……………………………………………………………….....66 4. Fractal Capitalism and the Re-conquering of Aztlan……………………………...77 CHAPTER THREE: Nuevo Latino: Rebranding Latin American Cuisine…………...85 Introduction. Tortilla-free Latin American food………………………………………85 1. The heroes with a thousand tastes ………………………………………………...90 2. Producing authenticity in heterotopic ethos……………………………………….97 3. Cosmopolitism: Beyond the mirror of Authenticity…….. ………………………107 viii 4. Postmodern Nostalgia in the Nuevo Latino experience and the Society of Spectacle………………………………………………………………………… .. 116 5. Branding Différance……………………………………………………………….121 6. Pricing hyper-real………………………………………………………………….127 7. Nuevo Latino and Colonial Desire…………………………..…………………….133 CHAPTER FOUR: Dulce de Leche: Culture-free Ice Cream and the Production of Desire…………………………………………………………………………….....136 Introduction: Sweet indulgence from a future dictator ……………………………....136 1. DOOL-say duh LAY-chay or Caramel? What is in a name?..................................141 2. Colonial Experiments, Argentina, June, 1997; Miami, 1998……………………..149 3. The Rhetoric of Ice cream Desire and the colonization of lifeworlds………….....154 4. Too much pleasure? Capitalistic desire and the cannibalization of cultural difference……………………………………………………………………..162 CHAPER FIVE: The Goya Empire. Brand pilgrim communities and the colonization of everyday life….……..……………………………………………………………...178 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………....178 1. From la bodega to the Goya Empire ……..……………….………………………181 2. Branded Communities: Latinization à la Goya and the construction of subjectivities in capitalism ……………………………………………………………184 3. Brand Idolatry: On Totems, Fetishes, and Idols ………………………………….193 4. The Semiotic of Space in the supermarket and the Goya pilgrims………...……...202 5. Canned Beans, Guilt, and Love…………………………………………………....209 6. Colonizing the Other ……………………………………………………………...216 6.1. When the other is the same: The colonization of Mexican-American Tastes…………………………………………………………………………..216 6.2. What a way to Goya! Colonial desire and the cannibalization of cultural difference …..…………………………………………………………221 COROLARY: Latinization Today………………………………………………….....233 1. US Hispanics/Latinos: Romanticizing older colonies in a neocolonial order?........233 2. Postcolonial Rhetoric: The Conquest of the pockets, the capture of the hearts……237 CONCLUSIONS: Fractal Capitalism and the Latinization of the US Market………………………………………………………………………………….248 TABLES……………………………………………………………………………….271 ix APPENDIX 1 …..……………………………………………………………………..274 APPENDIX 2………………………………………………………………………….298 APPENDIX 3………………………………………………………………………….326 APPENDIX 4………………………………………………………………………….342 APPENDIX 5 …..…………………………...………………………………………...353 BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………..358 VITA…………………………………………………………………………………..374 x LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Kozernny’s Three Steps in achieving Cognitive Balance……….…………272 Table 2. What a Way to Goya Campaign Copy Chart.......………………………….273 xi INTRODUCTION SOUTH AMERICA, TAKE IT AWAY. Xavier Cugat & Bing Crosby Up here in the land of the hot-dog stand The atom bomb and the Good Humor Man We think our South American neighbors are grand We love 'em to beat the band South America, baba-loo, ay-yi-yi, baba-loo One favor you can do, ay-yi-yi, you can do You beautiful lands below Don't know what you began To put it plainly, I'm tired of shakin' To that Pan-American plan Take back your Samba, ay!, your Rumba, ay!, your Conga, ay-yi-yi! I can't keep movin', ay!, my chassis, ay!, any longer, ay-yi-yi! Now maybe Latins, ay!, in their middles, ay!, are built stronger, ay-yi-yi! But all this takin' to the quakin' and this makin' with the shakin' leaves me achin', olé! First shake around and settle there Then you shake around and settle here Then you shake around and settle there That's enough, that's enough Take it back, my spine's outta-whack There's a strange click-clack In the back of my Sacroiliac Take back your Conga, ay!, your Samba, ay!, your Rumba, ay-yi-yi! 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