“Delfina, ¡más tacos!”

Abstract

This paper offers a discussion of A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food, and Culture, the memoir by Chicana writer Denise Chávez. I argue that Chávez experiences the act of eating and preparing Mexican food as a critique of racism and as a way for her to assert her Mexicanidad or “Mexicanness.” More importantly, it is her mother's food that instills Chávez with pride in her ethnic heritage, providing her with the tools necessary to critique and resist various forms of oppression that she faces as a Chicana. As the paper explains, the food provided by Delfina Rede Faver Chávez feeds her daughter's political consciousness. Chávez's memoir is very recent, yet as I discuss, much food scholarship has not extensively studied the contributions made by Chicana writers.

Keywords:

• Chicana literature
• motherhood
• Chicana daughters