What is the first thing you think of when you hear "Cinco de Mayo?" I will venture a guess you may have first thought of Mexico's Independence Day rather than the Battle of Puebla in the early 1860s following Mexico's French occupation, or perhaps margaritas or deep fried ice cream before
queso frecso and chorizo. In either case, Cinco de Mayo is not a celebration of the former (though, margaritas tend to be a staple it seems), but rather of the heritage, resilience, and authenticity, of the people of Estados Unidos Mexicanos. However celebrated, I find today's Cinco de Mayo--at least, as celebrated here in the States--to represent what all other holidays represent: a communal gathering around food, which in this case is Mexican inspired. As far as a culinary challenge was concerned for this year's celebration, it was suggested I try my hand at
flan (which was a better suggestion than my initial thought of making a sombrero-looking cake) for a colleague's fourth annual Cinco de Mayo party. For me, flan is among the many dishes I refused to eat growing up (alongside seafood and eggplant) and being Filipino, the opportunity to try it was present at nearly every party. I did not, however, try flan and enjoy it until very recently (about three weeks ago) when a Filipino student on campus made some on campus and brought it the night of the tinikling performance. As was the case with seafood and eggplant, it seems my palate has become much more accepting and the journey through food seems to have fewer roadblocks as I progress.Take note not to let the opening photo of this post fool you; though the dish itself is theoretically on the easier side of the spectrum in terms of preparation, I was reminded last week that there are off nights which complicate procedure. Last Wednesday was one such night.
