the passing of a warrior poet

It is a sad day here in nuestra cocina. We have lost a great elder, poet, warrior who inspired me during my days as a young chef in Tejas. He was one of our greatest poets who cooked con palabras. El jefe. El Mero Poeta, raúlrsalinas.



He passed Feb. 13, 2008 in his beloved Austen, Tejas. I will miss him; we all will miss him.

Here is a recipe for him for everyone to remember him by.


Te de Yerba Buena

A good tea happens with the steeping. And with Te de Yerba Buena, it requires heat to make the whole house fill with its goodness. As El Mero raúl called it, it's medicine.

Find some good yerba buena. Heat up some water good to boiling, and place the yerba buena inside, let it steep for awhile (make sure to put the yerba buena does not get wet; you can use a bag or something else to keep it from getting wet). Let the aroma of the Yerba Buena roll through you. Take it in, take it in. And before you partake, remember warrior poet raulrsalinas, who was activista, poeta, community leader. Think of jazz, pintas, political struggles, y tacos. Yes, tacos. And you will only have just a glimpse of the man. Because all we have sometimes, when our elders pass to the other side, is our memories.

So please make some memories with your elders. Eat dinner with them tonight or share some tea with them.

This tea is good with honey tambien, pero sometimes it's just good straight just before or after a meal, when you need to center yourself after a long day and just heal, gente. Just heal.