I will be in UCSB on Tuesday, May 17th.

That's right!

I will be in Santa Barbara, helping the People rise from the Fire with food and good energy.

I hope you can join me.

Click here for more info.

To Remember the L.A. "Riots" - RR #429: Sisig King Taco

It’s the 17th anniversary of the L.A. Riots, and I had to put the recipe for the food some comrades and I ate 17 years ago in Los Angeles when I was there. For those comrades that don’t remember the L.A. “Riots”, they occurred after the verdict of Rodney King was announced. I was in the middle cooking for the masses, when some friends that couldn’t go back to their burning homes, called me to make some food for them. All we could find was some carnitas, cooked pig, (because the grocery stores were emptied or burning around us). I used it to make a dish for my comrades. One of my Filipino comrades exclaimed "This tastes like Sisig!" – the Filipino dish that is all the pig with kalamansi and chile that comes from Angeles City (that’s like the City of Angels).

We called my recipe Sisig King Taco to give props to the taco trucks that keep the masses going in L.A. Other friends called it “burning on the inside” because that’s how they felt because they ate too much (Remember comrades, balance! moderation! balance!). This recipe is great for when you have a city on fire and you don’t have time to eat because you are trying to see if your loved ones are ok, or you are trying to get around the police barricades, so people can come together as a community.

While the city was burning, I remember the unity we, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latino, Latino-Asian, African-American, and European-American, all embraced as we embraced the Sisig King Taco. A big thank you to our Samoan brother who used the wisdom of the Stylistics and Freddie Jackson to cool off our tempers, so we did not get into the fray.

For all my Muslim and Vegetarian Sisters, Brothers, and non-gender specific folks (And revolutionary Pilipino Muslims and Vegans out there!), there is a Soy King Taco recipe below.

Revolutionary Recipe #429: Sisig King Taco (or Burning on the Inside)

Elements
around enough for all your friends amount of Carnitas, in chunks
container of Jalapeños, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, quartered
3 lemons, cut in wedges
2-3 doz. corn tortillas

For Soy King Taco
Replace the carnitas with soy chorizo and diced potatoes. This takes the pig out of the recipe, but keeps the burn.

Preparation
Take the Carnitas and cut them in chunks and fry them, not too much, a bit crispy on one side. If you are cooking Soy King Taco, take some olive oil, put it on medium fire, then put the soy chorizo and diced potatoes, fry them up. (For those making Soy Burning add oregano to the mix)

Slice the onion. Quarter the tomatoes. Arrange together with randomness like the random searches the FBI and the LAPD did on people’s houses and cars April 29th. Squeeze the lemon (remember bitterness last!) all over the carnitas (or chorizo) mix.

Serve with tortillas in a warm tortilla. Make sure everyone does the handwashing ritual (20 seconds people!) so they can use their hands to grab the mix of carnitas, and put into a tortilla to make a sisig taco.

When you eat this, think about the LAPD’s mantra to serve and protect and how when we serve each other good food, and eat with moderation, we protect our families and communities. Police brutality never satisfies.

Eating together as a community always does. This dish is good to play dominoes or a game that brings people together, as we played during the Riots because we watched the city we loved burned, but we had each other.

Never Fear!
Mero Cocinero is here! (And you, to cook your meal!)

In solidarity,
Mero

Former Govt Chief: Fast Food = Terrorism?

Dr. Kessler, a former FDA chief, on the TV today said Fast Food hijacks the brain. Now Fast food is a terrorist? Does that mean the Fast Food companies sponsor terrorism, and now according to the Patriot Act they should b closed down?

You be the judge?

clipped from www.boston.com

WASHINGTON—Food hijacked Dr. David Kessler's brain. Not apples or carrots. The scientist who once led the government's attack on addictive cigarettes can't wander through part of San Francisco without craving a local shop's chocolate-covered pretzels. Stop at one cookie? Rarely.

It's not an addiction but it's similar, and he's far from alone. Kessler's research suggests millions share what he calls "conditioned hypereating" -- a willpower-sapping drive to eat high-fat, high-sugar foods even when they're not hungry.

"The food industry has figured out what works. They know what drives people to keep on eating," Kessler tells The Associated Press. "It's the next great public health campaign, of changing how we view food, and the food industry has to be part of it."

For more on the article, Click here.

Tomorrow, I will have recipes for you to give your brains more choice in the matter.

Never fear,

Mero Cocinero is here!

Recipes for Philadelphia!!!

A big thank you to the home of American Independence and Philly Soul and to the Asian Arts Initiative.

Here are the recipes from our Obama celebration episode.

The recipes will be online for one week, and then if you want them, you must email me at merococinero at gmail dot com. (As you can see they have been removed.

Remember, we only put measurements here not so you succumb to a system of measure. Government regulation cannot outdo cooking with feeling. Try these recipes with the measure they create your own interpretations. You are a poet, create. Magic is created from the willingness to risk, and the belief that you can create something out of nothing. Power to the people in the kitchen and everywhere and anytime people need the power, Mero Cocinero Karimi for more recipes or more views about food y cultura, go to merococinero.com



In solidarity,
Mero Cocinero

Hella Pella

That's right! A whole group of students and teachers from Pella, Iowa came to The Cooking Show Holiday Party for the People. Even a whole birthday party celebrating the birthday party of a man that became 75 years old this last sunday. Now, that's a party I can alway vote for!

We have 3 more shows in Minneapolis before we head to Houston! Get your tickets here

Que Viva Pella!