When we first moved into the village, we were regularly asked, “Do you know how to make tortillas?” That question was rapidly followed by, “Do you guys have food?” and “Are you eating?”. We assured them that yes, we had food, we were eating well, and that we didn’t know how to make tortillas, but we wanted to learn.
After a bit, when someone else asked, “Do you know how to make tortillas?” one of us, feeling foolish in our incompetence, answered, “No, but we can make bread.” “Oh, good.” was the reply. “Then you can eat.”
We realized then that the people weren’t being nosy, they were concerned for us how we were able to eat if we didn’t now how to make tortillas. For them, bread for them is a special treat that they make every once in a while. And, only a few know how to make it.
We quickly learned how to make tortillas. The people enjoyed watching us learn to make tortillas and were relieved that we could take care of ourselves by making tortillas and bread. Now we eat both tortillas and bread.
Since then, a few people have come us to teach them to make bread. So, one day I made “bread” with my language helper, Queen, so that I could learn all the phrases to teach someone in Nahuatl.
We made pancakes so we didn’t have to wait for the dough to raise.
After watching me for a while, she wanted to try it herself.
She took all the pancakes home to her brothers and sisters and her kids. They all loved the treat!
We have traded cultures a bit. The Nahuatl have taught us to make tortillas how they make them. And, we have taught a few how to make bread items. We love it and they love it! 🙂
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.