Archive for the ‘Dialogue not Monologue’ Category
Latin Food = ‘Latin Lite’
Tamales, tortillas, gordillos, for example all use dough made from pure grounded corn. Now, that’s a relief from the common corn syrup and enriched flours used in ninety percent of our foods today.
Latin American foods revolve around vegetables, fishes, grains, meats and exotic fruits. Fast food restaurants have demoralized and commercialized the amazing healthy Latin dishes into heart attack inducing meals. Latin food cooked at home is in most instances, healthy.
By Lucía Tovar-Matthews and Chef Portillo
READ STORY IN THE AMERICANO
When many Americans think of Latin Cuisine, an image of a fat, stuffed, beef burrito or enchiladas plunged in red sauce and cream comes to mind, let’s not even mention how spicy it may be. So many diet watchers simply disregard Latin foods to stay slim and healthy, but little did they know that Latin cuisine goes so much further, and healthier, than the stereotypical greasy burrito.
Latin America as a whole is comprised of Central, South America, and various islands along their coasts. With such tropical weather, traditional meals incorporate the use of the variety in exotic fruits and vegetation. Countries next to bodies of water, such as Costa Rica, Cuba and Puerto Rico for instance, tend to have a higher intake of fish and legumes. Those with a lot of cattle, such as Brazil and Argentina, have a higher intake of red meat. However, when we think of “Latin Cuisine”, the type of food that comes to mind varies depending on where we live here in the United States. If you ask a citizen in California about Latin Cuisine, they will probably think of Mexican food, while someone from Florida would respond with Cuban food and equally someone from New York might respond with Puerto Rican foods. Let’s explore some of these little well-known Latin American dishes.
The island of Cuba commonly eats lean fish meats, topped along with sweet potatoes, yuca (a starchy potato-like root) and pineapples. A popular Cuban food is sofrito, a combination of green bell peppers, onions and garlic all sautéed in olive oil. Super healthy and simple. Although a Cuban diet cannot be complete without pork, fried bananas and starchy vegetables, all Cuban dishes incorporate the citrus tangy fruits of the Caribbean.
Puerto Rican cuisines have the influence of African, European and indigenous cultures due to its history of colonization. A country diverse in fruit and vegetables, their dishes are light, heart healthy and nutritious. Puerto Rican dishes revolve around plantains, a type of banana only edible if cooked, and other humid friendly vegetation. From crabmeat stew to empanadas, breaded beef, and alcapurrias, a combination of ground squash, plantain, and other tropical fruits alongside fried fishes and shellfish. Last, but not least, pork is one of the main attractions to Puerto Rican cuisine, popular to special events and holidays, Puerto Ricans love pork, from its white meat to actual blood ball sausages; pork is a symbol of festivities.
The classic burrito is not only the image of Latin cuisine, but also the image for all Mexican foods. Mexico’s dishes go way past the simple burrito, from the hundreds of spices to the creative use of corn, tortillas, red/green salsas and meats. Mexican cuisine has much to offer other than the stereotypical burrito and fajitas, and by the way, fajitas are not even Mexican, they were created here in the U.S. All authentic Mexican dishes revolve around corn and beans, made fresh without the use of unreadable, unknown chemical ingredients. Tamales, tortillas, gordillos, for example all use dough made from pure grounded corn. Now, that’s a relief from the common corn syrup and enriched flours used in ninety percent of our foods today. Even chocolate, the indigenous produce of Mexico was originally used by the Aztecs in ancient times.
Fast food restaurants have demoralized and commercialized these amazing healthy dishes into heart attack inducing meals. Latin American foods all revolve around vegetables, fishes, grains, meats and exotic fruits. There are so many dishes that are, in fact, healthy for you. Next time Latin American foods are brought to mind, think of the fruits, spices, grain, meats and the unique flavor behind these dishes rather than assuming everything is bathed and fried in oil. It is time to appreciate, and enjoy, the traditional and healthy forms of Latin cuisine dishes.
Nutritionist and “Latin Lite” chef, Denise Portillo and Lucía Tovar-Matthews, member of the San Diego Community College District board of directors have recently collaborated with TUCOCINA (www.tucocina.net ) for the launch of “La Salud en Tu Cocina,” an initiative developed by the kitchenware maker to encourage Hispanic families to come back around the dinner table. For more information, and to find out how to participate in the initiative, email mariana@dialogo.us.
Latinos of Mexican Descent Score Big with the NFL
Texas will host Super Bowl XLV, the most watched event in American sports as the AFC and NFC go head-to-head for the right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and make an unprecedented attempt to appeal to Americans of Mexican descent.
Written by Richie and Lucia Matthews for Poder Hispanic Magazine
Cowboy Stadium will host Super Bowl XLV, the first time that the Super Bowl will be held in the Dallas–Fort Worth area and only the third time it will be held in Texas. The game, to be played on February 6, 2011, will pit the champions of the AFC and the NFC and for marketers focused on U.S. Hispanics of Mexican descent, the game pits professional football against fútbol.
More and more NFL teams are courting the lucrative Latino market in attempt to tap into an aggressive fan base ready to shell out consumer dollars. The NFL’s strategic positioning and marketing efforts for this season’s big game will allow them to do just that.
In October 2005, the NFL played its first regular-season game outside the United States. It drew over 100,000 people in Mexico City. Over the last four years, the NFL has aggressively sought to connect with U.S. Latinos of Mexican descent, a fan base that is large and growing at rapid pitch. The 2010 season saw one of the most aggressive positioning strategies by NFL members as more than half of the teams celebrated Mexican Hispanic Heritage events at various stadiums.
News Media heavyweights also invested big in Hispanic markets in 2010, and followed the NFL’s culturally relevant approach to reaching and activating Mexican Latinos. In celebration of last year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, ESPN Deportes launched Fanático Latino, an integrated marketing campaign honoring the character and diversity of the Latino Sports Fans. Univision Interactive Media and the NFL also went on the offense by jointly launching NFL.Com/Español Site. In September 2010, professional football, not fútbol, delivered two of the most-watched season opening games among Hispanics. That week’s top English-language program among Hispanics was NBC’s September 12 “Sunday Night Football” game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins.
Almost every U.S. professional sports league has joined the mad dash to reach Mexican Latino populations. Whereas traditionally boxing and soccer thrived on Latino fandom, other leagues are now vying for a chunk of the pie. The NBA launched large-scale marketing efforts including Spanish-language radio broadcasts and team websites and community-engaging events. The MLB, NHL and even NASCAR have similar campaigns underway.
According to the Nielsen Company, Hispanic NFL viewership has skyrocketed, up over 12 percent from last season. Ratings are up over that same time period too, by 7 percent, the media ratings company said. This is up from last year’s Super Bowl between, which averaged 7.8 million Latino viewers in the U.S., and a huge increase from the 2003 season’s average of 780,000 Hispanic viewers per regular season game. Increased growth is especially critical in the down economy that has forced the NFL to downsize its workforce.
The NFL vamped its push towards U.S. Hispanics in recent years. Marketing, advertising and sponsorship dollars as well as innovative grassroots initiatives have all been cultivated with the new target demographic in mind.
Dallas offers a definitive Mexican Latino flair to this year’s Super Bowl. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the U.S. population now stands at 308,745,538, up just 9.7 percent over the last decade – the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression. However, Texas grew more than twice as fast as the nation, thanks largely to a surge among Mexican Hispanics. Dallas has the fifth largest U.S. Hispanic population that are from Mexican decent and over 1.5 million Mexicans in the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex are the third largest foreign born Mexican population in the U.S. per Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
On one level, the choice to host the game in Dallas is rational–the weather is ideal, the atmosphere is fun and the tourist industry can accommodate the crowd. On another and most likely more influential level, the choice is strategic. What better way to captivate the Mexican Hispanic market than to bring the game to the famed Latino football hotspot.
The big push towards Hispanic consumers is in part due to the quality of fanship they offer. Latinos tend to be ardent fans with strong home team convictions. Simply look at the level of dedication Hispanics have for their beloved fútbol teams and it is easy to understand what has U.S. professional sports leagues salivating.
High levels of extreme fandom coupled with abundant consumer dollars have motivated sports leagues to seriously re-evaluate their efforts towards the Hispanic population.
Super Bowl XLV will showcase a full on attempt to captivate Hispanic audiences. The NFL is pushing its NFLHispanic.com website even more than ever. This site is designed as a tool to attract potential marketers to buy into their 360-degree platform approach to reach the Hispanic demographic. This approach allows brands to reach the segment at every angle from television, online, radio, print, calendar events to grass-roots efforts. Viewers can expect a markedly overt Hispanic overtone for this year’s championship game.
The key to success when communicating with Hispanics is to appeal to the segment through dialogue rather than target them using a monologue. Messaging should resonate with the diverse peoples who identify as being Hispanic in order to truly grab their attention. According to Nielson, last year’s Super Bowl ranks as the most-watched American television program ever with an average audience of 106.5 million viewers. NFLHispanic.com states over 3 million more Hispanics on average watched last year’s Super Bowl XLIV than the World Cup Final. Perhaps the league already has the field of cultural marketing figured out.
Generation Ñ, The New General Market
The U.S. Hispanic market has reached a tipping point. Current trends suggest expanding influence will blur the lines and Hispanic and general markets will collide. The resulting merger will reveal a new, younger American consumer market with a heightened element of Latino flair.
By Richie and Lucía Matthews, PODER Hispanic Magazine
Approximately one in six Americans is of Hispanic descent or origin. More than half are under the age of 26 and by 2020, the number of Hispanic teens is expected to increase by 62 percent as compared to 10 percent growth in the number of teens overall. Hispanic youth are a powerful consumer force underlining the Latino presence in general consumer market culture. Typically English speaking, or at English preferred, socially connected and heavy technology users, Latino teens, “Generation Ñ” are leading the way in general market infiltration.
However, one of the most startling facts is that for the first time, Hispanic births have surpassed the total number of Anglo births in many counties across the nation. The future of the general market may be upon us.
To keep up with the Hispanic baby boom, more businesses are courting young, tech savvy Hispanic consumers; incorporating online communities and social networks within their corporate marketing strategy. As these domains increasingly become a fundamental component for professional success, local companies are looking to experts on the forefront of this industry to understand the extent of the benefits Web 2.0 tactics have to offer.
Technology and innovation have been driving forces for increased inter-connectivity. Many young, socially connected Hispanics are on the forefront of this new society. Their affinity for Internet technologies will advance Latinos as business strategies are increasingly built within online models.
The growing impact of the Hispanic community online is an area requiring enhanced corporate attention. U.S. Hispanic purchasing power is projected to reach as much as $1.3 trillion by 2015. During the past decade, the rate of growth was more than two times the overall national rate. That is a rate worth targeting. The considerably young, up-and-coming Hispanic population has been dubbed media mavens for their avid technology and internet usage and thus can be successfully reached through online strategies.
Some entrepreneurs and consumer brands have been aware of the vitality of communicating with Latinos through technology for years. In June, Sprint rolled out EVO, the First 4G phone in the U.S. To lead this consumer technology race, Sprint has coupled the power of crowd sourcing and social media with Hispanic kids. Sprint is co-opting Latino youth to help propel EVO’s brand message. Sprint’s EVO efforts began with young Hispanic consumers by initiating interaction with their product. Since EVO’s HD video allows consumers to capture and share live video via the Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, social media maven took to the product immediately as ambassadors to other Generation Ñ influencers. By sourcing and leveraging young Latino consumers Sprint received better insight into the culturally relevant nuances ofGeneration Ñ and the overall Hispanic consumer segment.
Entrepreneur Eddie Batiz has built his career around empowering young people through media, technology, and information particularly among Hispanics. Through www.compralatino.com Batiz is tapping into the online retail market among Hispanic consumers by using a “Amazon meets Mercado Central” model. The Compralatino model is transparent and empowering for many of its users. Batiz has been at the forefront of online communities and social networks by not manipulating or degrading his customer’s conversation. His users receive positive word-of-mouth around their brand through a viral loop model: turning selected consumers into spontaneous carriers of the message.
Hispanics will continue to be a critical part of the U.S. economic system. This segment’s affinity for technologies that ease communicating across geographic boundaries, allow interaction, build communities for like-minded individuals and provide entertainment will affect the way companies approach business.
Marketers with established working models for communicating with Hispanics through technologies can guide the corporate world over the threshold into the new age of technological advancements.
Those who have a stake in understanding the U.S. market should pay enhanced attention to the nuances and complexities of the Latino population. U.S. Hispanics assimilate while maintaining strong ties to cultural traditions and value systems. The resulting assimilated segment is permeating boundaries and forever changing the American consumer market.
Latinos Taking Charge of Health
An increasing amount of Hispanic communities are working together to positively impact Latino health and wellness.
By Richie and Lucia Matthews for PODER Hispanic Magazine.
The U.S. Latino population suffers disproportionately from a range of health complications including diabetes and heart disease when compared with the overall general market. These dire health circumstances are the result of a complex web of social, cultural and economic conditions.
As the propensity for bad health grows, the issue has become an increasingly salient topic for Hispanic communities. More and more grassroots movements, businesses, and individuals are providing health and wellness information geared towards Hispanics. The philosophy behind these efforts is better, more culturally relevant information will lead to better health and wellness for Hispanics.
Health disparities among minorities are prevalent in the U.S. and across the globe. Diabetes is one of the leading causes the asymmetrical scenario for Hispanics. It has been reported that 21percent of older Hispanics have diabetes compared to 14.3 percent of Caucasians. Cardiovascular disease is another forerunner problem for Latinos. It has been estimated that one out of every four Hispanic male and one of every three Hispanic female will suffer from heart disease or stroke.
Lifestyle changes, prevention and early intervention services such as immunizations, cancer screenings and diabetes testing are solutions that could assist in ensuring a healthier Hispanic population. Diet and inactivity tendencies of Hispanics play a strong role in shaping the problem. Arguably, education and access are the principle barriers in assisting Latinos to revolutionize health patterns.
U.S. Hispanic citizens are increasingly gaining more access to health and wellness resources as individuals, the business community,and grassroots organizations come together to help educate and provide access to health resources.
It’s All About the Kids Foundation organizes monthly activities for children from a coalition of charities. They have recently joined forces with the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce, a national business association, and with business executive leaders such as Ramon Toledo, CEO Busca Corp, a leading Hispanic digital entertainment network. Providing access to resources, these private and public alliances are an emerging trend within the Hispanic health and wellness community.
Focusing on education, The Association of Junior League’s Kids in the Kitchen initiative has partnered with Texas chef Michael Flores to help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues. Chef Flores has taken his own childhood passion for cooking and turned it into an evolving lifelong profession in the culinary arts. Despite his formal training at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Flores focuses on providing simple solutions for encouraging families to get back to the table. Through the Kids in the Kitchen and other education initiatives he heads, Michael teaches children how to prepare practical healthy meals, through his bilingual recipes.
Communicating with Latinos is more than a translation issue. Not to negate the importance or the use of the Spanish language, but studies suggest U.S. Hispanics, as a majority, speak English. Findings from the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving understandings of the U.S. Hispanic population, suggest 88percent of second generation U.S. Hispanic adults and 94 percent third generation are fluent English speakers.
The key to communicating relevantly with Latinos is to understand the significance of messages founded in cultural nuance. When speaking with Latinos, health programs, education, and other resources should move away from translating mainstream content into Spanish and towards resonating culturally. This will improve minority groups’ affinity towards and navigation within the U.S. health system.
Various online communities have developed over the years that seek to empower and enable Latinos to improve health conditions. Sana Health Group, Inc. is one such company with this goal in mind. They specialize in offering Hispanics manageable, trusted sources and resources that make staying healthy easier.
Sana Health Group recently launched HispanoSano.com to provide applications that offer access to bilingual information on everything from diabetes and cancer to fitness and diet. Latinos can seek out applicable information based on their particular needs or join community groups to interact with others in similar situations.
The Internet is an excellent platform to provide health information to Hispanics. Hispanics are technology mavens and savvy in accessing information and utilizing social networks online. Internet-based,tailored health information is an effective way to engage Hispanics both relevantly and culturally.
The current health status of U.S. Hispanics may appear glum, but the tides may turn as more organizations and individuals come together to provide access to relevant health education to the community.
Americano Exceptionalism
A critical aspect of America’s exceptionalism is based upon the basic principles of immigration, assimilation and the rule of law.
By Richie Matthews and Lucía Matthews, for The Americano.
American Exceptionalism refers to the conventionally held belief that the United States occupies a special position among the nations of the world in terms of its unique origins, national credo, historical evolution and institutions. The genesis of the idea is attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville, who asserted that the U.S. was special because it is a country of immigrants and the first modern democracy.
Indeed, immigrants significantly contribute to our economy by working in jobs most Americans do not want. They, in turn, help by buying homes, cars, and provisions. America’s exceptional quality and our wonderful cultural diversity have become secondary to the willingness of the newly arrived to work hard and become part of today’s exceptional America.
Through his classic, Democracy in America, Tocqueville asserted that merit and conformity to righteous principles leads to success. Work is the great equalizer, “In America most of the rich men were formerly poor; most of those who now enjoy leisure were absorbed in business during their youth. “
Modern-day immigration is as important to this country’s exceptional quality as our unique origins and historical evolution. However, our diversity is just a part of America’s exceptionalism. Our constitutional democracy is based upon the basic principles of assimilation and rooted in the rule of law.
Most U.S. residents today are the descendants of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. during the past 150 years. There were no substantial restrictions on immigration into the U.S. until the passage of the Quota Law of 1921.
Today, Hispanics are absorbing into society using the classic American pattern; much like past Europeans and Asians did when they arrived en-mass, according to a recent Pew Hispanics Center Study. That is to say Hispanics are assimilating.
Because humanity is flawed nations are flawed, American virtue is mixed with vices; therefore, we must make certain the newly arrived conform to our ideals. Championing immigration and assimilation means pushing for legal immigration.
America’s achievements owe a large debt to the belief in the exceptional character of its democratic culture.
One of the biggest fallacies of America’s critics is to emphasize John Winthrop’s pure and bright biblical “city on a hill”. America’s democratic example does not shine like the puritan biblical “city on a hill”—ever pure, steady, and bright. Despite its flaws, it is evident and beautiful nonetheless. The dire flaw of this logic is to scorn this light and to confuse it with darkness.
Tocqueville believed that hope was the motivating force behind all democratic institutions. And as such, whenever this all-encompassing hope is pulled away from the people, liberal democracy fails.
Why have so many people been so eager to leave their homelands and their families for this country?
Tocqueville’s concept and America’s sense of its unique democratic identity and mission are exactly why so many people risk their lives for just a chance to live in this country. There is something uniquely exceptional that draws so many people into America.
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