Author Archives: Francisco Gonzalez Garcia

Nov. 20th, 1910: The Mexican Revolution

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(Raul Baz/ Unplash)

This year 2023 commemorates the 133rd anniversary of one of the bloodiest episodes that simultaneously shaped the foundations of 20th-century Mexico, which remain until this day. A deadly conflict in which people perished in the pursuit of power at any cost through alliances, conspiracies and betrayals, while many others lost their lives defending freedom and civil rights. 

The Mexican Revolution was a determining event in Mexico’s political and social history. It was a civil war fueled by decades of pent-up social, economic and political discontent under the ruling power of a dictator, Porfirio Díaz.

The revolution was a convergence of forces, among different sectors of Mexican society fuelled by authoritarian rule. Díaz regime was characterized by economic inequality, land dispossession, widespread poverty, and the concentration of power among the wealthy elite of that time, while rural peasants and urban workers were exploited and repressed in any attempt of rebellion.

It began in 1910 when, Francisco I. Madero a liberal politician who advocated for democratic elections and social fairness, became the focal point of the opposition to Díaz regime. His demands for an “effective suffrage, no reelection” sparked a popular uprising in every corner of Mexico against the authoritarian government. 

 

Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City

Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City (Alejandro Barba / Unplash)

A rebellion against Díaz morphed into a chaotic and protracted struggle involving multiple resistance factions with varying ideas and ambitions. The two best-known rebel groups were División del Norte (Northern Division) led by Doroteo Arango, also known as Pancho Villa and the Ejercito Libertador del Sur (Liberation Army of the South) formed by Emiliano Zapata, who led rebel groups fighting for land reform, worker rights, and agrarian justice, respectively.

There were battles all around the country, including a Villa’s army failed invasion of Columbus, New Mexico. For nearly a decade, the conflict wreaked havoc on Mexican society and took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Substantial and drastic shifts occurred in Mexicans as a result of the Revolution, despite its complexity and internal conflicts. One of the most important results of the war is the current Mexico Constitution written in 1917, which issues important acts such as land reform, worker’s rights, and restrictions on foreign ownership of natural resources.

The Mexican Revolution was an inflection point in Mexico’s history, which marked the beginning of a democratic transition. To this day, its influence may be seen in Mexico’s politics and national identity. It serves as a constant reminder of the lengths to which the country has come in its pursuit of greater equality and justice.

Tacos al Pastor: The Mexican cousin of Döner Kebab, Gyro and Shawarma.

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(Maryam Sicard / Unplash+)

Close your eyes for a moment, imagine you’re walking down a street bustling with people and filled with restaurants like Davie or Granville streets, in Vancouver. The vast array and gastronomic variety leave you amazed, as if every corner of the world is on that street. After getting lost for a few minutes in that permanent street food festival, you decide on a place where a man is skillfully slicing thin portions from a giant, reddish-coloured chunk of meat shaped like a spinning top, cooking it vertically over an open flame, and… With a pineapple on top?

You don’t give it much thought; you decide to enter because your stomach is growling like a grizzly bear. As you step inside, you notice that the menu is in English, but there are words in… Spanish? Why is there a Mexican flag hanging there? You don’t pay much attention, but you really want to try that thing you saw when you entered. As grandmothers would say, “Love comes from sight.”

You reach the counter and you say that you want to try that giant thing you saw outside. Then, she responds…

“Oh! Do you want tacos al pastor? How many would you like?”

Pastor? Tacos? Wasn’t it a donair that I saw? Am I going crazy? Once again, you don’t think much of it after nearly a minute of being lost in your thoughts, and leaving the woman in front of you on “seen.” You tell her you want three tacos, and she asks if you want them with pineapple, onion, and cilantro. You say only with onion because cilantro tastes like soap to you. You like pineapple, but you prefer not to take the risk. You’re already taking it by entering this still-unknown place. 

You pay, patiently wait for a few minutes, and there you go. Three tacos al pastor for the young man over there… Yes, dude… They’re talking to you. You taste them for the first time and you are marvelled by their flavour and the artistry of the man who finely sliced those pieces of meat placed in a tortilla. And… Congratulations! You’ve just found your favourite taco spot for Tuesdays, or every day.  

(Daniel Lloyd Blunk-Fernández / Unplash)

Like the previous story, there is a lot of history a huge variety of flavours and cultural importance packed into each bite. Tacos al Pastor is an iconic dish in Mexican cuisine, whose roots are in the street food of central Mexico and was influenced by Lebanese immigrants. They are built around a core ingredient of thinly sliced marinated pork that has been roasted on a spinning top. The preparation style, which is similar to shawarma or a gyro, exemplifies the merging of Lebanese shawarma and Mexican fare. The pork meat, which is typically marinated in a mix of spices including achiote, garlic, paprika, and other chillies, produces an enticing scent and a powerful, spicy-sweet flavour.

Tacos al Pastor is not complete without the signature pineapple topping. The sweetness from the infusion contrasts gently and nicely with the heat from the meat, providing a signature. The caramelized pork is sliced thinly and served on small corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, diced onions, and a little squeeze of lime. They are not only delicious like a jewel created by the gods, but also historically significant, representing the rich cultural heritage of Mexico. 

(Maryam Sicard / Unplash+)

This meal is a reflection of the intertwining of Lebanese and Mexican cultures that has taken place over many generations. This hybrid reflects the long tradition of immigration that has shaped the country’s cuisine.

Also, Tacos al Pastor has become a popular street cuisine around the world and outside of Mexico. Its charm continues to capture foodies, whether they are found in a crowded market in Mexico City, a food truck in Los Angeles or a restaurant in Europe. Its accessibility, low cost and explosive flavour profile have become a must in the gastronomic aspect. They embody a cultural narrative, one that honours the history and variety of ingredients that Mexican food has and a way that honours the past while looking to the future.

The legend of El Santo.

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(Girl with red hat / Unplash)

A morning in February morning in 1984, a 23-year-old medical resident entered the room to do the classic routine checkup of a patient who survived a heart attack. The patient, in his mid-60s, was lying in bed and awake. The young doctor began asking him how he was feeling while checking his vital signs with a stethoscope and ensuring his medication was being administered correctly.

During the conversation, the doctor asked, “What do you do for a living, sir?”

The patient replied, “I’m an athlete.”

Externally, the young resident appeared calm, doing his job as usual. But internally, he started to feel nervous yet excited, as he couldn’t believe who he had in front of him. The rumours that he had heard in the hallways seemed to be true. However, to be 100% sure, the young doctor asked another and one last question. The most common question that anyone would ask another person on this planet.

What’s your name?

The patient, with a deep voice, said: Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta.

My father saw a symbol of Mexican wrestling (or Lucha libre in Spanish) and cinema without his mask on. Undoubtedly, one of the most beloved figures in the entire country, leaving behind a legacy that endures to until this day. Just a few days after that medical checkup, he would leave this world, becoming a true legend. The Silver Masked Man, or better known as… El Santo.

(Giphy)

Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, born on September 23, 1917, in Hidalgo, Mexico. El Santo, his alter ego, became an iconic figure representing justice, heroism and Mexican pride through his mask. In the 1940s, El Santo’s wrestling career took off once he started wearing his iconic silver mask to hide his identity and establish mystery around himself and spectators which he never lost in the ring and never took off in public until for a few moments when announced his retirement in 1984. With his athleticism, charisma, and keen sense of theatrics, he captivated people as he battled formidable opponents and saw his fame skyrocket. 

In addition to his success at the ring, El Santo established himself as a movie star legend with a string of blockbuster flicks that fused Lucha libre with the genres of science fiction, action, horror and crime noir. His film career began in 1958 with “El Santo contra el Cerebro del Mal (El Santo vs. The Evil Brain) the first of many films he would make over the next three decades, fighting against crazy scientists, werewolves, vampires, mommies and criminals groups as a superhero. These movies cashed in on his popularity in the wrestling world by highlighting his heroic attitude and dedication to defeating evil and defending the innocent. 

(Giphy)

The blend of action, adventure and fantasy in El Santo’s films, provided an escape for viewers and helped to boost Mexican wrestling’s appeal both at home and abroad. His films frequently had a predictable plotline where he would uncover a sinister scheme, engage in thrilling combat and ultimately triumph over darkness, all while maintaining his distinctive silver mask. 

His impact and legacy went well beyond the world of entertainment. He came to represent the mettle and determination of the Mexican people and their struggle against oppression. His dedication to charity and larger-than-life persona won the hearts of the Mexican people and secured a special place in their collective memory and his legacy lives on.

Good Mourning, Black Friday.

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(Artem Beliakin / Unplash)

People sleeping outside stores, more people now pushing each other to get into the same store and the shopping mall crossing the street, hordes of parents fighting and grabbing things in ridiculous discounts like televisions, video game consoles, computers, and the new Batmobile, breaking the banks with exorbitant debts on their credit cards before Christmas, and other scenes worthy of an apocalyptic movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, such as Jingle All The Way (1996), are the classic images we often see on social media and TV when Black Friday arrives during these dates.

But… have you ever stopped to think about how all of this started? Did the creators of this event also fight over discounted items?

The term “Black Friday” was first used in the late 19th Century, but not as a shopping holiday, but rather a financial catastrophe. On September 24th, 1869, when the gold market in the United States fell and caused a significant economic crisis, became associated with this phenomenon. Nonetheless, the word became more commonplace almost one century later.

Officers in Philadelphia used the term “Black Friday” to characterize the traffic jams and chaos that occurred on the day following Thanksgiving in the 1950s and 1960s. On the Saturday before the Army-Navy game, the city was flooded with shoppers and tourists from the suburbs, causing traffic bottlenecks and keeping the police force with their hands full for long hours. It was the huge crowds that gave “Black Friday” a bad reputation among law police and company owners.

Despite the term’s initial negative connotation, shops attempted to recover it by rebranding it as synonymous with success. Due to the increase in holiday shopping, they started looking forward to Black Friday, as the day their sales revenue would go from red numbers representing losses to black numbers representing profits.

(Markus Spiske / Unplash)

The day following Thanksgiving marked the beginning of the holiday shopping season, as stores began offering massive discounts and specials to draw in customers, midnight store openings and crowds of hunters looking to score a deal. Black Friday has been transformed even further by the rise of e-commerce, which has made it possible to participate in the shopping parade from the comfort of one’s own home and a computer or smartphone. Thanks to that, Cyber Monday was established as a day dedicated to selling goods and services online.

Since then, Black Friday’s fame and crossed borders beyond the United States, now shops in many countries use the concept to increase sales attract new customers and retain the older ones. However, same as Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Black Friday has not been saved from criticism for establishing a culture of materialism and exacerbated consumerism, that takes away from the original sense of thanks and unity, associated with Thanksgiving.

With all its controversy and the madness of people hunting discounts, Black Friday is still a cultural phenomenon that influences retail and consumer trends worldwide and keeps the post-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza tradition alive.

They were always there, but you always played the fool. The Origin of Hamburger.

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( Mike / Unplash)

They were always there, but you always played the fool.

Your mom would pick you up from school on Fridays to go eat at the nearest McDonald’s. She ordered a Happy Meal for you, but you only grabbed the toy of the moment and ate just two nuggets, then headed to the playground with the other kids. And yes… there was never the kid who always peed in the ball pit.

Your dad booked a slot at Burger King one weekend to celebrate your birthday with the whole family, but you only wanted the candies from the piñata and to eat grandma’s chocolate made especially for you. But, they were always there, and you played the fool again.

As a teenager on your first date and after insisting so much on her, you went to Carl’s Jr for a milkshake for you and your crush. Again, they were always there, and you played the fool.

Years passed and now you’re in college. But unfortunately, things didn’t work out between you and your crush. You’re tired, sad, hungry, and still have to take the Skytrain to get home with your stoner roommate and study for the exam tomorrow at 9:00 am. On your way to the station, you see a Five Guys nearby and decide to enter because you have no other choice. There is when finally you order it… a burger with fries and a soda. In every bite you take, you feel your stomach filling, and your heart slowly stops feeling like a withered flower. That phrase “full stomach, happy heart” that someone told you is making sense. And that’s when you start to realize that… they were always there; you just played the fool.

(Giphy)

Currently, the famous hamburger as we know it, is the domain of fast food and has a surprisingly disputed origin that intertwines many legends, making it challenging to pinpoint its specific origins. There may not be a single person who invented the hamburger, but its creation may be traced back to a variety of cultural, gastronomic and historical influences.

A debated story began in the 18th century in Hamburg, Germany. It is thought that the “Hamburg steak” was introduced to the U.S. by German immigrants in the 19th century. The mixture resembled what we now call a hamburger patty, with its ground beef, garlic, onions, and other spices. However, this was very different from the standard burger of today; and it typically did not come with a bun.

Another version, the “Hamburger sandwich” first appeared at the Seymour Fair in Wisconsin in the late 1800s. A young seller named Charles Nagreen created a portable lunch for fairgoers by squishing a meatball between two slices of bread. The hamburger as we know it today is the result of this easily accessible meal’s meteoric rise to fame.

(Giphy)

A similar case involves Louis Lassen, a Dane who opened a restaurant named Louis’ Lunch in early twentieth-century New Haven, Connecticut. According to the story, his go-to quick meal for customers on the go was a ground beef patty between two pieces of toast. Many people believe this to be one of the first hamburgers ever made.

In Wichita, Kansas, the company White Castle is widely credited for bringing the hamburger to the masses in 1921. The production was standardized by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson, who emphasized cleanliness and uniformity. 

(Thabang / Unplash)

However, Ray Kroc’s participation with McDonald’s was a game-changer. After hearing about the fast food concept developed by the McDonald brothers in California, Kroc decided to buy the company in 1961. His foresight and commercial ability led to the fast food giant’s worldwide expansion and helped secure the hamburger’s place in contemporary society.

The hamburger has developed over time to meet the needs of those with varying dietary requirements and palates. Changes in consumer desire for healthier and more sustainable options have resulted in the widespread availability of veggie burgers and plant-based alternatives.

The hamburger’s story is of adaptation and creativity, inspired by varied culinary traditions and entrepreneurial endeavours. For millions of people all around the world, it is a symbol of ease, affordability, and a timelessly delicious food.

Pastry War: A war that actually happened in history.

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(David Holifield / Unplash)

First Act: You are a soldier from the 19th Century. You and your comrades walk into a French pastry and order a cake. 

Second Act: The baker who runs the pastry,  works hard and he makes a delicious cake and brings it to your table. After enjoying it, you and your friends don’t have money and decide not to pay the check. 

Third Act: The baker gets angry (obviously) and sends a letter to the French government complaining about the situation. Then, you and your comrades solve the situation by firing at the pastry with a canon.

What’s the name of the show? That’s right! The First French Intervention in Mexico, also commonly known as The Pastry War of 1938.

The name of this event may seem like a low-budget and an old soap opera. In reality, it scaled into an economic measure that seized a rich and advanced country in trade in a nation that was slow to recover from the attack it received.

During the 19th century, Mexico was considered one of the most important countries in the Americas, in an economic sense. Moreover, Mexico had notable business dealings with European countries such as Spain, Britain and France. This distinction that marked the Noth American country did not go unnoticed.

In 1828, a conflict emerged between Mexico’s first President Guadalupe Victoria and Governor Lorenzo de Zavala. These confrontations gave victory to Zavala and left Vicente Guerrero as the next president of Mexico, and the first Afro-descendant president in North America. During these clashes and disturbances, many merchants were affected, both Mexicans and foreigners. This situation caused great discomfort among people because they did not receive any type of material compensation. Among those merchants affected were the French, who repeatedly expressed their complaints to the French ambassador in Mexico, Mr. Baron Deffaudis. 

The complaints of merchants bothered Baron Deffaudis, who tried to solve the injustices that his compatriots were suffering without any success. One of the merchants who was most energetic in denouncing him was a pastry chef named Remontel, who owned a business in Mexico City.

Mr. Remontel demanded compensation from the government for the damages received at the hands of Mexican military officials, who had broken into his business after eating a lot of cakes, without paying. This is why the conflict between Mexico and France, began on April 16, 1838.

And who won this Pastry War?

After beginning the attack and therefore, the blockade against Mexico; France managed to corner the Mexican forces. The problem was that they had no way to obtain enough resources. So, the Mexican army tried to smuggle, it into Texas (which was a Mexican territory at that time). However, the fear that they would also be victims of French aggression forced Texans to stop any kind of smuggling crime, which left Mexico without alternatives For this reason, France won this war and both countries signed a peace treaty in 1839.

And what was the aftermath?

Mexico was an important trade point in the continent. One of the most important suppliers to countries was Britain. Therefore, when the French attacked, the English were forced to intervene.

It left more than 100 injured and 19 dead.

The peace agreement had serious economic repercussions for Mexico. The French government demanded that Mexico pay a total of $600,000 Mexican pesos (current $46,968 CAD)  for any damage that those French citizens residing in Mexico.

For almost 20 years France exercised power in Mexico’s economy.

Nachos: From a snack created by accident to the most popular appetizer in every sports event.

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(Natasha Bhogal / Unplash)

Amazingly, some of the popular meals were created thanks to an accident, an oversight, looking for another result or just simply a stroke of luck. Some of them were invented to attract the elites or to assist some random foreign customers who stepped into your restaurant, when you ran off of supplies, and then ended up being popular on the daily menu for whole the world and in special and sports events, such as the Super Bowl every single year. 

Believed or not, this is how the well-known Nachos were created.

For those who don’t know or have been living under a rock for the last 80 years, the Nachos is an appetizer created in northern Mexico, which consists of triangular fried or toast pieces of corn tortilla (also known as “totopos”), covered with melted cheese and jalapeño peppers. By the lapse of time, they have added other ingredients such as guacamole, beans, chicken, pulled pork, brisket and among others.

According to the official history, the first appearance of Nachos was in 1943 in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila. Ignacio Anaya, known as “Nacho”, worked as the head and kitchen manager at the popular restaurant Club Victoria, which was located near the Texan US-Mexico border, and where the US military base Fort Duncan was located.

One day, a group of women and wives of some military personnel, entered the restaurant where Mr. Nacho worked. These women ordered an appetizer to enjoy while they talked. Unfortunately, Nacho’s restaurant did not have the necessary ingredients to prepare his traditional menu, so he had to improvise with the few ingredients on hand in the kitchen. He took a bunch of tortillas cut into triangles and fried them, added some cheese and sliced jalapeño peppers, and put them in the oven. The unnamed appetizer and Mr. Nacho’s new experiment were ready to eat, and the women loved it, he was surprised. They asked what the name was. Nacho simply responded that it was Nacho’s Special. Over time, some other restaurants around the border quickly copied the recipe.

Nowadays as I mentioned before, Nachos can be prepared in a thousand ways, but the original recipe only included three basic ingredients: fried triangle-shaped tortillas, cheese and jalapeño. 

It wasn’t until 1950 (almost seven years later) that a woman named Carmen Rocha made them popular when she moved from Mexico to Los Angeles and took the recipe with her.

Unfortunately, when Ignacio Anaya’s son tried to patent the recipe it was too late since many restaurants had already modified the original recipe. Despite everything, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya is considered the only original inventor of nachos. 

He passed away in 1975 and in his honor, a bronze plaque was erected in Piedras Negras. Later, International Nacho Day was declared on October 21st.

Emos vs Punks. The pacific protest turned into a surrealistic battlefield in Mexico City.

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(Bruno Bueno / Pexels)

Perhaps, after reading the title of this, you might think it was a medieval battle where the police had a busy day, and there were injuries and dead people. Well… It was almost like that except for the only two facts that, fortunately, no one died or was injured. 

For this story, we need to go back to the 2000s, right in the boom of the internet and social media as we know them. However at that time, Facebook was still relatively unknown, and Twitter (now known as X) practically didn’t exist, and those who used it didn’t quite understand hashtags and how to use them. During that period, teenagers (like the person behind the writing of this article) used things such as SMS messages, MSN Messenger, MySpace, Hi5 and others called MetroFlog.

It all began in 2008 when a group of Emo teenagers (mostly fans of alternative rock music like My Chemical Romance, Paramore and others) started being harassed and receiving threats through their emails and social media profiles. The reason why? Just for being who they were and for “copying” punk and gothic styles. Yes, it was a hate crime through and through, and for trivial and stupid reasons. Unfortunately at that time, they were not yet labelled as they are today and you could have a high chance of going to jail. 

After receiving those threats, Emos organized a pacific protest via social media and they gathered one afternoon at Glorieta de los Insurgentes, in one of the busiest roundabouts and metro stations of Mexico City. Just a few minutes later, punk and goth people arrived where Emos met. Then, round one started.

Both sides started to yell aggressively at each other and started throwing shoes and bottled water and some of them even used their belts as whips. The police officer at the metro station reacted to contain and calm the protest, but their efforts did not work. The moods of both came and went until more police arrived at the place for the second and final round of the protests.

Yes, this fight lasted only two rounds. And how does this end? Well, in the middle of all that mess between emos, goths, police and some people as spectators, they didn’t count on a small group of Hare Krishna to arrive later, dancing and signing just in the middle of the epic (not epic) battle. Surprisingly, were the ones who actually dispersed the protest and calmed the people. A few minutes later, the people left the place and arrived at their homes unharmed.

And what happened after that? Where are those people? No one knows, it’s a mystery until today. Nevertheless, that event remains in the memory of many Mexicans, thanks to the TV.

(adn40Mx / YouTube)

Lastly, I want to conclude this article with a quote about Mexico. The following words came from one of the greatest surrealist artists of the 20th Century. Nothing more and nothing less than Salvador Dali.

“There is no way I’m going back to Mexico. I can’t stand to be in a country that is more surrealist than my paintings” – Salvador Dali 

“The world has been warned!: The Warning and inspiring story of the Villareal sisters.

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(Jay Wennington / Unpash)

From its origins until the second half of the 20th century; much like punk, rock music faced several censorship attempts by governments in many countries, deemed as transgressive, confrontational and “against good manners”. Unfortunately, Latin America, specifically Mexico, was no exception. In the late ’60s and throughout the entire 1970s, during the administrations of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz and Luis Echeverria Álvarez, the era was marked by arbitrary detentions and repression of activists, journalists, political opponents, businessmen like Eugenio Garza Sada and, above all, young high school and college students with ideas aligned with figures such as Ernesto “Che” Guevara.  It wasn’t until the 1980s and 1990s, rock music began to be more accepted among the Mexican population to a certain point, although government repression did not end there. Despite the gradual acceptance of rock during that time, there was still an atmosphere of sexism among rock fans. It was uncommon and even unacceptable, that women were involved in rock music, as it was categorized as “music only for men”. 

In the new millennium, women gradually began to be accepted into rock music in Mexico. There are rock bands where at least one member or the entire group is formed by women. Undoubtedly, the most successful international all-female rock band from Mexico is The Warning.

The Warning was formed in 2013 in Monterrey, Mexico, by the Villarreal sisters. Daniela “Dany“ (vocals, guitars, piano), Paulina “Pau” (drums, vocals, piano) and Alejandra “Ale” (bass, piano, backing vocals). From an early age, the trio of sisters learned and entered the music world. It wasn’t until their early teen years that, formed their rock band they captured attention for their musical talent locally and on YouTube. In 2014, gained widespread notice when their video performing a cover of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, went viral among rock music fans worldwide and earned more than 20 million views. Even, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett offered particular praise for Paulina.

(The Warning / YouTube)

One year later, in 2015 they launched their first recorded studio single “Free Failing”, their first EP “Escape the Mind” and their very first album in 2017 called “XXI Century Blood” and their second album one year later ”Queen in the Murder Scene”. In 2020, The Warning signed a five-album deal with Lava Records and began work on a new album with the multi-platinum award-winning British producer David Bendeth, who in the past worked with bands such as Paramore, Breaking Benjamin, In Flames, Killswitch Engage and among other artists.  Later in 2021, The Warning appeared on the Metallica tribute album “The Metallica Black List”. 

Then in 2022, The Warning embarked on a tour in North America for the first time, performing more than 30 dates as headliners plus opening for Foo Fighters, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Stone Temple Pilots, Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Guns N’ Roses and many more. 

In the same year, launched their most recent album “Error”. The three sisters describe the album as how they perceive the world as a generation and how they experience things in this new age between love, technology, social life, media, and politics; losing our sense of humanity and more.

(The Warning / YouTube)

After many decades and counting of suppression and sexism in Mexico, The Warning is one of the best actual examples that Latin America has something to offer in rock music worldwide. Most importantly, an inspiration for success for future generations of women who want to get into the world of rock.

Hawaiian Pizza: One of Canada’s “greatest” culinary contributions to the world.

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(bckfwd / Unplash)

One day in 1962, a man had a brilliant idea when he opened a canned pineapple and added it to a pizza. And this is how Sam Panopoulos a Greek-born Canadian, created the first Hawaiian pizza and opened his restaurant in Chatham, Ontario: Satellite. 

Well, probably didn’t happen that way. But… That’s right! Hawaiian pizza is a Canadian invention and probably you didn’t know that before reading this. Thanks, Canada! You created one of the most hated things by 99% of Italians.

At the date of writing, Hawaiian Pizza is one of the most popular pizzas in the world… Except in Italy, of course. Nevertheless, pizza has been a core food in North America for so long and since Italians emigrated at the beginning of the 20th century. So relatively speaking, Hawaiian Pizza is a brand-new dish.

The original and traditional recipe of the Hawaiian/Canadian Pizza comes with tomato sauce and cheese, topped with pineapple, ham or bacon depending on your taste. 

Over the years, Panopoulos’s Satelite cooked things that you can find in a classic and traditional diner such as pancakes, burgers and fries, pies, coffee and more. Also were already serving Chinese food, but then our dear Sam felt that people would connect to sweet and savoury flavors together. So, that’s where on that day in 1962, he created his culinary Frankenstein-Masterpiece, which will unchained an apocalypse, the rage of many people and the love of some ketchup lovers.

Basically, he was inspired by his experience cooking Chinese dishes, which commonly mix sweet and salty flavours, and he experimented with that while he was preparing a pizza, which these additions were not popular at that time. However, fortunately for Sam, his experiment eventually became a success and a must-staple offering in pizzerias around the world… Except in Italy, of course.

Sam Panopoulos passed away on June 8, 2017.

With that said, here are some interesting facts about Hawaiian Pizza that you probably don’t know.

According to a poll made in 2017 by Public Policy Polling, the U.S. is a nation divided over whether or not, pineapple is an acceptable pizza topping. According to the data, 47% approved of pineapple on pizza, while 32% disapproved. The rest 20% undecided. 

Also in 2017, Gordon Ramsay ordered a pizza live during a late-night show in the UK. But, when one member of the audience suggested pineapple as a topping,  the wise and eloquent British chef replied: 

“You don’t put f***ing pineapple on a pizza.

On the other hand, one Hawaiian Pizza supporter is nothing more and nothing less than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He said in an Instagram post: 

“As for my pizza toppings keep in mind… I’m the guy who likes to put tequila and brown sugar in my oatmeal, so pineapple on pizza is MY JAM… With ham.” 

Also, Jeff Goldblum in response to a question from a fan said: 

“Like there’s no bad dog, there’s no bad pizza. I love pineapple on pizza.”

But anyway! …Enjoy your pizza, whatever you want, whether is Pepperoni or Margherita. For me, pineapple should be kept in the fruit bowl. However,  there’s no law against pineapple pizza… Yet… And probably in Italy, there’s already one.

Buon appetito!