There is no doubt that Latinos bring La Fiesta running through the veins, and we express it in different ways, through music with different rhythms that range from Caribbean music, cumbias, salsa, bachata, and regional Mexican music, please don’t forget the mariachi if you are from Mexico, but we also celebrate with different representative dishes of our Latin culture.
There is no party without food, but real authentic food. Thank God, we now can find more and more options to obtain the necessary ingredients to prepare traditional dishes in different communities, including those rural communities located far from large cities or metropolitan areas, now you can taste dishes that are very close to what is really the authentic cuisine from different Latin American countries.
The celebration of Hispanic Heritage month officially begins on September 15 each year and ends on October 15. One of the best excuses to celebrate our Hispanic pride is to join the different events that take place in different communities to commemorate the cultural richness of Latinos. Specifically, in the United States, during this month the people, the history, and the importance of the community and its contribution to the greatness of this country, are celebrated.
Hispanics are the largest and fastest-growing ethnic group in the United States, currently representing about 17 percent of the total population, which is equivalent to more than 50 million people. Several types of research indicate that drinking patterns among Hispanics differ from non-Hispanic whites and other racial/ethnic groups. Understanding these differences can help prevention, intervention, and treatment programs better serve the Hispanic community.
Part of a celebration, as we mentioned before, is the tasting of typical dishes to exalt the gastronomic variety of Latin American countries in family gatherings and/or having food time with friends. The gastronomy of course includes different representative desserts (arroz con leche, flan, pastel de tres leches), and traditional dishes with different levels of complexity in their preparation, but the time to prepare them is worth it to experiment with an explosion of flavors, we must not forget the drinks (aguas frescas) such as horchata or hibiscus flavors.
Alcoholic beverages are present in some of the family gatherings as part of the cultural richness too, we just cannot deny that the tasting of good tequila, mezcal, rum, or a cold refreshing beer is also part of the celebration, what we need to consider, is the quantities and how much is too much when is about alcohol in our body and knowing the consequences that can occur when there is no timely control of what we consume.
Have you ever wondered, how much Hispanics drink? In general, Hispanics are less likely to drink than non-Hispanic whites. In fact, Hispanics have high rates of abstinence from alcohol. But Hispanics who choose to drink are more likely to consume higher volumes of alcohol than non-Hispanic whites.
Drinking alcohol in an intelligent way, with some food, is not a bad thing, the problem is when it is abused. Do not forget that any excess causes some effect, and mostly negative. Drinking a bottle of tequila on a Saturday night and listening to the music of your choice is not the same as drinking the same bottle for several days while having some food and enjoying a pleasant conversation with family and/or friends. It is not the same, the effects on the body are different due to the amount that is ingested and the time the body has to process it.
Drinking with moderation, knowing when to do it, keeping it out of reach of minors, knowing yourself to learn when to stop drinking, and being responsible for your actions, are some of the recommendations that we must consider when we celebrate, so if you're going to commemorate Hispanic Heritage month with a few drinks, avoid the excess.
Sources:
Comentarios