[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]bout two and a half years ago, Steven Alvarez was a rather-anonymous assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, ready to teach a new course: Taco Literacy, the idea that you can “read” a taco to reveal fascinating histories.
Today, Alvarez is a professor at St. John's University in Queens, and his course is world-famous — no, seriously. His Instagram account, appropriately titled Taco Literacy, has him showcasing tacos from Yucatán to Jackson Heights. He'll be in conversation with me this Wednesday, June 6, at UC Irvine at its Anteater Test Kitchen, Anteater Recreational Center (ARC) 2nd Floor, 680 California Ave., Irvine.
The event is FREE, but you need to register in advance to attend. See you there!
I've asked you this a million times, so why not once more? Explain your concept of “taco literacy.”
I think of taco literacy as understanding how language, history, and foodways come together as social practices. For that, I think of literacy as less something folks have, and more what folks do with language, and what historically they done with language, For taco literacy, this also implies how different languages come into contact through food, and how we can understand these power dynamics cultures through foodways. It's being able to make meaning and understand how meaningful language and food are to making relationships.