Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo - Taco Tuesday - Coronavirus meme

Cinco de Mayo is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It is more popular in the US than Mexico since May 5 has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture. Cinco de Mayo celebrations began in California in 1863 and grew in popularity in the 1980s due primarily to advertising campaigns by beer and wine companies. In Mexico the commemoration is mostly ceremonial through military parades or battle reenactments. The city of Puebla marks the event with an arts festival, a celebration of local cuisine, and re-enactments of the battle. Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken for Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national holiday in Mexico, which actually is celebrated September 16.

Since Americans associate Cinco de Mayo with Mexican food and beverages, today’s post focuses on the impact of the pandemic on farming and food supplies. The pandemic has disrupted food supply chains around the world. In response, the US Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides $16 billion in direct support to farmers and ranchers. It also authorizes the USDA to purchase and distribute $3 billion of agricultural products including fresh produce, dairy, and meat. Despite the well intentioned efforts of the program, unfortunately millions of pounds of food rotted due to the slow response time of the US Agriculture Department.

Before the pandemic, approximately 37 million Americans struggled with hunger according to Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks. Demands on food banks have increased sharply in recent weeks amid economic fallout from rising unemployment.

Farms with institutional contracts to supply schools, restaurants and theme parks no longer have a market for their goods. Many of those growers have donated produce to food banks to help feed the hungry and food insecure, but storage is limited for perishable fruits and vegetables. Some farmers scrambled to sell to grocery stores but large grocery chains already had retail contracts with specific farms, many outside the US. Other farmers sell produce boxes directly to customers. Wholesalers in London, for example, have pivoted to home deliveries.

A spike in demand for produce at the beginning of the outbreak has since subsided. Meanwhile immigration policies and health safety issues have led to a shortage of workers available to harvest produce from fields or process meat in factories.

Coronavirus victory gardens are easy to start and becoming popular. However, some states including California and Michigan have restricted access to garden centers and nurseries.

All these factors combined have contributed to an unfortunate chain reaction domino effect. Below are several related news articles:

• Beer used for fertilizer and hand sanitizer; surplus brews dumped.
• Distilleries are making hand sanitizer instead of spirits.
• Farms hit hard; thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables plowed over or left to rot because farmers are unable to sell produce.
• Farmers markets are modifying operations and scaling down for safety during pandemic.
• Food waste is an unfortunate byproduct of pandemic due to logistics complications.
• Greensboro church hosted chicken sale to help local farm and customers.
• Grocery and pharmacy employees are vulnerable; need better protections.
• Meat industry supply chain impacted during pandemic despite Trump executive order.
• More than 5,000 grocery industry workers are out of work and at least 72 are dead due to coronavirus.
• Pandemic created simultaneous paradox of too much AND not enough food.
• Since supermarkets are essential businesses, unions want grocery employees classified as extended first responders or emergency personnel.
• Some restaurants now sell groceries to survive during pandemic; others sell meal kits like Chic-fil-A, Taco Bell, and Zito.
• Trump administration wants to reduce farm worker pay in order to help agriculture industry.

  

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

• Video of adorable hug between friends on a farm.
• Clara’s Kitchen explores depression era cooking with a Poorman’s Feast.
• Map of underground fungi network dubbed wood wide web.

  

Daily pandemic update:  

The UK recorded the highest official COVID-19 death toll in Europe, with more than 30,000 people dead. Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the most likely source of the novel coronavirus was a wildlife market in China. Also, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the best evidence shows the novel coronavirus was not made in a laboratory in China, contradicting President Trump's claims.  Aljazeera.com timeline

5 May 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
14:13 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	3,567,561	3,671,812	248,346	253,241	1,157,275	1,211,210
US	1,188,421	1,214,023	68,602	69,974	178,594	188,069
NY	323,883	327,374	24,648	24,944	52,791	53,345
CT	29,287	30,173	2,495	2556	65	65
NC	11,743	11,972	432	442	1,808	1,808

In the US, deaths dropped to 27% of all cases while recovered patients increased to 73%. World wide death rate is significantly lower, only 17% compared to 83% recovered globally. 

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/     https://www.coronainusa.com/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US.

In the news: 

• Amazon engineer Tim Bray resigned over concerns re: company firing protestors.
• CA beaches remain closed; legal battles pending. Modoc county in northern CA reopened early despite Gov Newsom’s stay at home order.
• Johns Hopkins projects 3,000 daily deaths in US by June; IHME projects only 890 daily deaths.   
• Congressional support among democrats is growing for Emergency Money for the People Act to provide $2,000 monthly checks to every American age 16 or older making less than $130,000 a year. 
• Europe entering new phase of reopening but not a return to normal.
• FDA issued emergency authorization to Gilead for remdesivir as potential COVID-19 treatment; US government will determine distribution locations and priorities.
• Intel shared among US allies indicates virus likely came from market, not Chinese lab.   
• MI security guard killed after asking shopper to wear face mask; 3 people charged.
• More than half the states plan to reopen this week though few are prepared for testing.
• National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week bring respect, discounts and freebies to front line workers. #NCLighthouseLeaders trended. 
• NC among states to allow remote online emergency video notarization during pandemic.
• NC ranked last among all 50 states for pandemic support.  
• Nearly 400 employees at MO pork plant tested positive; all were asymptomatic. 
• PPP small business loan program is deeply flawed yet still underfunded.
• Social distancing is optional inside the White House.  

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Customer left $1,300 tip to support TX restaurant the day it reopened.
• Donut delivery business in Woodbury VT is booming during pandemic.
• MA customer bought $3,000 worth of groceries for senior shoppers.
• OR mom auctioned off homemade giant cinnamon rolls to feed frontline medical workers and help food banks.
• Wise Man Brewery uses IPA to raise money for laid off workers.

In my personal life…

I haven’t mentioned much about food in the blog so I’ve decided to share menu info as part of our pandemic record keeping since Greg or I cook almost every day.

For Cinco de Mayo we are going to have a Mexican inspired dish. Reid learned the recipe (below) from a friend in high school. I’m going to enjoy a Corona beer or two with dinner. Greg doesn’t like beer so he will likely make himself a margarita or drink Sprite. We made the dish weeks ago and ate half, then froze the leftovers which are now thawed in the refrigerator ready to be warmed up. We’ve never tried freezing and thawing this particular recipe before so fingers crossed it will be ok. If not we have a few options as back-up meals.  

Last week we ate ribeye steak twice, served with roasted potatoes, broccoli and spinach salad. We had made a double batch of baked spaghetti last month and froze half so we thawed that and ate it for two meals, along with spinach salad and toasted bread. Greg also made fried rice with chicken, enough for two meals.

Once or twice a week we have a hearty breakfast like bacon and pancakes, sausage and eggs, or Scotch eggs. Some mornings we have cereal: Special K for me, Frosted Flakes or Fruit Loops for Greg. For convenience sometimes I drink a packet of Carnation breakfast essentials mixed with milk. I tried Huel last year and liked it but haven’t reordered yet.

We sometimes eat brunch or linner between lunch and dinner. Last night we had spinach salads topped with grilled chicken for linner followed by fresh strawberries with nutella for dessert. We typically alternate various options for variety to avoid eating the same meal twice in a row.

Sometimes we skip meals if we aren’t hungry. Greg skipped breakfast and lunch yesterday, ate a small dinner, and only snacked a little bit afterward. He takes Ozempic which causes him not to be hungry much of the time. Greg is not diabetic though his blood sugar is borderline so his doctor prescribed the medicine a few months ago. He also takes a pill for high blood pressure and Vitamin D supplements.

My favorite sandwich is turkey with havarti cheese, lettuce and mayo served with baby carrots and tzatziki plus a garlic dill pickle on the side. Greg prefers plain ham sandwiches with potato chips or Fritos. Cold weather and rainy day favorites include hearty Campbell’s Chunky soup or Marie Callender’s turkey pot pie for me and Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie or frozen pizza for Greg.

I typically drink water most of the time. Sometimes I drink hot decaf coffee or tea during cold weather though I prefer cold brew when it is available. Greg drinks soda pop, fruit punch, chocolate milk, and homemade vanilla milk shakes. He doesn’t like most adult beverages though he will occasionally drink a sweet fruity cocktail or sip cinnamon flavored Fireball whiskey. I enjoy a wide variety of beer, wine, and spirits but only drink occasionally, usually socially. Lately Greg has been making virgin frozen margaritas in a blender and I’ve been drinking cranberry juice in a wine glass for fun.

Citrus fruits (oranges, clementines, halos, mandarins, or tangerines) are a favorite dessert or snack though Greg keeps enough candy and junk food in the house that we have plenty of options. He recently ordered some candies in bulk online: butterscotch, candy cigarettes, cinnamon, lemon drops, and pop rocks. He also ordered nuts and mint cookies malted milk balls (aka monkey balls) from Nuts.com. We discovered monkey balls during a trip to New York City when we stayed at the Hotel Elysee and ate dinner in the Monkey Bar.

Sunday we drove to Amazing Thailand in King to pick up shrimp pad Thai (shared), crab Rangoon for Greg and basil rolls for me; enough food for two meals each. Ping, the owner of the restaurant, is like family to us. Zito and May Way Dumplings in Winston Salem are other favorite local restaurants we’ll likely order take out from in the coming weeks.

Jones Strawberry Farm opened last week so I stopped by Sunday afternoon to purchase two baskets of berries: one for us plus one for Greg’s friend Rockey. Also bought a loaf of homemade sourdough bread. Levering Orchard will have cherries later this month. Green Mesa Blueberry Farm in Boonville likely will open in June. Our backyard blueberry bushes are young though they look promising this season. Green Mesa is my back-up plan in case birds eat more berries than we do.

In the garden we have spinach and lettuce for salads, and a few herbs for garnish and seasoning. Pulled the last of the kale last night; it’s a cool season crop so will plant more this fall. Yellow squash and tomato plants are growing nicely though no blossoms yet. Brussels sprouts, cucumbers and zucchini are growing more slowly. Backyard blackberries and blueberries will likely ripen by mid-summer, followed by raspberries a little later. Cantaloupe (musk melon) and watermelon plants look pitiful right now though hotter temps should help them grow soon. The almanac indicates Wednesday and Thursday are good days to apply fertilizer so I plan to top dress a few plants with compost and feed Miracle-Gro performance organics to the others.

  

We typically purchase groceries once a week though we are currently so well stocked that we’re going to skip a week. Will need more milk by May 11, and have started a short list of other items. Not sure if we will order online delivery or drive to the grocery store; decision will probably depend on Greg’s mood.

Here’s the recipe for Mexican taco dip casserole:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In skillet on medium heat, brown 1 pound of ground beef, drain grease, crumble into small pieces, add taco seasoning and water per directions on taco seasoning packet. After cooking, turn off heat but leave meat in pan to keep warm until ready for that layer. 

While meat is browning, warm 1 can of refried beans in saucepan on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Turn heat down to low simmer until ready for that layer.  

In a glass dish, soften 1 package of cream cheese for 10 seconds in the microwave, just long enough to slightly soften it so you can spread it for base layer of dip. 

On top of the cream cheese layer, spoon refried beans for next layer. 

Next add seasoned ground meat. 

Next add one jar of salsa.  

Next add shredded blend of four Mexican cheeses. 

Bake in oven for approximately 20 minutes until top layer of cheese is melted. Ovens vary so cooking time is usually between 15 and 30 minutes.  

While dip is baking, get taco shells ready, or use Tostitos Scoops or blue corn chips instead. 

Take dip out of oven and spoon into shells, or use chips for nachos or dipping. Top with baby spinach or shredded lettuce or cabbage, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, guacamole, pico de gallo, more shredded cheese, sour cream, or whatever else you might like. Sometimes we make homemade guac though Wholly Guacamole is pretty good too. 

photos of Mexican inspired dinner