Taco Night

By Paul C. Gorski

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/aussie-style-beef-salad-tacos/0d5ae0ce-8703-487a-a11c-a4c1366e8279

I remember the invitations: red text on a white background, the name of the event in curly bold
face surrounded by a crudely drawn piñata, a floppy sombrero, and la cucaracha. A fourth grader that
year, I gushed with enthusiasm about these sorts of cultural festivals—the different, the alien, the
other—dancing around me, a dash of spice for a child of white folks. Ms. Manning distributed the
invitations in mid-April, providing parents ample time to plan for the event, which occurred the first
week of May, on or around Cinco de Mayo.
A few weeks later my parents and I, along with a couple hundred other parents, teachers,
students, and administrators, crowded into the cafeteria for Guilford Elementary School’s annual Taco
Night. The occasion was festive. I stared at the colorful decorations, like the papier machet piñatas
designed by each fifth-grade class, then watched my parents try to squeeze themselves into cafeteria
style tables built for eight-year-olds. Sometimes the school hired a Mexican song and dance troupe
from a neighboring town. They’d swing and sway and sing and smile and I’d watch, bouncing dutifully
to the rhythm, hoping they’d play La Bamba or Oye Como Va so I could sing along, pretending to know
the words. If it happened to be somebody’s birthday the music teacher would lead us in a lively
performance of Cumpleaños Feliz and give the kid some Mexican treats.
Granted, not a single Mexican or Mexican-American student attended Guildford at the time.
However, I do recall Ms. Manning asking Adolfo, a classmate whose family had immigrated from
Guatemala, whether the Taco Night tacos were “authentic.” He answered with a shrug. Granted, too,
there was little educational substance to the evening; I knew no more about Mexico or Mexican
American people upon leaving Taco Night than I did upon arriving. And granted, we never discussed
more important concerns like, say, the racism against Mexican Americans or the long history of U.S.
imperialist intervention throughout Latin America. Still, hidden within Taco Night and the simultaneous
absence of real curricular attention to Mexicans, Mexican Americans, Chicanos, and other Latinos,
were three critical and clarifying lessons: (1) Mexican culture is synonymous with tacos; (2) “Mexican”
and “Guatemalan” are synonymous, and by extension, all Latino people are the same, and by further
extension, all Latino people are synonymous with tacos (as well as sombreros and dancing
cucarachas); and (3) white people love tacos, especially in those hard, crunchy shells, which, I learned
later, nobody in Mexico eats.
Thus began my diversity education, my introduction to a clearly identifiable “other.” And I could
hardly wait until Pizza Night.

http://www.EdChange.org gorski@EdChange.org (Revised November 23, 2011)

READING QUESTIONS:
I. Match the words in the box with their definitions

diversity piñata shrug authentic la cucaracha

ample racism Cinco de Mayo sombrero treats

1. Desserts such as cookies, candies, cakes or pastries ____________

2. A traditional Spanish language folk song about a cockroach. ____________
3. Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a ____________
different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
4. A decorated figure of an animal containing toys and candy that is suspended ____________
from a height and broken open by blindfolded children as part of a celebration
5. More than enough or plentiful ____________
6. A type of wide-brimmed hat from Mexico, used to shield from the sun ____________
7. Recognizing, valuing and taking account of people's different backgrounds, ____________
knowledge, skills, needs and experiences
8. Raising one's shoulders slightly and momentarily to express doubt, ____________
ignorance, or indifference
9. An annual celebration held on May 5 to commemorate the Mexican Army's ____________
unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla. It is also the day to
celebrate Mexican-American culture.
10. Concerning the truthfulness of origins, sincerity, devotion, and intentions ____________

II. Choose the best answer

1. What did the writer think about Taco Night?
a. It was an authentic and important night that taught him more about Mexican culture.
b. It was well organized and he had fun attending the event.
c. It was a superficial celebration of Mexican culture.
2. What drawings were included in the invitations to Taco Night?
a. Tacos, Pizza, and other food
b. Cinco de Mayo and Mexican treats
c. A sombrero, a piñata, and a cockroach
3. Why did the writer mention La Bamba and Oye Como Va?
a. Because he knows the lyrics to the songs.
b. Because they are his favorite songs.
c. Because they are popular Spanish songs in the U.S.
4. How many Mexican-American students went to school with the author?
a. Zero
b. One
 c. A dozen
5. Why did the author end his essay by writing that he could hardly wait until Pizza night?
a. He was hungry
b. He was being funny.
c. He was being sarcastic.

III. Answer these following questions

1. What grade was the writer in when he attended the Taco Night?
2. Why do you think Adolfo answered Ms. Manning’s question with a shrug?
3. Why is it important for the writer to say that he is the child of white folks?
4. What were the three critical lessons that the author learned from that night?

IV. Reading discussion (Group Work)

1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the essay about Taco Night?
2. Have you or any member of your group ever had an experience similar to the author’s experience?
Share your experience with other members of the group.
3. If your group is in charge of organizing an event similar to a Taco Night, what can you do to make
the event more meaningful and thoughtful? Discuss with your group members, and present your
idea to the class.