Latinos have been a mainstay in all areas of sports: Oscar de la Hoya, Alex Rodriguez, Nancy Lopez, Fernando Valenzuela and Roberto Clemente have contributed to the sport. And, lastly, Latinos have answered the call for military service in our country and comprise a significant population representing all areas of the armed services. It is estimated between 250,000 to 500,000 Latinos served and fought in World War II with exact numbers unavailable as the military did not record nor track race and ethnicity, considering Latinos as white.
On a lighter note, another undeniable Latino influence has been the impact on the eating habits of many Americas. An example of a Mexican food considered American and not ethnic anymore is the ancient“ flat-bread’ or tortilla. According to the Daily Mail,“ tortillas are now outselling more traditional American fare, like burger rolls and hotdog buns. Salsa, meanwhile, is outstripping the American Classic Ketchup as a condiment, industry watchers report.” In fact, sales of Latino foods and drinks are expected to hit $ 11 billion this year. Reports are that tortillas alone are the number one gateway food and The Tortilla Industry Association, indicates that Americans will eat at least 85 billion tortillas in a 12-month period! Even tortilla chips are giving potato chips a run for their money with reported increases in annual sales. The rise of these Latino foods is attributed to the rising Latino population
which is leading to the mass integration of Mexican fare into American culture.
I will end this article the same way that I started – with Ursulo Perez. Born in 1869 in Zacatecas, Mexico. Died in San Jose, California in 1974 at the age of 105. An avid Spanish reader who gifted to one of his grandsons, Dr. John Perez, the greatest book in the Spanish language, Don Quixote de la Mancha. He leaves behind six generations of family with over 600 descendants living throughout the United States. A beautiful life about one immigrant’ s crossing into the United States with familiar refrains of why so many others have crossed.
Rachel Perez has lived in Gilroy since 1979 with her husband, John, and children, Almendra, John and Ursula. Rachel is a retired educator and currently serves on the Gavilan College Board of Trustees.
Street Scene, East Los Angeles, 1920 Vicenta and Ursulo, circa 1925
Mexican Forman, 1946 Street Scene, East Los Angeles, 1940
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2017 gmhtoday. com