What a hot August! Here in Los Angeles, there was a heatwave pushing into the 90s every day. I was horrified and confused to read about the Midwest getting hot and humid from corn sweat. It was too hot. My little AC unit wasn’t cutting it. I needed more ways to cope. Did you know that one way to cope with hot weather is to eat hot food?

So, desperate to find relief in the hot weather, I opened my Mennonite Community Cookbook (65th Anniversary Edition) and started flipping through the pages. I was looking for something spicy to take my mind off this heat. And in the book I found little to no heat. Don’t get me wrong; I found recipes that call for a bit of black pepper, onion, chopped celery, sometimes ginger. There was flavor, but not much heat.

But it makes sense. Many of these recipes originated in Europe and were modified and then written down in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. None of these regions have old histories of cooking hot food. People didn’t have the resources or the need for spicy food, so there simply wasn’t a space for spicy food. Making and sharing food quickly moves from a practice to a culture, and the existence of the Mennonite Community Cookbook is simple evidence for that.

But, of course, cultures evolve! Spicy foods have so many benefits that it would be foolish to leave them off our table. Eating spicy food is an age-old way to deal with hot weather; it triggers sweating to help one cool off. Many spices have preservative properties, so spicy foods slow spoilage. Many spices, specifically peppers, improve digestion. Spicy foods are wonderful to invite into our meals. And folks who cook and eat spicy foods are wonderful to invite into our communities!

Okay, time to admit I’m not just thinking about the heatwave. It’s Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s time to celebrate Hispanic heritage! This celebration isn’t limited to people with Hispanic heritage. Everyone should celebrate how Hispanic people, traditions and cultures make the world a richer and more vibrant place. Great ways to celebrate Hispanic heritage month include:

• Affirming the ways our Hispanic neighbors contribute to our communities, economies, and cultures
• Making clear invitations to our community life, celebrations, and worship
• Reducing the barriers to participate in events  ⎯  are there any publicly recited prayers or songs that may seem intimidating to people who aren’t already insiders? Write it down to share.
• Appreciating new perspectives
• Letting fusion happen

            The fact is MC USA already has diversity. Another fact is that we have not always been the most welcoming. We have come a long way since we first started discussing “urban integration” in the 1960s. And we have further to go “drawing the circle wide.” Many Mennonites are ethnic Mennonites, even more are cradle Mennonites, and so many have joined our community from their own background. Our community, culture and heritage includes them all. As we celebrate Hispanic heritage in general and specifically, reflect on how we can celebrate the Hispanic members of our community. It is good for us to imagine what a culture of fusion might look like.

I worked with my dad, a Mexican chef, to modify a recipe from the Mennonite Community Cookbook from Mrs. D.D. Driver of Hesston, Kansas. We added a little spice.

Salmon Roll with Egg Sauce

Salmon Roll

2 cups canned Salmon
2 tb minced onion
2 tsp minced parsley
1 package of croissant dough

Instructions:
1. Flake salmon and add minced onion and parsley.
2. Roll out croissant dough into one sheet.
3.  Spread salmon mixture onto dough.
4. Roll as a cinnamon roll.
5. Cut into one- inch slices.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Serve with Egg Sauce (see below) to taste.

Egg Sauce

2 tb butter
3 tb flour
1 tb chili flakes
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1 tb minced parsley
1 chopped hard-boiled egg

Instructions:

1. Melt butter.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, chili flakes, ginger, garlic powder, and salt.
3. Warm milk over medium heat, add butter and dry ingredients. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add parsley and egg.