It’s Cinco de Mayo, which everyone will be eager to tell you is not Mexican Independence Day, no way, no how. If you want to lift a cerveza to the cause of independence, you must wait until September 16, which is also an excellent time to eat tortilla chips on a patio.
Although it commemorates a real event (the Battle of Pueblo), Cinco de Mayo is fundamentally a U.S. holiday that is barely celebrated in Mexico. So it’s in keeping to make an Americanized version of two dishes: chilaquiles (for brunch) and tacos (for dessert). To accompany this adventure, it’s time for Calexico, an established band from Tucson that does Americanized sounds of the Southwest with an alternative slant.
