Summary Of Jose Antonio Burciaga's Drink Cultura

Diversity is not only about allowing all members of any race and gender to participate in society, it is also about celebrating the differences between these groups and sharing the benefits that each group can bring to society. The differences between different social groups are not an opportunity to divide humans into groups. They are instead an opportunity to offer different perspectives and advantages that improve the human experience. Jose Antonio Burciaga recognizes the benefits of diversity in his book Drink Cultura: Chicanismo, where he speaks on his experiences of living within and outside of Chicano culture. Burciaga examines the Chicano experience in the United States by exploring cultural exchange in the commercialization of Mexican

Mexican cuisine has created numerous jobs and economic benefits for the United States. Mexican cuisine’s benefits to the US were possible due to the strong representation and pride that Chicano culture places in its food and its willingness to share the culture. However, Burciaga also criticizes the inappropriate mixing of these cultures as the desire to commercialize Mexican food products has also reduced the quality and taste of Mexican products. He believes that fast food giants like Taco Bell “sell their mild imitations of the real thing” and have no place in Chicano and Mexican areas that have many different taqueria establishments (Burciaga 22). A critique such as this allows for a deeper appreciation of Chicano cuisine culture, by finding the best representations of this culture and the issues that the commercialization of these products produces. Aside from appreciating the various ways Mexican food and United States culture mix, Burciaga demonstrates the different Chicano subcultures developing in the other parts of the

Burciaga relays his experience of these experiences inside and outside the United States. When he travels to Mexico, he encounters native individuals who label him a “pocho, the Spanish dictionary states is a spoiled fruit” (Burciaga 63). However, Burciaga does not express shame but pride in his dual cultural identity. Through his informed experience, he can celebrate and honor his Mexican heritage in the United States, and he can stand proud and represent his United States heritage in Mexico. This experience serves as a bridge between the two cultures, allowing the positive traits and experiences from different cultures to cross over to the next instead of allowing prejudice to deny these interactions across cultures. These unconventional bridges connect these cultures with new perspectives and experiences that other cultures provide, improving their lives. These bridges make diversity possible and transform it into a positive experience for everyone involved. It also teaches people from other cultures the numerous traits that cultures share and the benefits that their differences