Barbecue and Politics, a South Texas Tradition

Was invited to the Edcouch-Elsa community, often times called the "Delta area" for a little barbecue and some politics. Before the Dallas Cowboy football game we talked politics and passed out and put up a number of 4 x 8 campaign signs to a few supporters who heard the signs were in.

A full blown "Pachanga," in it's traditional sense it was not, but a pachanga's mixture of food, politics and strategic coordination were all there. For the uninitiated an old-fashioned "pachanga" is a social gathering that traces it's origins to a more segregated time in our history in South Texas where people:

"usually spanning two or thee generations, gather in the country to talk (politics), informally organize, drink, eat and listen to and play music."

Today instead of music there was football and unlike social gatherings of the past (pre-1990's) women were present. This tradition does have some connections to boss-rule and social segregation, but with the times and the involvement of younger generations things are changing. The negative connotations associated with the phrase "pachanga politics" comes from the excesses injected into the tradition by the lazy and greedy who saw the attendees as a means to an end rather than as individuals deserving of respect. A good read and a thorough analysis of pachangas in South Texas is made in a fine University of Texas Press book by Margaret Dorsey. It is called "Pachangas: Borderlands Music, U.S. Politics, and Transnational Marketing." I recommend it.

I made sure that I passed by my grandparents house to put a sign on their fence. I did it for sentimental reasons. They both died several years ago but their move to this small farming community from Mexico is the very reason I hold the position of state representative. They were poor in finances but rich in a wealth of friends. Their small wood frame house where my first-cousin, Homer Pena, still lives is a testament to the journey many a family have made from poverty to the mainstream of our society.

I'll visit with you later about a similar political gathering by the Rio Grande river in the La Joya community on the opposite side of my district.