Episode 90 with Bill Esparza, Writer for Eater LA, Fixer, Professional Musician, and Food Ambassador

Episode 90 Notes and Links to Bill Esparza’s Work 

 

     On Episode 90 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Bill Esparza, as the two discuss, among other topics, ideas of Chicanismo, representation in popular culture and literature, the repression of the speaking of Spanish, and Mexican food as hyper regional and incredibly-varied, with its rich histories shown in Bill’s book and in his recent series about California’s “barbacoa trail.”

 

       Bill Esparza is a professional musician, writer, and fixer whose travels throughout Latin America have made him a leading expert on Latin American cuisines. He fell in love with Mexican cooking at his grandmother's table and on childhood trips to his family's hometown of Aguascalientes, Mexico, where he was introduced to street food. His original style of writing and passion for culture have made Esparza a go-to source for magazines, newspapers, and food travel shows. His knowledge has been acquired the old-fashioned way, from firsthand experience on the streets and at the stands and markets of Los Angeles, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Buy Bill Esparza’s LA Mexicano: Recipes, People, and Places

 

Bill and Andrew Zimmern on Bizarre Foods in San Diego, including a visit to Aquí es Texcoco

 

Bill's “California’s Barbacoa Trail” series for Eater LA

 

Bill’s 2021 series about “The 20 Essential Restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe”

 

At about 1:25, Bill Esparza talks about his role as a “fixer”

 

At about 2:50, Bill talks about growing up in Stockton, CA, and how he, like many Chicanos in the 70s did not learn a lot of Spanish due to anti-Mexican and anti-Spanish-speaking racism; he also talks about his overall relationship with language and the library

 

At about 6:30, Bill talks about his early love of music, fostered by his father and the soul and rock music scenes

 

At about 8:25, Bill talks about the implications of the term “Chicano” and its generational and cultural connections

 

At about 11:15, Pete asks Bill about what defines “Chicano Soul”

 

At about 14:45, Bill responds to Pete’s question about Bill’s views on repreentation

 

At about 17:50, Pete references standout writer Kali Fajardo-Anstine and her recent social media as an example of the hugely-varied experiences of those who speak and don’t speak Spanish 

 

At about 19:50, Bill describes his relationship with food, and “homebase” at his grandmother’s house and his “pocho” experience through food and Spanish-language televisión; he describes his childhood visits to Aguascalientes as “profound” and how they had “awakened” him

 

At about 23:45, Bill describes how his unofficial food critic and food student sensibility began on the road, particularly touring with Marisela

 

At about 25:10, Pete wonders how Bill began writing about food

 

At about 28:20, Bill explains the significance of his visit to pyramids in Mexican, and the idea of making sure that he didn’t lose his connections to México after his father’s passing

 

At about 30:35, Bill talks about feeling a responsibility to have Mexican and Mexican-American and others traditionally-underrepresented as chefs and food writers up front, telling their stories 

 

At about 32:30, Pete asks Bill about his time working with Andrew Zimmern and what it’s like to be a food “ambassador”

 

At about 36:20, Pete expresses his undying love for La Cocina de Doña Esthela in Baja California and thanks Bill for greatly boosting its popularity

 

At about 38:35, Bill differentiates between birria and barbacoa and their countless iterations and styles of cooking

 

At about 40:20, Pete and Bill talk about his “California’s Barbacoa Trail” series for Eater LA and the hyper regionality of Mexican food

 

At about 45:10, Pete and Bill discuss the incredible diversity of Mexican food in Los Angeles

 

At about 46:45, Pete wonders quixotically about why LA can’t sell Ensenada-style fresh mariscos, and Bill informs him about why it wouldn’t sustainable 

 

At about 49:45, Pete notes how Bill’s “California’s Barbacoa Trail” article series brought up interesting ideas of “home” and the ways of community life in rural towns

 

At about 52:00, Bill talks about pulque’s significance in connection with barbacoa 

 

At about 54:00, Pete and Bill highlight some of the cooks spotlighted in Bill’s series

 

At about 55:00, Bill highlights Barbacoa Mejia in Richmond, CA and its incredible ximbó 

 

At about 55:45, Bill and Pete discuss his book, LA Mexicano: Recipes, People, and Places and Bill’s aims in writing the book

 

At about 58:30, Pete shouts out Madre Oaxacan cuisine in Los Angeles, which Bill notes has the world’s biggest selection of mezcal

 

At about 59:30, Bill describes why and how he sees his book as a “sequel” to Gustavo Arellano’s classic Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered the USA

 

At about 1:01:50, Pete asks Bill about the idea of “authentic” food

 

At about 1:03:20, Bill cites Enrique Olvera and his idea that even the term “Mexican food” is incredibly limiting and a misnomer really

 

At about 1:04:25, Bill discusses what different regions and towns value as indicators

 

At about 1:07:20, Bill responds to Pete’s questions about the future of Mexican food-its commercialization, developments, the influx of restaurants from México City coming to LA, etc.

 

At about 1:10:30, Bill explains why Nixtaco in the Sacramento area is doing so well

 

At about 1:12:00, Bill shouts out a great spot in Valle de Guadalupe, Wa Kumiai Tabita (check Number 4) 

 

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The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.

Please tune in for the next episode, a conversation with Annie McDermott, translator of works in Spanish and Portuguese, including Mario Levrero’s The Luminous Novel. The episode will air starting November 16.