Gente de Milpa/People of the Milpa: Rosetta Cuadernos/Notebooks 2

The Rosetta Notebooks are published as part of an innovative project at the Mexico City restaurant led by Chef Elena Reygadas.

Each volume offers a short, incisive text written by a renowned scholar who explores aspects of food culture, health, and environmental concerns.

Chef Reygadas notes:

I’m convinced that we should also consider our work as cooks beyond its hedonistic function. In a world like ours—devastated by climate change, social inequality,, systemic violence, sexism, racism, and the degradation of political life, to mention just a few of many ills—a restaurant should provide a platform for reflection and positive contributions to society.

People of the Milpa are the indigenous Mesoamericans, who domesticated a cluster of interplanted crops such as corn, beans, amaranth, chilies, squash, and tomatillos. Armanod Bartra, a philosopher, economist, anthropologist, sociologist, and historian explores the resilience of their approach, as well as the threats it faces from economic, agricultural, and political forces which disrupt traditional ways of life and demand conformity with the outside world.

References for further reading are included for anyone interested in deeper examination of these issues.

In Spanish and English. Paperback. Staplebound. 8 ⅛” x 10 ⅝”. 20 pages.