Cinco De Mayo.
Americans have a lot in common with Mexicans.
Cindo De Mayo Made Simple.
In today’s blog post, we’d like to answer the question, “What is Cinco De Mayo?”.
We love Mexico. Our daughters both started kindergarten at Bear Creek Elementary in their dual-immersion Spanish program. They read, write, and speak Spanish fluently. Cinco de Mayo is a great opportunity to share our love for Mexican people and culture. We’re gonna keep it super simple here. Cinco de Mayo is all about honoring the spirit of Mexican resilience, a day to celebrate Mexico’s fight for freedom and self-determination. A fight that is always worth it.
As Americans, we know a little something about fighting for freedom and self-determination, and this is why we have so much in common with our Mexican friends. Mexicans have a history of fighting for their freedom.
In 1810, the Mexicans resisted Spanish Colonial rule.
In 1862, the Mexicans resisted French Imperial intervention.
The war for Mexican independence from Spain began in 1810 and led to Mexico gaining independence in 1821. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican Victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This is a time in Mexican history when European powers tried to intervene in Mexico’s affairs after its independence.
In 2022, my family and I traveled to Guanajuato and walked the path of Mexican freedom fighters, along with revolutionary Miguel Hidalgo, the Catholic priest who led the Mexican resistance as they fought against Spanish colonialism, comment, call, DM, or text me if you’d like to hear more about our trip and deep dive into Spanish history. We’re big fans of Mexico and love their shared determination to fight for their country’s freedom and independence.
Mexicans, like Americans, have always been determined to fight for freedom and self-determination.
I’d like to invite you to share this with anyone you know who is curious about Cinco de Mayo. May we continue to honor and celebrate our shared vision for freedom and self-determination.
¡Viva México!
¡Viva America!
If you are looking for a way to make a tangible difference in our community at Cinco de Mayo, join me and our church, Antioch, in supporting the Latino Community Association during May. Our church is collecting school supplies for Latino and Latina students in Bend.
Link to Latino Community Association here: Latino Community Association
Link to Antioch Church here: Antioch Church
Sandwich in Bend.
Are you looking for the best sandwich in Bend? We spend a lot of time eating sandwiches. These are our favorite spots in Bend…the list is intentionally short because we’re big fans of keeping things simple and supporting local families. This list is fueled by some of the best people in Bend, great people serving our community through good food. The common thread…GOOD BREAD! New York City Sub Shop has mastered the art of baking fresh bread daily in-house. A few years ago, we showed up to grab a late afternoon sandwich from NYCSS, it was past 3pm, and when we showed up, there was a sign on the door that said, “out of bread, closed for the day”. I walked in and asked what’s up with running out of bread. Andrew, the owner, politely let me know that they make their bread fresh daily, when its gone, its gone. I respect that, and i’ve been coming back ever since that “we ran out of bread” day. There are a few other spots in Bend that operate that way, and I LOVE IT! Our friends at Valentine’s are laser-focused on top-notch ingredients and have outsourced their bread stuff to one of Bend’s finest bakers, Sparrow Bakery. The Sparrow hogie roll is quite possibly the best on planet earth. We buy them in bags of four from Newport Avenue Market for making sandwiches at home. Look for them next time your at Market of Choice or Newport.
We’d love to know which sandwich spot is your favorite…and here are ours!
#1 Valentine’s Deli - link to site
#2 NYCSS - link to site
#3 Blue Eyes Burgers and Fries - link to site (formerly Neighbor Rotisserie). Yes, we know burgers aren’t sandwiches, but maybe they are. Who are you to say they are not? Life’s too short to not eat burgers, err…a beefy inspired sandwich for lunch. Lol.
#1 Valentine’s Deli - (541) 322-2154 - 555 NW Arizona Ave #25, Bend, OR 97703
My wife is a teacher in Bend and each year we seem to find a gift card stuffed into a thank you note from the owners of Valentine’s. These folks love and support our local educators, and they make a seriously good sandwich.
Our favorite…the only sandwich I ever order, is the hot italian. Friends I eat with order the Alburquerque or Ranch Hand. Every sandwich on the menu is incredible. Valentine’s has mastered the art of keeping things simple, using great meat and veggies on delicious bread from Sparrow Bakery.
Hot Italian 🐖
Toasted pepperoni, salami, hot capicola, ham, and provolone cheese on a Sparrow hoagie, topped with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, and pepperoncini. Juiced up with mayo and house red wine vinaigrette
#2 New York City Sub Shop - (541) 330-0444
Andrew and his team have been in Bend for a long time, since before Bend had more than 10,000 people. Conveniently located off Third Street, next to Ace and Safeway, this spot is a MUST-VISIT when in Bend. My favorite is a Manhatten, light on peppers, no tomato, served hot. When they ask if you’d like the sandwich hot, say yes, they grill everything up on their flat top, then carefully place it onto their soft bread. The process is systematic, everything is consistent, down to how each sandwich is cut, wrapped, and delivered.
If you’re in town and wanna grab lunch, I’m buying. If you live in Bend and wanna catch up over lunch, I’m buying.
Just call or text me “sandwich” and I’m in for a trip to NYCSS. Your sandwich is on me.
Justin
(541) 797 - 9939
