Coyota in the Kitchen: A Memoir of New and Old Mexico (Querencias Series)

This memoir is a treasure box of wondrous events and mysteries from a life that is impossible to categorize. The coyota is Anita Rodríguez, daughter of a Mexican father and Anglo Texan mother. (Coyote/a was a term widely used when she was a child, growing up at Taos Pueblo in northern New Mexico, for a person who was half Mexican and half Anglo.) Rodríguez glides along the borders of identity, marking out her own unique path as a woman and an artist. She sails over the border between “ordinary reality” and “non-ordinary reality” and lives to tell about it vividly. To make a living as a young mother, she became a self-taught enjarradora, a specialist in adobe plastering. She went on to publish her research about this little-known Southwestern tradition and to run her own adobe construction business (fighting male opposition all the way). She lived for years in Guanajuato, Mexico, where she began painting in her magical-realism style and sampled ayahuasca. She learned to read Tarot from a bruja. When she was nearly dying from parasitic infections in Mexico, a shaman revealed the secret of the universe to her (it’s in the book).Her recipes (the book is full of them) will excite your senses and maybe even show you how to cook food that is capable of bringing the dead back to life. (See her painting “Pie for the Deceased,” one of several color plates included.)

This book is delicious art and culture. As a slow-food artist and food blogger myself, I can't say enough about the little treasure, Coyota in the Kitchen, that has made its way into my kitchen, life, and cookbook collection. With a Foreword by one of my favorite authors, John Nichols, and adventures through one of my favorite cultural landscapes - Old and New Mexico, Anita has shared a gem of a life with us in her poignant Memoir.

I could not put this book down. I loved the intertwining of the three art forms: the written word, the recipes, and the paintings. I deeply relate to Old and New Mexico, the food and art. I felt a kinship to the author and her wide array of relatives. This rich story speaks to everyday life and the mystery of the supernatural. It paints the cultural melding of Mexico, Native America, and Gringolandia. Thank you, Anita, for generously sharing of your incredible life experiences, gifts and talents! I'm blessed to have found your memoir. 💙

Liked it all, although not from the Taos area, the story rang true. I remembered family gatherings for all the feasts mentioned. Particularly enjoyed the trip to Mexico and the encounters there.Very, very good.

Interesting read that highlights the various cultures and history which make up the Taos environment. Includes some tantalizing recipes, none of which I've tried to date. Amazing how much this isloated mountain town in Northern New Mexico has and has not changed in the past century.

Quick and easy read. Enjoy the journey of her life through hardship and success. Her recipes are very enjoyable.

Splendid book, both as memoir and cookbook.

I can only say, this beautiful book is so full of everything!!! Art,food,recipes, ledgens, sad stories, happy stories, mystical and everything else that can carry you away to a wonderful place!! Not only for New Mexico!,. Every one will find something to love...they will be able to recount very entertaining stories,serve deliciously homemade food and get to savor life in a very picturesque part of our country!!!