Art
and Food Within the Bakery Reminds the Hispanic Heritage
The
Hispanic community maintains their culture and its significance through its
well-known and various unique meals filled with delicious and savory flavors
that identify each Central, South, or Mexican village. Each heritage treasures
its own special meals that represents where they come from such as tamales for
the Mexican people, Pupusas for Salvadorian community, and the list goes on.
However, sweets are another cultural significance for the Latino culture that
is overlooked, while other Latino communities retain their hometown through all
their traditional food and desserts. I realized that some places are preserving
their cultural importance from disappearing, even when it means that specific
places prevent the Latino communities from forgetting their meals or artwork
that surrounds that community. Furthermore, the relationship between
architecture and food is an importance to the Latino community because it symbolizes
the appreciation and acknowledgment of people’s hometown. El Pavo Bakeries provide delicate and sweet desserts for Glendale
communities, allowing special appreciation to Hispanic culture because of the
flavors and texture of the products that resembles preserving their origins,
but the absence of art in the bakery significance of the products within the
Hispanic community.
El Pavo
Bakeries is located in Northern Glendale populated with Latino members that
allows them to grasp the rich, sweet, sugar-powdered breads that hints people to
remember where they came from. Some cultural places incorporate the
architecture and their products to create a significant response that relates
to the Latino community. However, the bakery was not set accordingly to create
a connection between the art and products. As I entered the bakery, the warm
scent of the room alerted my senses to walk towards the cases of sweet,
sugar-coded breads, but directly from my view was three casings of glass slide
doors filled with cold beverages like Coca-Cola, Sprite, and few gallons of
lemonade. The second case had water, Monster drinks, Kerns, Arizona, Minute
Maid, Gatorade, and a Mexican brand of orange juice called Tampico. The third
case had cans of Sprite, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola, Squirt varied in sizes. The
cases above the soft drinks had three piñatas.
There was a fourth case that had gallons and cartons of milk. Adjacent to the milk
glass case stood an aluminum shelf that had edible ingredients like oils,
sugars, Abuelita Mexican style
chocolate for drinking, and Maruchan soups. On my right hand side, next to the
aluminum stand was aluminum, rectangular shaped pot which is used to serve food
while a burner lies beneath the pot heating the food. Following the pot was a
microwave and next to it was a telephone with a fax machine, a computer, and a
Mexican candy compartment. The cash register was on the right of the entrance
between the sweet breads and the shelf of the aluminum stand, pot, microwave,
etc. When I was facing the cash register, on the right, were small colorful
cakes and some jello; while another glass like container had some chicharrones [pork skins]. Directly
behind the cakes, was a picture of a turkey in front of a mountain with the sun
behind it. Below the picture was the words El
Pavo Bakeries. Above the counter that had the candy there were scattered,
disorganized items that hung on the wall: a calendar, three pictures of optical
illusions, posters of 2-3 layered cakes for special occasions. Behind me was a coffee machine and next to
the coffee were the sweet, sugary, breads. Above the bread containers there
were pictures of colorful birthday cakes. The bakery is significant because it
is located on a major location in Glendale where the Latino/Hispanic community
lives and makes it easily accessible to visit and savor traditional, unique,
tasteful desserts. The Latino community maintains traditional food sacred because
besides the taste, it reminds members of the community of their homeland.
El Pavo Bakeries
sells products that are recognizable to the Latino community like tamales. hot
chocolate (champurrado), chicharrones, sweet
breads [pan dulce] etc. that symbolizes the cultural
significance for their homeland. The bakery offers these products to connect
with the Latino community and “offer” cultural background appreciation. The
sweet, sugary, bread contributes to the warm smell and the uniqueness taste
that is a trademark within the Latino community. However, people are losing the
meaningful of cultural value roots because they do not appreciate the bakery
and its message to preserve the community’s origins. The food sold is homage of
cultural traditions that should not disappear, as well as culture. Sometimes
people are accustomed to their homes meals, but unaware that within the bakery
holds a piece of their hometown too. However, the sweet, sugary bread remains a
strong representation of the historical background of the Latino community
which enforces to appreciate and remind the people where they came from. Another
importance to the Latino community is the art and vibrant colors that connects
with individual Latino heritage and hometown.
Despite the fact that the food resembles the
cultural heritage, the actual place lacks any connection to the culture. The
bakery’s lacks of cultural structure makes the Hispanic community around it
ignore the bakery. The architecture is not influenced by the kinds of products
sold in the bakery. The bakery is unnoticed because the architecture is barely
decorated except for the basic posters of cakes and such. An example of the
lack of cultural reference to attract the Latino community is the logo which is
not visible until people search for it; a turkey in front of the mountain with
a sun including the name of the bakery. The architecture is absent from the
bakery and the food because the Latino community identifies with colors like displayed
on the piñatas. Art is vital because
it resembles people’s heritage, history, and adventures including unfortunate
events. The bakery does not provide a colorful meaning for the Latino community
besides the food. The bakery is designated for the Latino community, but an
official design within the place is needed to relate and Latino consumers to
their food and remind them that their culture is where home is.
