Mariana Dineen

Tell us about your ethnicity and culture.

I was born and raised in Monterrey, a northern city in the beautiful country of Mexico. I dearly remember and miss our huge family gatherings every Sunday at my grandparents house and our Easter tradition of coloring eggshells, filling them with confetti, hiding them for our Easter egg hunt, and then breaking them on the head of someone else.

I want my children to experience, enjoy and love the traditions of their beautiful, passionate and colorful Mexican heritage, from the language, to the food, music and festivities/traditions.

I moved to New York in 2009 right after college and one of the things that took me time to get used to were meal times. Lunch in Mexico is the main meal of the day and growing up we ate lunch after school around 4pm. It consisted of soup, salad, a main dish, and of course agua fresca, tortillas and homemade salsa were part of every meal! My dad came home every day for lunch and then took a siesta before going back to work.

Mexican fiestas weren’t complete without a bright and colorful piñata filled with candy and December was filled with Posadas, a traditional Christmas party surrounded by family and friends, enjoying tamales, singing Christmas songs and spreading holiday cheer all around.

I want my children to experience, enjoy and love the traditions of their beautiful, passionate and colorful Mexican heritage, from the language, to the food, music and festivities/traditions. Keeping my Mexican culture alive at home is extremely important to my husband and I, not only because my extended family still lives in Mexico but because we want to raise children who appreciate diversity. We believe that acceptive and honoring diversity starts with taking pride in your own culture.

Tell us about your partners ethnicity and culture

My husband is Irish-American. His grandparents immigrated form Ireland when they were very young. Sophia’s second name, Claire, is in honor of the county Clare in Ireland, where her great-grandfather grew up. His Irish-American family here is very close and family oriented. They approach life with the Irish attitude of “craic” which is all about staying light-hearted, celebrating every moment and living life to the fullest.

How do you work to keep both cultures alive and relevant for your kids?

Ever since Sophia and Eddie were born I’ve only spoken to them in Spanish. Most of my family still lives in Mexico, and although they all speak/read/write English, giving them the gift of Spanish was a must. Sophia and Eddie attend a bilingual school and we also read books, watch TV and sing songs in Spanish. Our efforts have payed off, Sophia speaks both languages with the proficiency as a native.

We get together often with my husband’s large Irish family. Summers are spent at the family house in Long Beach Island, where the Irish flag is flying proudly and the nights have been known to feature some traditional Irish music to get the party going.

Are there any recipes/food traditions that are unique to your culture that you have passed along to (or what to pass along your children?

In the kitchen living my Mexican heritage means my fridge and pantry are stocked with tortillas, nopales, queso fresco, chiles piquinies, tamales, mole, Mexican hot chocolate, just to name a few. My children share my love of quesadillas, Mexican pastries, tacos, flautas, and authentic guacamole. I’m still working on the spicy, but know that will come with time. Traditional Mexican food is fresh, vibrant, and full of spice and I make a conscious effort to ensure my children experience the foods of my childhood.

Every St. Patrick’s Day we make Sophia’s great-grandmother’s Irish SodaBread and scone recipe. You know it’s authentic when it calls for handfuls and pinches instead of actual measurements. She loves to get all covered in flour kneading the dough and despite the inevitable mess they are always a lot of fun and turn out delicious.

Thanks Mariana for sharing your family and story with us. You can find Mariana on social @prettynutritious