• Authentically Mexican

  • A Family History in Six Dishes
  • By: John Paul Brammer
  • Narrated by: John Paul Brammer
  • Length: 1 hr and 26 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,378 ratings)

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Authentically Mexican  By  cover art

Authentically Mexican

By: John Paul Brammer
Narrated by: John Paul Brammer
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About the Creator and Performer

John Paul Brammer is an author and illustrator whose food writing has appeared in Food & Wine, The Washington Post, and Kitchn. He runs the LGBTQ advice column ¡Hola Papi! which has been published at Conde Nast and Out Magazine, and currently runs on Substack. It has been adapted into a book for Simon & Schuster, to be published in 2021.

Dear Listener,

Why did I choose this format to tell my story?
"Sometimes we miss the big stories because they're hidden in the mundane and the everyday. That's what drew me to food writing. Every meal, every dish has so much to tell us about each other: where we come from, why we do the things we do, and how we connect with other people. In writing about the precious few dishes that run in my family, I'm also writing about Chicano culture, about the world as I knew it and the characters who made it colorful. Buen provecho!" – John Paul Brammer, creator and performer of Authentically Mexican

What listeners say about Authentically Mexican

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Decent listen

This was a really surprising lesson because I was anticipating it to talk about how to make specific foods. But instead what I got was a “fake Mexican,” as the author put it, describing what his view of being authentic meant. He didn’t know the Spanish language and he didn’t grow up eating a lot of the customary Mexican foods. So the majority of his life he felt like an absolute phony. He tried for so long to find ways to authenticate himself as a Mexican but he just kept failing. What he ends up realizing is that authenticity is who you are, at the time, with what you understand about the world and how you see it. And I really like that.

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A salute to the author’s family

I loved the gentle thoughts of this almost Mexican! I live in Mexico and recognise so much that he described, from the solemn abuela to the sweet conchas. My only criticism is that it was too short - I’d love to hear more about the author, his family and his food!

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2 people found this helpful

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Loved this!

I hope JP Brammer tells us more of his life. I look forward to the moving story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Aonderful

This was just wonderful memoir, structured around food but about so much more. Highly recommend

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enjoyable

I really liked the opened of JP, I could relate to his struggle. I am definitely going to have to try a concha!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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chicanita

Grateful. We just want to belong. Selena forever! So many nuances captured in this book.

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So very close to my heart

I have lost both my abuelita and my mamasita. I miss the smells of their kitchen and worry that I have become a “lost” Mexican. I love that my recipes are the family legacy I will leave my grandchildren- and just because this fourth generation is blonde, doesn’t change that they were weaned on tacitos and fijoles. Loved this book and I will listen often. Thank you

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A peek into a culture

Funny, how my upbringing was similar but the “what am I made of” version. Poor white family struggling to find a cultural background. All my life, I was told by my my junior high teacher mother that we are a large part Scandinavian- only to find in my 60’s that no, we are a large part Irish. I wanted my unknown culture to anchor me, to give me a sense of belonging. It seems we all struggle similarly but different.

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Super interesting mini family history

I've heard the author on NPR and enjoyed the segment. This was more of him done well. I highly recommend this little bit of modern American history.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

related on so many levels

loved this short read. it resonated with me so much being mixed myself and coming from a similar family and background. This changed my perspective on so many feelings and wanting to belong and be part of our Mexican culture. Thank you!

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8 people found this helpful