My parents lived in San Antonio for over 25 years. I never lived there myself, but I got to visit several dozen times. It’s a charming, beautiful city with a fascinating and colorful history, and a lot of really fun stories like this one.

The Chili Queens filled the plazas of San Antonio for 60 years before they were kicked out! If you’d like to know more, here are just a few of the articles I read while researching this:

The History of San Antonio’s Chili Queens, San Antonio Magazine

San Antonio Chili Queens: The Story Behind Their 60-year Reign, Texas Standard

The Chili Queens of San Antonio, Hidden Kitchens, NPR

“They are ‘good fellows,’ these ‘chile queens,’ and are able and willing to talk on any subject that may be named from love to law. As a general rule they are bright, bewitching creatures and put themselves to much trouble to please their too often rowdy customers. Every class of people who come to this city visit the places and partake of their piquant edibles.”

~ San Antonio Daily Express, 1894

At this harrowing moment when unabashed white supremacists have seized the reins of power in my country, and are trying to sell our populace on harmful racist lies about who belongs here, it feels important to remember and uplift stories like this. The Chili Queens are Americans. They are America; they are us. They brought us so much, and they should be remembered and honored for their contributions to our cuisine and our culture.

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Shameless Self-Promotion:

I got to spend an afternoon playing with risograph printing at Sara Varon’s place again! This time we made Valentine’s Day cards. Mine ended up being a li’l spicy! ^_^

They’re blank on the inside so you can write your steamy love letters to your Valentine. ^_^ I printed a very small run of both yellow and pink versions, so get them while they’re hot!

What I’m Into Lately:

I have started reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. I think it’s possible that I read a little too much horror, and I want to branch out a bit. So I am embarking on a very unofficial project to read my favorite people’s favorite books. I’m asking good friends what their favorite books are, keeping a list, and tossing them in my library queue. This one was suggested by my friend Beck! I’m only a quarter of the way in, but the book is building a really quietly beautiful world so far, and I’m hooked already.

What Toki’s Into Lately:

He’s following those sunbeams around the house all day.

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