Twitter Feud of the Week: The Great Squash Blossom Debate

By Garrett Snyder Thu., May 17 2012 at 3:23 PM

flor de calabaza (squash blossoms)

This week's Twitter war began innocuously enough: On May 8, Portland-based food blogger and restaurateur Nick Zukin, who owns a Mexico City-style snack shop called Mi Mero Mole in PDX, inquired via Twitter where to find jarred flor de calabaza (squash blossoms) on a recent trip to Orange County. When no one in particular piped up with a particular location, Zukin (@extramsg) lamented that the item was easier to find in Oregon than in Southern California.

That statement attracted the attention of food blogger Bill Esparza (@streetgourmetla) and O.C. Weekly food editor Gustavo Arellano (@gustavoarellano), who responded that the statement was patently false, and that Zukin wasn't looking hard enough. Food-based barbs were traded, words like pendejo and gabacho were thrown around, and Zukin was compared unfavorably to a character in a Portlandia sketch. Zukin then pulled out the Rick Bayless card by suggesting L.A. was lacking a Mexican food expert on the level of the Chicago chef, a statement that definitely touched a nerve with two of our city's foremost authorities on the cuisine. The back and forth battle continued for a couple hours, like a electronic version of this year's Australian Open finals.

Today, even L.A. Times critic Jonathan Gold chimed in on the action, albeit from the viewpoint of a popcorn-munching spectator. As of Thursday afternoon, though, it seems that hatchet has been mostly buried between Zurkin and Arellano -- Zurkin even offered to fly the author of Tacos U.S.A. up to Portland for a book signing, where we imagine would settle their differences over a few quesadillas stuffed with flor de calabaza and huitlacoche.

Our take on the whole matter? Since flor de calabazas are the same thing as squash blossoms, an item that you'll find in almost every chef's 100%-hemp shopping bag this time of year, it probably isn't hard to find fresh (or jarred) versions in either Los Angeles or Portland. (Just go check a farmers market.) The bulk of the hub-bub wasn't really about veggies at all, but a signal that if you question the merits of Los Angeles Mexican cuisine on Twitter, you're cruising for an earful from its biggest advocates. See some selected tweets from the week-long saga:

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Hollywood Certified Farmers Market

Ivar Ave. & Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA

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Bill Esparza, Garrett Snyder, Gustavo Arellano, Mexican, Mi Mero Mole, Nick Zukin

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Nick A. Zukin

I didn't actually say that LA was lacking an expert in Mexican food the likes of Bayless. I just think that Bayless-hating goes much too far and that even if someone thinks that he's a total pendejo that it's unfair to deny his apparent passion for the cuisine or knowledge. So I responded to their Bayless-ista digs.

Often I've seen people such as Kennedy attacked for not being a native Mexican. Being Mexican doesn't make you love the food or have a passion for it or be an expert in it anymore than the average American is an expert in American food. Imagine the folly of asking the average Red Robin customer about the best cajun in Lafayette or the nuances of coal oven pizzas in NY. It's good to have pride in your culture, it's goofy to disdain others for having admiration for your culture or for spending their life becoming an expert in it.

Also, when I mentioned that I was finding it easier to get flor de calabaza in Portland than LA, I had already been to probably 20 Mexican markets in Santa Ana, East LA, and elsewhere. I had asked the people in charge of buying about them. I had looked for fresh ones in the produce section.

And my offer to Gustavo was real. I hope he makes the trip. What I've read of his book so far I've found really interesting. It's a great read for someone like myself who grew up on Mexican food and has devoted himself to promoting it.