The Recipe for Radical Visibility and Chilaquiles (with a Side of Kale Salad)

Creating radical visibility — for artists of color, queer artists, undocumented artists — is hard work. And people doing hard work need to eat well. Over chilaquiles, a traditional Mexican dish of fried corn tortillas covered in sauce and queso fresco, CultureStrike co-founder Favianna Rodriguez and queer undocumented artist and cartoonist Julio Salgado dish out more than just a delicious meal.

“The entire ecosystem of the arts does not have enough of us in it,” Rodriguez says of artists of color. “It’s not just about being represented, it’s about us having real power.”

For Salgado, whose work is informed by his various identities, but not defined by them, the current political climate makes him question his decision to be out — both as a queer man and an undocumented immigrant. But, he says, “The artist in me is like, ‘No.’”

“We definitely need to have stories — especially now,” Rodriguez says “of joy and pleasure and just our complicated humanity.”

So cook up some chilaquiles with your friends and loved ones, tell stories of joy and pleasure and buen provecho!

Favi and Julio’s Chilaquiles and Kale Salad

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• onions
• corn tortillas
• olive oil
• tomato sauce
• queso fresco

Salad directions: Mix miso, olive oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce together for the dressing, add to kale salad and let it sit to soften the leaves.

Chilaquiles directions: Cut the onions and saute them in oil. Add more oil, cut the tortillas into quarters and fry them to taste. (Rodriguez recommends “a little soft and a little crispy.”) Add the tomato sauce (or red or green salsa, or mole), stir and serve. Top with queso fresco and as Rodriguez says, “Boom you got chilaquiles!”

Text by Sarah Hotchkiss

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