On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 23:46:36 GMT, "Charles Gifford"
> wrote:

>Yes, many of them did, if not most of them. The Spanish in California
>pledged their allegance to Mexico rather than becoming subserviant to the
>Mexican government.

In context, I assume you meant that they pledged their allegiance to
Spain rather than Mexico.

>Most "Mexican" government officials in California were
>actually Spanish. I have a dear friend who bristles when called a Mexican.
>She is of Spanish ancestory. Her family has been in California since the
>18th century. She speaks the Spanish of Aragon.

As do many people I knew in New Mexico.

My memories of living in southern California in the mid-'60s include
wandering around on back roads in southern Riverside County and in San
Diego County, being amazed that I could find relatively undisturbed
hills with live oaks and other native vegetation, not ripped apart by
developers. I was told later those were spots of land that were still
part of Spanish land grants.

><SNIP>

>1. Cal-Mex cooking is first and most importantly based on Spanish-California
>(aka Rancho) cooking.

Olives, for example? Emphasis on beef?

>2. Unlike New Mex-Mex, Mexican, and Tex-Mex (and to an even smaller amount
>AZ-Mex) Cal-Mex was never modified by any indigenous Indian foods.

That makes sense to me.

>4. Cal-Mex food as we know it today is based on Rancho cooking with the
>addition of Mexican foods and cooking coming into California with the
>migrant workers in the 20th century.
>
>Charlie

Thanks, Charlie. That's a keeper.

David