My first job after college was with the Immigration Service at Kennedy International Airport. The hours were ridiculously long, but it was a fantasy job. I met movie stars, heads of state, & royalty. The best part of the job was meeting people from all over the world. It was like traveling while sleeping in my own bed every night. Along the way, I made lots of friends who shared their cultures’ food with me. On Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican Day of Independence, I gravitate to the ultimate Mexican comfort food, Chile Verde. It represents a universal type of staple that probably dates back thousands of years. I grew up on the Mississippi River Delta with a constant pot of Pinto Beans & Ham, but my family’s anglophile roots meant a frequent pot of Irish Stew. My wife’s German heritage added a staple of Navy Beans & Pork. Leave it to the French to dress it up and call it Cassoulet. Whatever culture you go to, their aboriginal antecedents have a meat stew that exists in some form to this day.
