Story by Danay Barrera, Summer 2019
Ever wonder why Coca Cola from Mexico tastes different? We have sugarcane to thank for that. Originally from Asia, but grown around the world, sugarcane thrives in tropical regions. While Cokes from the United States are made with high-fructose corn syrup, the ones in Mexico are sweetened with this readily available plant. My partner’s grandfather and uncles are employed in the plotting, harvesting, and transporting of sugarcane. Some Mexican towns’ economies are completely dependent on its production!
Sugarcane was introduced to me as caña when I went to visit my grandparents in Mexico at the age of eight. It is one of my earliest memories of Mexico and of my grandparents. When my abuelita, placed a short stick of caña in my little hand, I first thought it was a bamboo stick since caña resembles bamboo with its long, greenish-brownish stalks. My abuelita showed me how to properly enjoy caña, “chew on it, but don’t swallow it.” My disappointment about not actually eating what pandas eat was washed away as I bit into the sweet inside of the sugarcane. The purity of the syrup made me forget about the scorching heat and fussy mosquitos.
My next encounter with caña would not be until years later when I spotted it in a traditional Mexican drink called ponche. I recognize ponche as a sweet warm tea that, along with sugarcane, contains other ingredients cherished by fellow Mexicans: guavas, cinnamon, and hibiscus flowers. My relatives in Mexico enjoy this soothing drink during Las Posadas, a series of religious processions that revolves around the story of Mother Mary’s pregnancy. Those of us who live in the United States where Las Posadas are not often practiced enjoy ponche in between laughter and storytelling at Christmas Eve parties. Getting a stick of caña in your cup of ponche is like getting a treat inside of a treat. With the ingredients of ponche, the juices of the caña are taken from a simple, sugary solution, to an aromatic, slightly spicy, slightly fruity concoction. I look forward to my next Christmas Eve ponche that will softly carry me back to the time I shared with my sugary-sweet grandparents in Mexico.