every food in: Signal to Noise
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Originally published 2015
YUP, it’s another book about witches.
This book was so good that I stayed up all night reading it, and avoided writing this all day because I was busy first telling everyone I know about it, and then obviously, I had to get chicken and rice from Lita because the book made me hungry. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself to make up for not writing today.
Meche, Daniela, and Sebo live in Mexico City in 1988-1989 and learn to cast spells with Meche’s father's records, with both good and bad consequences. As an adult, Meche comes back for her father’s funeral, and meets Sebastian for the first time since she stopped talking to him as a teenager. That’s about all I can say about it without spoilers.
For a book where bad things happen to almost everyone constantly, it weirdly….doesn’t feel very depressing. I kind of want to give everyone a cup of tea and a hug, but the ending is really hopeful, and legitimately made me feel both satisfied and wishing I could read more writing in this universe.
I also really like how the author uses food as memory back and forth between the past and present. I don’t think I would have immediately noticed if I hadn’t been reading it specifically for this blog, but parallels like teenage Meche buying Sebastian some sweet breads, and flashing back to the present where Meche’s mother has an entire basket of them on the table that everyone is sharing.
Finally, I have a bone to pick with the comparison to Stranger Things - I think I mentioned this in my post about Akata Witch but one of my least favorite things publishers do to try and market books, especially books by BIPOC, is inaccurately draw a comparison to something popular. If Signal to Noise is anything, it’s like… emotionally, somewhere between the Craft, Amelie, and Teen Witch. But really, it’s none of those - it’s contained within its own universe that’s unique to Mexico City, and it doesn’t need a new cover treatment to re-market it. Especially one that doesn’t even reflect what the book is about, given that the characters listen to only vinyl and cast spells with records. Sigh.
For the foods, I've left things written as close to how they actually were, and added context when I felt it was necessary. I’ve also linked recipes for anything non store-bought (but there’s a lot of store bought food - these kids eat so much junk food), when it was made clear what the specific dish was. For things that were translated into an English description, I’ve just used my best judgement (IE, you probably wouldn’t call a concha a bread roll if you already mentioned Conchas, it’s probably a bolillo).
2009
1988
Daniela’s under the bed stash of Twinkies and Chocotorros
An egg torta for lunch
Easy bake oven cupcakes
Animal crackers and milk
Half a cheese and ham sandwich
Frying onions or chilies
“Picadillo, the way your mom likes it”
Tortillas from town
“On Mondays (Meche’s dad) had the seafood soup. Tuesdays the stuffed chili.”
2009
Tamales and canapés for the novena
Coffee, strong and black
1988
A lunchtime sandwich
A juice box
A few beers, large portions of spicy birria
Candy skulls for day of the dead
Two pieces of sweet bread with cream filling
Camotes (sold from a cart)
Chicken soup with chopped carrots and rice and potatoes, a glass of lemonade, tortillas dipped in the soup broth
Drugstore soda pop
Cheese rolled up in ham
An imaginary espresso
2009
A center basket of sweet bread
Coffee for the family and tea with milk in a tall glass for Meche
“Meche found the milk and riffled through the store, looking at the candy and chips. They had the regular tamarind Pelón Pico Rico and a sour lime flavor she had never seen before, peanuts dipped in chili, and chocolate Carlos V.”
1988
Animal crackers and milk
2009
A latte with three packets of sugar for Daniela and a cup of tea for Meche
1988
A bottle of apple juice
A soft drink
2009
Tea with a few spoons of sugar
Two fried eggs and a glass of orange juice
Powdered milk and animal crackers
Cafe au lait and fresh bread rolls
1988
A bag of chips, a couple of sodas, and some chocolate
Milkshakes, fries with ketchup, and burgers
A big bucket of popcorn
Stale pizza and pop
Cheetos and a bar of chocolate
Grilled cheese sandwiches
Lemonade
A glass of milk
“Baked a cake and frosted it pink”
Foamy coffee and a large cookie
Tiny sausages on trays
Beer (tecate)
Choco Krispies and milk
2009
Atole and a tamal
“There were sweet tamales and salty ones, some filled with chicken and others with pineapple. There were even tamales chiapanecos, wrapped in a banana leaf and stuffed with pork.”
1988
“food stands offered typical Mexican Christmas foods and treats: mandarins, tejocotes, sugar canes, tamales, tostadas. Punch made with guava. Chocolate and atole to stay warm.”
Milk and animal crackers
Fortified punch with a piece of cinnamon
A couple of rum and cokes
Easy bake oven cupcakes
Frozen yogurt
A free bag of microwave popcorn
Juice
Leftover ham
2009
A small bag of peanuts
Two cups of tea, chamomile with no milk or sugar
Steak and a double cocktail
Strawberry tart and tea with milk
1989
Picadillo plastic wrapped in the fridge (dad doesn’t come home)
A glass of milk and a cup of coffee
2009
Pistachios and a coke (Meche does not go home, but stays at dad’s old place)
1989
A glass of water
Birria tacos and jarritos
A whole roasted chicken
Boiled rice
A bag of popcorn
A bag of chips and several cans of soda
2009
Tea
“Breakfast in Norway is pickled beets and sweet pickles and Gammelost. Maybe fårepølse.”
A grapefruit, green chilaquiles, tea with three sugars
A cup of tea with no sugar
1989
A chili lollipop (Meche, fighting fire with fire)
2009
A bottle of coke
1989
Easy bake cupcakes
Animal crackers and milk
Milk and chocolate powder
Picadillo made by Meche with undercooked potatoes
Chips and soda (an apology)
A cup of coffee
2009
Hibiscus flowers for the Jamaica
“Assorted empanadas constituted the dish for the last day of the novena, There were spicy tuna ones and sweet ones filled with pineapple jam”
1984
Potato chips and soda
A kilo of tortillas and milk
