The film, Tortilla Soup, is discussed.

1. Maggie Francisco

2. SUMMARY OF TORTILLA SOUP
 Tortilla Soup is a film about the domestic and
personal life of a former chef, Martin Naranjo.
 The film centers on issues of assimilation that
Martin‟s daughters are facing as first generation
Mexican-Americans.
 Carmen, Maribel, and Leticia Naranjo struggle with
trying to assimilate to American culture while still
preserving their cultural heritage.

3.  Lindenfeld (2007) states, “US food films tend to
construct a touristic experience of cultures outside
of white middle-class America. These texts invite
the tourist gaze to experience ethnic „„others‟‟ and
their food cultures” (p. 304).
 Many recent food films focus on ethnic families in
order to allow the predominantly white audience to
experience the “ethnic others” that Lindenfeld refers
to, while remaining in the comfort of their own
homes where they do not feel threatened by
“coming into contact with actual, potentially fear-
invoking racialized bodies” (Lindenfeld, 2007,
p.305).

4.  Furthermore, this turns ethnicities into safe commodities
that white, middle class audiences can consume.
 An ethnic food film, such as Tortilla Soup, allows the
audience to consume traditional Mexican food visually,
without having to deal with race, ethnicity, and
immigration issues.
 Culture= commodity in the entertainment business
(Lindenfeld, p. 314).
 “The material culture of food maintains differences,
encouraging the consumption of „otherness‟ without
promoting understanding of the ways in which US
culture configures ethnicity and race” (Lindenfeld, 2007,
p.314).

5.  Lindenfeld (2007) utilizes a critical approach to
inform the audience that cultural tourism gives a
false perception that you can learn about a culture
by simply experiencing ethnic others and their food
culture.
 Lindenfeld uses the critical approach to study the
film because “ the methods preferred by critical
scholars are usually textual analyses”(Martin and
Nakaya, 2010, p.66).
 Lindenfeld focuses on the film Tortilla Soup, the
film‟s website, and other ethnic food films.

6.  Because ideological beliefs often go undetected it is
common for ideologies to construct identification.
When an audience overlooks ideologies, the media
is defining race, locking in cultural ideologies, and
upholding racial stereotypes.
 Lindenfeld (2007) suggests that “food culture
frequently exoticizes and commercializes ethnicity
and race” (p. 305).
 The film presents detrimental stereotypes that use
racial generalizations that oversimplify an entire
race.

7.  Lindenfeld (2007) states, “
contemporary marketing efforts often
lump large ethnic groups into
racialized categories, eroding
difference and distinctions among
them” (p.306).
 This erases Latino‟s concept of
individuality and culture because the
audience creates a skewed
perception of what it means to be
Latino. Latinos are encouraged to
blend their cultural identities with
white, middle class values.

8. Why is it important? So What?
 Reinforces preference for  Maintains hierarchies of
light- skinned Latinos race, class, and gender
(Lindenfeld, 2007, p.
311). (Lindenfeld, 2007, p.
 Latino women strive to 313).
conform to US standards  Places Latinos as a
of beauty (Lindenfeld, commodity (Lindenfeld,
2007, p. 311).
2007, p. 313).
 Reaffirms hegemonic
ideologies about Latinos (  Positions Latinos as
Lindenfeld, 2007, p. 304). objects to be consumed
(Lindenfeld, 2007, 314

9.  “Contemporary Latina stars, especially Jennifer Lopez,
often find themselves caught in a trap in which their
hybridity and „„otherness‟‟ mark them as commodifiable
while they also strive to adhere to mainstream US
standards of beauty. The most recent construction of
Lopez‟s stardom presents her as „„ambiguous enough to
be „any woman,‟ yet different enough to suggest an
appropriate consumable exotic Otherness” (Lindenfeld,
2007, 311).
 Do you think Latino(a) stars are setting a good example
for young Latino(a)s, or are these famous individuals
helping to maintain dominant ideologies about Latinos?
 What is the appeal of being an exotic/ethnic other and
still assimilating to white beauty standards?

10.  “Pressures to assimilate to mainstream culture are
tremendous, and the film purports to demonstrate how those
who have been marginalized can become part of the
American dream. Its rhetoric suggests that those exploited
ethnic minorities can have a piece of the proverbial cake and
eat it, too” (Lindenfeld, 2007, p. 313).
 “Positioning fusion [cuisine] over traditional cuisine also
suggests that Mexican Americans, like Asian Americans, can
become „model minorities‟ if they blend their identities with
white US value systems” Lindenfeld, 2007, 310-311).
 Is it possible for Latinos to assimilate to American culture, but
still remain faithful to their cultural roots?

11. In society today, media is the dominant form in which
audiences construct stereotypes. The media allows
audiences to categorize groups by defining stereotypes of
differing races, leading to insider and outsider groups that
become the foundation of race identification. Specifically,
Latino representation in the media is problematic because
these depictions create false beliefs about race. The media
creates stereotypes that are repeated, which become
normalized in film. These racial norms then become beliefs
that audience members regard as true, which leads to
action and prejudice against Latinos. According to
Lindenfeld (2007), the film, Tortilla Soup supports negative
Latino stereotypes that erase individuality and culture.

12. IMPLICATIONS
CONTINUED . . .
Negative stereotypes do not occur just in film, but
carry into society, which causes discrimination,
oppression, and prejudice of minorities. In other
words, Hollywood cinema is responsible for overtly
portraying entire races in a negative way, which
legitimizes bias against minorities. When minorities,
specifically Latinos, are presented in a negative light it
affects the economic, educational and political future
of the entire race.

13. Lindenfeld, L. (2007). Visiting the Mexican American Family:
Tortilla Soup as Culinary Tourism. Communication and
Critical/Cultural Studies, Vol. 4, No. 3. 303-320.
Martin, J.N., & Nakayama, T.K. (2010). Intercultural
Communication in Contexts, 5th edition. Boston, MA.
McGraw-Hill.