The smell of green chile roasting, that smoky aroma, is some kind of New Mexico heaven.

Green chile enchiladas, burritos, green chile spread across pizza, baked into bagels with cheddar cheese or sweetened to top custard—green chile is everywhere here. Part of state identity—written into the state question and visible on license plates. It’s a product that puts New Mexico on the map, and at the center of a feud with our neighbors to the north, Colorado, a debate over who grows the best green chile (with, mind you, an obvious answer. It’s us).

For many years I actively disliked green chile. I know, it’s a New Mexico sin.

Until I was an adult, I didn’t much care for the stuff. Red chile, sure, I thought it was swell. But green chile…something about the flavor didn’t sit well with me. Now I’m a diehard fan. Grown-up taste buds I guess. I grew to love green chile the same way I grew to love spinach, bananas and broccoli.

Aren’t the best love stories developed over time?

It grew on me slowly, but it took leaving New Mexico for me to understand how much I really love the stuff. When it was no longer available to me at 80 percent of restaurants, suddenly I wanted some all of the time. I’ve become quite the fan of Yo Mama’s Bosque Burger, with its green chile and cheese topping.

Green chile tastes like home. More than that, it smells like home.

Speaking of smells, there’s nothing quite like brand new book smell—even if it’s a textbook. As we enter the season where green chile overflows in the grocery store’s produce section, we also start back to school season. K-12 kids are already back in the classroom and college students will be on campus again soon. It seems like in-person learning will be possible and masks will be ubiquitous. I’m not sure I would have believed it if you’d told me in 2019 that masks would become an essential school supply.

Then there’s the thrill of regular school supplies: lines of colorful pens, pencils and sharpeners, bright binders and blank notebooks, just waiting for your words. Post-school, I suppose you can get that new school supply feeling via office supplies, but it’s never quite as exciting. I was always the student in class who lost their pencil, then lost their second pencil, then lost the third pencil. I always managed to scrounge one up from the depths of my backpack by the end of the day. Now I’m the reporter who has about 60 pens in their purse because my pens still tend to disappear.

Of course, the most important part of a school is the people. I am always impressed by teachers: their ability to manage a classroom, their commitment to their students, and their enthusiasm for their subjects. There’s a lot to admire. I am so impressed by the grace and flexibility teachers have approached the last two school years with.

It is mind-boggling to think we’re embarking on the third school year impacted by COVID-19. Hopefully, this fall will have fewer disruptions. I’m sending up a prayer that our schools stay open and our students stay healthy.

 

 

 

Cathy Cook, El Defensor Chieftain