Cinco de Mayo has become a big deal in the U.S. in recent years. But it is not a major holiday in Mexico. It is the commemoration of a Mexican military victory over France.
It was actually a marketing push by Corona beer that created the Cinco de Mayo we know today, filled with parties, food and, of course, lots of drink. St. Patrick's Day has a similar disconnect between the holiday in the home country and the way it is celebrated in America.
Here now to speak about how the U.S. appropriates ethnic and cultural holidays from other countries are Culinary Institute of America Professors Beth Forrest and Deirdre Murphy.
