Jimmy Santiago Baca’s “Green Chile” answers the New Mexican state question of “Red or Green?” in a tasty way. The chiles he explores symbolize more than just a unique New Mexican experience. Santiago Baca uses the unique characteristics of each chile pepper to describe how this culture has changed between generations. The red chile appeals generation of the speaker, “I prefer red chile,”[1] a contemporary generation that contrasts with his grandmother’s generation, represented by the green chile. While there is generational contrast, there are also complementary flavors between the grandmother and her grandchild. What makes the poem spiciest, however, is the positioning of the grandmother as an erotic figure which turns the making of green chile into a highly sexualized rite of passage for the speaker into adulthood and New Mexican culture.
The first stanza’s main character is the speaker himself. He describes his love of red chile in terms that show how he and his generation has taken this piece of culture and Americanized it. The speaker adds chile to his American breakfast of potato and eggs and decorates his door with ristras – these are not integral parts of his culture anymore, but rather accessories. While speaker’s perspective Americanizes the red pepper, he still appreciates how it evokes the past, a simpler time. The red chile for him is impersonal, and though he compares it directly to the tongues of old men, he has no relation to these old men. In fact, the red chiles seem to blend in with the surroundings, and much like old men, can tell stories from the past, but can also be ignored as they “lick the breeze” (line 10). The speaker chooses to integrate some chile into his life, and obviously admires it, but he clearly views it from the position of an outsider.
The second stanza shifts the focus to the speaker’s grandmother, with her wrinkled hands. The stanza is the longest in the poem, and the most descriptive. The speaker spends a lot of time describing how his grandmother lovingly prepares chile con carne – using green chile instead of red. Both types of chile are from the same plant, green chile is just harvested earlier in the plant’s lifecycle, while red chile is generally dried out and put into a sauce. The grandmother chooses the fresher way to eat chile, which is usually the spicier version as well. The speaker also notes this, saying, “my mouth burns and I hiss and drink a tall glass of water”, which he did not have to do when eating red chile (line 37-38). The speaker distances himself from tradition and there appears a disconnect here between the speaker and the green chile, which he finds too spicy for his taste, something he is not used to.
A well-dressed gentleman at the door
my grandmother takes sensuously in her hand,
rubbing its firm glossed sides,
caressing the oily rubbery serpent,
with mouth -watering fulfillment,
fondling its curves with gentle fingers.
The grandmother is clearly used to preparing green chile, though she retains an intimate attitude towards the experience. In her hands, the chile is “an oily rubbery serpent”, “flanks of a tiger in mid-leap”, both masculinely dangerous and femininely graceful at the same time (line 22 and 26). The connection between the green chile and the grandmother is strong and passionate – she is not an outside observer to the rituals of making chile, but rather someone who has grown up with making chile and respects it. She and the green chile are intimates – he is a “well-dressed gentleman” and she caresses the phallic shape in her hand (line 19). The grandmother herself is not sexualized, but her relationship with the pepper allows an elderly woman to be sexier and more erotic than most people are used to. She prepares this meal “with lust,” and helps the speaker cross over into adulthood afforded by the green chile. By making the descriptions in this stanza so effusive and sensual, the poet highlights the grandmother’s devotion to her culture. Even the speaker can see how strongly the grandmother is influenced by this simple ritual of preparing food. If we are to supplant an entire generation for the role of the grandmother, we can see how she represents the relationship between her generation and the special blend of Mexican/New Mexican culture that the green chile suggests.
The final stanza gives hope for the continuation of this special culture and rite of passage. While the speaker might prefer his red chile in an Americanized setting, he sees the connection between green chile and his grandmother and participates in her ritual. In addition, there are still men and women all over New Mexico selling their green chile, roasting the pods until the smell pervades most neighborhoods. The poet uses the repetition of various towns throughout the state, “Belen, Veguita, Willard, Estancia, San Antonio y Socoro” to emphasize how widespread this culture is (line 41-42). Green chile is seasonal, added gravity to the ceremony the grandmother performs – it can only occur at a certain time of the year. But every year new chiles are harvested which allows the grandmother and the speaker to “relive this old, beautiful ritual again and again” (line 45). If the speaker finds this ritual beautiful enough to continue without his grandmother and from his outsider position, there is hope that green chile will continue to influence more generations as well.
Santiago Baca has used the metaphor of chile to explore the cultural differences between generations. By separating his stanzas into three distinctive segments with unique tones, he offers a clear view of the present and past with an optimistic view of the future. Chile is an undeniable icon for New Mexican society, but the poet has taken it a step further by treating the chile as a marker of different generations. The grandmother’s erotic treatment of the pepper shows intimacy with the food without sexualizing the relationship between speaker and grandmother; the speaker observes the ritual without partaking. Chile symbolizes tradition and the distance/disconnect younger generations have from that tradition but also promises continuation.
[1] Santiago Baca, Jimmy. “Green Chile” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly Mays. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. W.W. Norton & Company. NY, New York. 2016. P. 818. Print. Hereafter, I will be referring to poem by line number.
Works Cited
Santiago Baca, Jimmy. “Green Chile” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly Mays. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. W.W. Norton & Company. NY, New York. 2016. P. 818. Print.
