Today is Cinco de Mayo, the holiday that celebrates the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.
Cinco de Mayo is unusual in that it is a Mexican holiday more popular in the United States than in Mexico. According to Wikipedia,
While Cinco de Mayo has limited or no significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.
Cinco de Mayo is a bigger holiday in Texas than Texas Independence Day. (Readers unfamiliar with Texas history may be surprised to learn that Texas was once a sovereign nation. The Republic of Texas existed for nearly a decade between gaining independence from Mexico in 1836 and joining the United States in 1845.)
Texas Independence Day, March 2, usually goes virtually unnoticed. However in 1986, the sesquicentennial, there was a big celebration in Austin. Activities included baking the world’s largest cake. The left-overs were distributed to the dorms at the University of Texas and so I had some of the cake. Quite a bit, actually. You might think that a cake baked for the purpose of setting a world record would be barely edible, but it was actually pretty good lemon cake.
Most recepeis are like watermellons: they get better as the size increases….law of large numbers at work here
I helped bake that cake in San Antonio. Wish I had a picture