The smell of broth, onions and cilantro filled the air of the Hays County Courthouse lawn and spirits were high as the Annual Menudo Throwdown Saturday brought hundreds of people to the square.
The throwdown was nothing short of a massive party. I even saw jello shots being passed out at one booth.
I am personally a big fan of menudo, when done correctly, though I know for some it can be hard to get past the texture. I highly recommend trying the menudo at Woweez if you are partial to it.
Earlier in the festivities there was the most adorable Miss Chiquita pageant. The girls were dressed to the nines and offering their best answers. Here was a wholesomeness that could make the coldest individual smile. The girls went up one by one and told the audience something about themselves. One particularly sweet answer was, “I love my family,” which got a resounding “awwwwwwwwwwww” from the crowd.
Miss Chiquita for 2023 was Aislyn Valencia and the runner up was Aubrey Baen, though all were deserving of a prize. There was also an ages 68 and up pageant.
When the pageant was over La Sirena Del Rio, The Indigenous Mermaid, came to talk to the kids about the importance of “what is on the inside,” the truest measure of a person’s beauty, and being kind. The mermaid was the picture of majesty with her golden tail, long black hair and red rose flower crown - a symbolic and historically significant Mexican-American cultural practice. According to the Espiritu website, the history of the flower crown can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Flower crowns, for agrarian societies, were a nod to the land and seasons. They can be worn for ceremonial purposes and illustrate status and accomplishment.
In addition to the pageant festivities, there were many vendor booths set in place, and of course tons of food! There was also a booth that sold Aguas Frescas– the melon juice was out of this world.
For a donation, visitors would receive a sampler pack, with different amounts of disposable cups and spoons, depending on your appetite and budget. Then it was time to go from booth to booth asking for samples.
I was particularly partial to the Suave Menudo booth. Here the broth was spicy, with a limey zest all of which could definitely help you sweat out any remaining alcohol from the night before. The meat melted in your mouth. The beans by Baragio Borrachos were incredibly flavorful with just the right amount of fat and spice. I bought an award-winning Michelada which was worthy of the banner with that title. It was a perfect blend of budweiser, clamato, worcestershire sauce and spices. It was great to cool down the heat of the menudo.
