Tacos are sacred to me, writes Chávez, who's set many a fictional scene in a Southwestern restaurant or around a dinner table. And here are her special recipes, including her mother's Tacos a la Delfina (I swear these tacos are really good cold!) and Granma Lupe's Pasta (not macaroni but a savory mincemeat-like taco filling). Here, too, are tips on shopping, cooking, and serving: Offer up the meal with gratitude and remember: Tacos are one of life's greatest things!

We live in chile country, she adds. We are blessed to be here. Food is more than food; it's a culture. And tacos are more than tacos.

Chile country is the setting for Chávez's magical, tragicomic fiction. And in A Taco Testimony she also tells wonderful stories that connect literature with culture and food with life along the Mexican-American border.

Time and love are the essence of all Mexican cooking, Chávez says—including her spicy, juicy writing, and this feast of a book.