Is Cinco De Mayo For Sale By the Alcohol Industry? In the 1960s, Chicano activists in Colorado promoted a boycott of Coors beer in response to employment discrimination against Latinos at Coors breweries. Coors had two problems. They had to fix their image with Latino consumers, and they had to figure out some way to get college students to drink more beer in May. The solution: start sponsoring Cinco de Mayo! Thus, even though Mexicans in Mexico celebrate their independence day on September 15th and 16th, Mexican-Americans are more likely to celebrate the May 5th anniversary of the Battle of the Puebla, which is not even commemorated with a national holiday in Mexico. In fact, the Battle of the Puebla was a skirmish in the Pastry War, a French intervention in Mexico that began because a French chef demanded several thousand pesos to compensate him for Mexican military officers looting his pastry supply.
posted by jonp72 on May 5, 2006 - 44 comments

Jeff Johnson wants to know what Pete Coors has to say.
posted by yerfatma on Nov 4, 2004 - 15 comments

Top 25 Celebrities Turned Politicians
posted by Rastafari on Jul 19, 2004 - 8 comments

The Peterson beer powered organ. Its like being the conductor of a well trained ensemble of jug playing hillbillies. (with sound samples)
posted by skallas on Feb 3, 2002 - 10 comments

The fish thought they died and went to heaven.
posted by tamim on Aug 27, 2000 - 6 comments