Workshop: Mexicans in the Irish Sea and Four Plates

So what's it going to be about? Mexicans in the Irish Sea and Four Plates is this summer’s exploration of Mexican seafood culture through history, migration, trade, colonisation, and adaptation. Across four sessions, the series traces the development of seafood in Mexico — from pre-colonial food systems and the waterways of Tenochtitlán to contemporary marisquerías and the reinterpretation of Mexican seafood traditions in Ireland. Through specific dishes, historical narratives, artworks, popular culture, and storytelling, the workshops aim to understand the context and origins of these foods, and how they have evolved through centuries of movement, exchange, and cultural transformation. Each session examines how migration, maritime commerce, colonial routes, and urbanisation shaped Mexican seafood cuisine and its social meaning. The series also reflects on the Irish context: seafood consumption, local ingredients, migration, and the growing presence of Mexican food culture in Ireland. Using locally sourced Irish ingredients alongside Mexican techniques and recipes, the workshops explore how food changes when it crosses borders, and how cooking can become a space for memory, adaptation, and cultural connection. Who Is This Workshop For? This workshop is open to anyone interested in learning more about ingredients, techniques, and the history of Mexico through food. Session 1: Sea, Chinampas & the Aztec World 🍽️ What We Will Eat Caldo de Camarón (A traditional Mexican shrimp soup made with dried shrimp, fresh shrimp, tomatoes, chili, vegetables, and aromatic spices), served with tortillas. Focus An introduction to Aztec food systems, irrigation methods, chinampas, and the role of seafood. This session explores lakes, canals, fishing traditions, and the relationship between water, agriculture, and daily life in Tenochtitlán. Key Themes to Consider -Chinampas and Aztec irrigation systems -Lakes, canals, and aquatic life in Tenochtitlán -Indigenous fishing and seafood practices -Water as infrastructure and spirituality Session 2: Colonisation, Maritime Trade & Asian Influence 🍽️ What We Will Eat Aguachile and tostadas Focus A discussion on Spanish colonisation, maritime commerce, the Manila Galleon routes, and the arrival of ingredients, techniques, and flavours from Asia that transformed coastal cooking in Mexico. Key Themes to Consider -Spanish colonisation and maritime expansion -The Manila Galleon trade routes -Asian influence on Mexican coastal cuisine -Migration of ingredients, spices, and techniques Session 3: Urbanisation, Markets & Street Seafood Culture 🍽️ What We Will Eat Coctel de Camarón (cooked shrimp in a chilled tomato-based sauce with lime, onion, cilantro, avocado) Focus Exploring the growth of Mexican cities, public markets, street food culture, and the importance of accessible seafood in everyday urban life. This session looks at marisquerías, working-class food culture, and seafood as part of contemporary Mexican identity. Key Themes to Consider -Urbanisation and industrial growth in Mexico -Public markets and street food culture -Seafood as accessible working-class food -Marisquerías and food popular culture Session 4: Migration, adaptation & contemporary Irish-Mexican seafood culture 🍽️ What We Will Eat Tuna Tostada Focus A conversation about the cultural connections between Mexico and Ireland, the Mexicanisation of Irish ingredients, the introduction of Mexican seafood traditions in Ireland, and the challenges surrounding seafood consumption and food culture in contemporary Ireland. Key Themes to Consider -Mexican migration and food adaptation in Ireland -Irish seafood traditions and consumption culture -The Mexicanisation of Irish ingredients -"Authenticity" and reinterpretation in migrant cooking -Local sourcing and sustainability Duration: 4 sessions Starts: 18 June 🗓 Dates: 4 Thursdays: 18 June /25 June/2 July / 9 July 🕕 Time: 6:30 PM – 8:15 PM 📍 Location: 14 Exchequer Street, 2nd Floor, Dublin 2 💶 Price: €55 (includes all 4 sessions and food) 📌 Format: In-person workshop 🎥 Can’t make it to a session? We can provide a recording upon request. Taught by: Erick Gustavo Carrillo Ortiz Erick studied a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Centro Eleia in Mexico. For six years, he dedicated himself to clinical psychotherapy and teaching. He also co-founded the magazine Inverosímil, where he collaborated with emerging artists to create hybrid articles focused on everyday experiences. Additionally, he coordinated art and literature workshops at Invernadëro, where he also led workshops on topics such as "art and psychoanalysis," "walking to get lost," "art and aesthetics," among others. He currently resides in Ireland, where he completed a Master's in Visual and Critical Studies at TU Dublin, writing a dissertation on the representation of the microbus and its relationship with New Spanish Baroque churches. He is also a co-founder of the cultural project Fondita Mestiza, which merges art, gastronomic experiences, and critical thinking.