David Fraga Interview
Item
Title
David Fraga Interview
Creator
Fraga, David
Contributor
Borges, Diniz
Language
ENG
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
8/2/2021
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00037
extracted text
David Lee Fraga: David Lee Fraga.
Diniz Borges: And um and where were you born?
David Lee Fraga: I was born in the United States.
Diniz Borges: And where, what city?
David Lee Fraga: Hanford.
Diniz Borges: Hanford. And uh your family, did they come from Portugal?
From the Azores?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah. My uh my grandmothers on both sides came from
the Azores where my mom and dad was born in here too, in the United
States.
Diniz Borges: How did you become involved in the Portuguese festas and
in the making of sopas?
David Lee Fraga: Well, when I first came here, I started serving tables
one time and then somebody said something smart. So, I said something
back to them. And so, they threw me in the kitchen and I've been in
the kitchen ever since and, and, and I started cooking with, uh with
Frank, Frank Cardoza when I first came here with Frank Cardoza.
Diniz Borges: What year was that? More or less?
David Lee Fraga: Oh, man, about 50 years ago because I was in my
twenties back and I'm 74 now.
Diniz Borges: So, you began cooking so much when you were in your
twenties or involved in the kitchen?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah, I was involved in the kitchen. I wasn’t a head
cook and I think I just was helping them cook. But back then was Frank
Cardoza, who was the head cook.
Diniz Borges: And what uh, what is it, what does it entail to make
supper so, how did you become a K, a helper into a head cook later on,
how did that happen?
David Lee Fraga: Frank got sick, and he had to leave. So, I, they
basically, uh, just turned the kitchen over to me and just lucky that
me and Frank was pretty close, and he showed me all everything to do.
And so, I just kept a recipe going. A, after Frank got sick and
retired and I've been cooking ever since until last year. Then I gave
it to Mark.
Diniz Borges: How, um, what is the process of cooking? So how many days
what tell us from beginning to end? When does it start until, uh, what
is the process from the moment you begin cook, preparing for the sopas
until they are served the festas today?
David Lee Fraga: Ok. Year years ago, we used to have to cook twice a
weekend because we used to have a route on, we used to have a route on
Saturday. So, you cook so many pots on Saturday, then you clean
everything all up. And then on Saturday night, you cook again for
Sunday's feeding and then, uh, and, and it takes anywhere from 8 to 9
hours to cook a pot of soup for, for each pot. It takes 8 to 9 hours
to, to cook. And we're still the only ones that still do it the old
way. We still use whole spices we use spice bags and, and we do it the
old original way. We, we don't do no crown and stuff.
Diniz Borges: Without giving away the recipe. What is the major
components of sopas what do you put in there? Uh, as far as, you know
what, what are the four or five major things? Of course you know,
other than the meat.
David Lee Fraga: Okay. And major thing is cumin pickle and spice
cinnamon and uh and garlic and onions. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And when people who don't know sopas when they, when they
get a pen of sopas in front of them, what do they see? What do they
see? They don't see those spices obviously. What are the major things
that are in soapers that we see when we start looking at it?
David Lee Fraga: You got cabbage, beef and bread.
Diniz Borges: That's basically it.
David Lee Fraga: Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And the broth is made from what it's made from the.
David Lee Fraga: From cooking the meat in it. But you first throw the
meat in, and you boil that and then do all the all the fats come out
of the meat and then it, it, it would put some spice in the broth.
Plus, all the spices, you put salt and pepper, I mean not pepper you
put salt in do.
Diniz Borges: So, you said there was two kinds of sopas or so or the
same kind but you used to cook, you know, sat for Saturday feeding and
for Sunday feed is Sat, Saturday was for the donors.
David Lee Fraga: Ya Saturday was for the nation. And most time on
Saturdays they, they throw a big steak feed for the, for the all
people that, that, uh, that are donated. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And then you start cooking on Saturday nights. So, it's
ready for Sunday at noon.
David Lee Fraga: No, you cook Friday night for Saturday.
Diniz Borges: Okay.
David Lee Fraga: On the old days you're, you're here the whole week and
you're here Friday, you're here Saturday and you're here Sunday. So,
you're here the whole three days and a, and it's nothing but getting
stuff ready for the celebration.
Diniz Borges: And the cuts of meat. Is there any particular kinds of
cuts of meat or is it just whatever is decided?
David Lee Fraga: So, basically, basically a whole cow and then, oh,
yeah, you gotta have so much meat with bones, you gotta have so much
meat without bones. You got so much meat with fat for, for everything
to all blend in. Yes. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: Do you cook so much at home for your family?
David Lee Fraga: I don't know the recipe for home.
Diniz Borges: Okay. So, your recipe is for how many people, more or
less? What, what do you cook when you cook here in Selma?
David Lee Fraga: My recipe is for a pot that holds 300 pounds of meat,
a crate and half a cabbage and almost 60 pounds of onions. And, and
that's what my recipe is for.
Diniz Borges: And how much does that recipe? How many people does that
normally serve each pot?
David Lee Fraga: You feed, uh, each pot has 55 pans to the serving
pans. So probably about 220. About, about, uh, what about, yeah, about
2 50.
Diniz Borges: Okay. And when you, when you began as a helper in the
kitchen, when you made a remark and they threw in the kitchen 50 years
ago, uh from and then you began, uh being the chef all the way until
you uh retired. Um how has it changed? How did you have you seen it
change? Have you, are you cooking more? So, push today or were you
cooking more? So, push two years ago than you were 40 years ago?
David Lee Fraga: Or the recipe has changed from the first because back
in the original days, you only put like £200 of meat a pot. So, you,
you didn't, you didn't need that many spices. Now we're putting close
to 300 poounds of meat per pot. So, you got spices to flavor the meat,
right? And then, and then you know it's, and then you have to throw a
whole bunch of cabbage in there. You got, had the cab, you got through
on there. So, you gotta, you gotta work, you gotta work.
Diniz Borges: With uh do, do you cook only for Selma or are there holes
as well?
David Lee Fraga: I only cook for Selma only for Selma.
Diniz Borges: And uh were there more people attending to fetch this 40
years ago than let's say five years ago or about the same.
David Lee Fraga: Uh I think there was a little bit more back in the old
days, be because there was a lot more the people that went out and got
donations and stuff. So, so, so more so we got a bigger clientele back
then than we do. Now.
Diniz Borges: Do you think, what do you, do? You think young people are
interested in continuing the tradition of cooking?
David Lee Fraga: That's the problem. You can't get nobody to help
anymore. You know, like, like this year you like back in the old days
you work in the kitchen. So, you had to be a committee member or now
we're not committee members no more. And back then yeah, back then
it's, it's something you had to do to, to work in the port Hall. You,
you had to be a committee member and then if your daughter wanted to
be queen back in the old days, who, whose daughter is queen, their,
their father has to be the king for them to be the queen. And so
that's how they, that's how they went king back in the old days. What
was, who, who's ever daughter was queen?
Diniz Borges: The man was the president of the first time?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah.
Diniz Borges: So, um so it's harder the last few years. Was it harder
to get people to help uh than when you were young in your twenties and
began, it's hard to get younger people just to help in the, in this,
in this, in the fish or not.
David Lee Fraga: My, my kitchen crew have been with me for almost 30
years themselves. So, so, so, well, they're the ones that took over.
But, but, uh, no, it's a, as, as far as the kitchen wise, we, we've
been covered for the last 50 years. But, but, but the rest like, er,
and pan this up, they, they have more people, they have less people
trying to help them do that part of it and, and then, and then, and
then what we do, you know.
Diniz Borges: In, in order to cook the soil for the weekend, do you
start preparing all the prep of the onions and everything else has to
be done that day or a couple of days ahead of time.
David Lee Fraga: You, we prep as you go because there's a certain time
you put them or when you put the meat there's a certain time you put
certain spices in. Then when the, when the pot gets to a certain
point, you add, you add ketchup and wine, you add certain things at
certain times. And so, you, so you're there prepping all night long
while you're cooking.
Diniz Borges:
the Sunday.
So, so you're up all night from Saturday to Sunday for
David Lee Fraga: basically. Yeah. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: Well, thank you very much and thank you for your service
and thank you so much for uh your, for cooking suppers all these
years. What do you, what is your greatest memory from suppers,
cooking?
David Lee Fraga: me and Frank.
Diniz Borges: And any mistakes were ever made? Did you ever say this is
not the same? I expected these sopas to be or did they always turn out
the same?
David Lee Fraga: Well, there's one time we used to, we, we used to do
it the old way until we changed that to where, where, where, where the
old way you turn the fire full blast, and you just go and then here
lately the pots have been getting older. I mean, well, this happened
about 20 years ago but, but the pot's getting older and so the metal
gets fatigued and you throw the pots on, so you're steering a pot and
you feel the rippling and, and, and then so you think there's stuff
sticking, but it's not, it's the pots, the pot on the bottom is, is,
is rippling because the metal is getting so hot and so me and Mark, we
figured out we solve that problem.
Diniz Borges: Okay. Well, thank you very much.
Diniz Borges: And um and where were you born?
David Lee Fraga: I was born in the United States.
Diniz Borges: And where, what city?
David Lee Fraga: Hanford.
Diniz Borges: Hanford. And uh your family, did they come from Portugal?
From the Azores?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah. My uh my grandmothers on both sides came from
the Azores where my mom and dad was born in here too, in the United
States.
Diniz Borges: How did you become involved in the Portuguese festas and
in the making of sopas?
David Lee Fraga: Well, when I first came here, I started serving tables
one time and then somebody said something smart. So, I said something
back to them. And so, they threw me in the kitchen and I've been in
the kitchen ever since and, and, and I started cooking with, uh with
Frank, Frank Cardoza when I first came here with Frank Cardoza.
Diniz Borges: What year was that? More or less?
David Lee Fraga: Oh, man, about 50 years ago because I was in my
twenties back and I'm 74 now.
Diniz Borges: So, you began cooking so much when you were in your
twenties or involved in the kitchen?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah, I was involved in the kitchen. I wasn’t a head
cook and I think I just was helping them cook. But back then was Frank
Cardoza, who was the head cook.
Diniz Borges: And what uh, what is it, what does it entail to make
supper so, how did you become a K, a helper into a head cook later on,
how did that happen?
David Lee Fraga: Frank got sick, and he had to leave. So, I, they
basically, uh, just turned the kitchen over to me and just lucky that
me and Frank was pretty close, and he showed me all everything to do.
And so, I just kept a recipe going. A, after Frank got sick and
retired and I've been cooking ever since until last year. Then I gave
it to Mark.
Diniz Borges: How, um, what is the process of cooking? So how many days
what tell us from beginning to end? When does it start until, uh, what
is the process from the moment you begin cook, preparing for the sopas
until they are served the festas today?
David Lee Fraga: Ok. Year years ago, we used to have to cook twice a
weekend because we used to have a route on, we used to have a route on
Saturday. So, you cook so many pots on Saturday, then you clean
everything all up. And then on Saturday night, you cook again for
Sunday's feeding and then, uh, and, and it takes anywhere from 8 to 9
hours to cook a pot of soup for, for each pot. It takes 8 to 9 hours
to, to cook. And we're still the only ones that still do it the old
way. We still use whole spices we use spice bags and, and we do it the
old original way. We, we don't do no crown and stuff.
Diniz Borges: Without giving away the recipe. What is the major
components of sopas what do you put in there? Uh, as far as, you know
what, what are the four or five major things? Of course you know,
other than the meat.
David Lee Fraga: Okay. And major thing is cumin pickle and spice
cinnamon and uh and garlic and onions. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And when people who don't know sopas when they, when they
get a pen of sopas in front of them, what do they see? What do they
see? They don't see those spices obviously. What are the major things
that are in soapers that we see when we start looking at it?
David Lee Fraga: You got cabbage, beef and bread.
Diniz Borges: That's basically it.
David Lee Fraga: Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And the broth is made from what it's made from the.
David Lee Fraga: From cooking the meat in it. But you first throw the
meat in, and you boil that and then do all the all the fats come out
of the meat and then it, it, it would put some spice in the broth.
Plus, all the spices, you put salt and pepper, I mean not pepper you
put salt in do.
Diniz Borges: So, you said there was two kinds of sopas or so or the
same kind but you used to cook, you know, sat for Saturday feeding and
for Sunday feed is Sat, Saturday was for the donors.
David Lee Fraga: Ya Saturday was for the nation. And most time on
Saturdays they, they throw a big steak feed for the, for the all
people that, that, uh, that are donated. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: And then you start cooking on Saturday nights. So, it's
ready for Sunday at noon.
David Lee Fraga: No, you cook Friday night for Saturday.
Diniz Borges: Okay.
David Lee Fraga: On the old days you're, you're here the whole week and
you're here Friday, you're here Saturday and you're here Sunday. So,
you're here the whole three days and a, and it's nothing but getting
stuff ready for the celebration.
Diniz Borges: And the cuts of meat. Is there any particular kinds of
cuts of meat or is it just whatever is decided?
David Lee Fraga: So, basically, basically a whole cow and then, oh,
yeah, you gotta have so much meat with bones, you gotta have so much
meat without bones. You got so much meat with fat for, for everything
to all blend in. Yes. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: Do you cook so much at home for your family?
David Lee Fraga: I don't know the recipe for home.
Diniz Borges: Okay. So, your recipe is for how many people, more or
less? What, what do you cook when you cook here in Selma?
David Lee Fraga: My recipe is for a pot that holds 300 pounds of meat,
a crate and half a cabbage and almost 60 pounds of onions. And, and
that's what my recipe is for.
Diniz Borges: And how much does that recipe? How many people does that
normally serve each pot?
David Lee Fraga: You feed, uh, each pot has 55 pans to the serving
pans. So probably about 220. About, about, uh, what about, yeah, about
2 50.
Diniz Borges: Okay. And when you, when you began as a helper in the
kitchen, when you made a remark and they threw in the kitchen 50 years
ago, uh from and then you began, uh being the chef all the way until
you uh retired. Um how has it changed? How did you have you seen it
change? Have you, are you cooking more? So, push today or were you
cooking more? So, push two years ago than you were 40 years ago?
David Lee Fraga: Or the recipe has changed from the first because back
in the original days, you only put like £200 of meat a pot. So, you,
you didn't, you didn't need that many spices. Now we're putting close
to 300 poounds of meat per pot. So, you got spices to flavor the meat,
right? And then, and then you know it's, and then you have to throw a
whole bunch of cabbage in there. You got, had the cab, you got through
on there. So, you gotta, you gotta work, you gotta work.
Diniz Borges: With uh do, do you cook only for Selma or are there holes
as well?
David Lee Fraga: I only cook for Selma only for Selma.
Diniz Borges: And uh were there more people attending to fetch this 40
years ago than let's say five years ago or about the same.
David Lee Fraga: Uh I think there was a little bit more back in the old
days, be because there was a lot more the people that went out and got
donations and stuff. So, so, so more so we got a bigger clientele back
then than we do. Now.
Diniz Borges: Do you think, what do you, do? You think young people are
interested in continuing the tradition of cooking?
David Lee Fraga: That's the problem. You can't get nobody to help
anymore. You know, like, like this year you like back in the old days
you work in the kitchen. So, you had to be a committee member or now
we're not committee members no more. And back then yeah, back then
it's, it's something you had to do to, to work in the port Hall. You,
you had to be a committee member and then if your daughter wanted to
be queen back in the old days, who, whose daughter is queen, their,
their father has to be the king for them to be the queen. And so
that's how they, that's how they went king back in the old days. What
was, who, who's ever daughter was queen?
Diniz Borges: The man was the president of the first time?
David Lee Fraga: Yeah.
Diniz Borges: So, um so it's harder the last few years. Was it harder
to get people to help uh than when you were young in your twenties and
began, it's hard to get younger people just to help in the, in this,
in this, in the fish or not.
David Lee Fraga: My, my kitchen crew have been with me for almost 30
years themselves. So, so, so, well, they're the ones that took over.
But, but, uh, no, it's a, as, as far as the kitchen wise, we, we've
been covered for the last 50 years. But, but, but the rest like, er,
and pan this up, they, they have more people, they have less people
trying to help them do that part of it and, and then, and then, and
then what we do, you know.
Diniz Borges: In, in order to cook the soil for the weekend, do you
start preparing all the prep of the onions and everything else has to
be done that day or a couple of days ahead of time.
David Lee Fraga: You, we prep as you go because there's a certain time
you put them or when you put the meat there's a certain time you put
certain spices in. Then when the, when the pot gets to a certain
point, you add, you add ketchup and wine, you add certain things at
certain times. And so, you, so you're there prepping all night long
while you're cooking.
Diniz Borges:
the Sunday.
So, so you're up all night from Saturday to Sunday for
David Lee Fraga: basically. Yeah. Yeah.
Diniz Borges: Well, thank you very much and thank you for your service
and thank you so much for uh your, for cooking suppers all these
years. What do you, what is your greatest memory from suppers,
cooking?
David Lee Fraga: me and Frank.
Diniz Borges: And any mistakes were ever made? Did you ever say this is
not the same? I expected these sopas to be or did they always turn out
the same?
David Lee Fraga: Well, there's one time we used to, we, we used to do
it the old way until we changed that to where, where, where, where the
old way you turn the fire full blast, and you just go and then here
lately the pots have been getting older. I mean, well, this happened
about 20 years ago but, but the pot's getting older and so the metal
gets fatigued and you throw the pots on, so you're steering a pot and
you feel the rippling and, and, and then so you think there's stuff
sticking, but it's not, it's the pots, the pot on the bottom is, is,
is rippling because the metal is getting so hot and so me and Mark, we
figured out we solve that problem.
Diniz Borges: Okay. Well, thank you very much.