Operation Green Chili

By Shon Quannie

My grandma did not live on the reservation when I was a kid. My grandfather had a job outside Flagstaff, AZ and that is where my Father and his siblings were raised. Since I did not grow up there either; It was double the joy to head out in August to New Mexico and go to all the feasts, visit family and gather the staples that my family had grown up with. One of which was Green Chili. One day after Acoma feast, we ventured into the Rio Grande valley to the town of Bernalillo. Supposedly, this is where one could acquire large amounts of good and hot green chili in gunny sacks for a discount price. 

As we stop to talk to the vendor, I begin to watch as my aunt opens the trunk and proceeds to try to load sacks in an already full trunk of luggage. There was some struggle and some cussing and then her head peered out over the trunk and looked into the back seat of the car. She smiles as she opens the back door and proceeds to load the sacks into the backseat. It did not occur to me that this was now a mission. 

At this time in the 80's, there was a large fruit fly epidemic in California that had wiped out the citrus crop the year prior, so there was a checkpoint at the AZ/NM border to help keep local produce in their regions to keep fruit flies from invading the West again. 

We stopped to get some drinks in Gallup and I noticed my aunt, busy outside while we made our purchases, "adjusting my bed". It was late, so I thought, hey, this should be nice. After 15 minutes and a few blankets and a couple of pillows later, I was instructed to get in "Very carefully." It was then I realized that I had an important part in this plan. As we begin to pull onto the freeway, my aunt tells me to pretend to be asleep at the check point. There was a conversation about how they never stop us, so not to worry. As I lay on this comfy, yet squishy bed, I think to myself how good this bed smells. As we get closer to the stop, I remember seeing a bright light and hearing the words "Hello Ma'am, Do you have any fruits or vegetables in the car?" My aunt quickly says, "uh no", there is silence that seems like an eternity. I remember I asked myself, "can we go to jail for this?" lol! Finally after getting a flashlight beam to the face, "OK, Go ahead, have a good night!" I feel the car moving again. 

We stop at the next off ramp and they tell me to get out carefully and not to crush the chili! 

I remember getting out and smelling the wonderful aroma of green chili in the air. My grandmother and aunt were so proud that their plan worked. They had foiled the US Department of Agriculture! They were heroes to their friends who wanted the sacks of goodness. To this day, I drive by that old station that has been out of service for over a decade and think about that night. I know that officer smelled our secret stash. I bet he tells this story of the car of indians with the kid sleeping on a bed of green chili every time he passes the old station too. 

Shon Quannie is of Hopi and New Mexican descent and is enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he is a Faculty Associate at The Design School. Shon is the visionary for 4X Studio, a graphic design and marketing communications company based in Phoenix, AZ.