Que La Quinta Pasta

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is observed to commemorate the small Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. The victory was a boost to morale for the Mexicans. 
 
Had Mexico not defeated the French, France would have gone to the aid of the Confederacy in the U.S. Civil War. The Confederacy had the upper hand in the war at the time and the assistance from France (who may have been able to draw in the British) could have affected the outcome of that war. A year after the battle, the French won the Second Battle of Puebla, and Mexico City soon fell to the invaders. It came too late to help the Confederacy, though,  because the Union forces had permanently regained the upper hand.
 
Cinco de Mayo is a little celebrated holiday in Mexico but is wildly popular in the U.S.  It was originally promoted by beer companies and grew into a celebration of Mexican heritage and culture.  I find many of the hate filled gringos hypocrites using Mexican heritage as a reason to get drunk.

News flash: Mexican Independence day is September 16, not May 5, as some ill-informed people seem to think.

Mom and I chose to celebrate an early Mother's Day and go out for pasta.  Not exactly Coronas, tacos and quesadillas and no mariachi in the background (more like Frank Sinatra), but it was perfect for an Italian mother and daughter. 

A pun-errific day:
She had a photographic memory but never developed it.