For the Venezuelan businessman, researcher and pedagogue Luis Antonio Bigott (1938-2016), teaching should escape from the vertical colonizing gaze and land in close proximity to ordinary people, in the heart and primary needs of a community, with the objective of transforming information into knowledge that allows building new ways of social participation and a dynamic outside the myths of oppression.
This theory would leave a mark on Marisol Pereda, pedagogy student and mother of a family, at the least expected moment.
Nearly a decade ago, when internet reviews and user comments on networks were not yet the censorious norm as they are now, Marisol bought a set of pans for her personal use, of which she did not find any reference to their care , quality or possibilities.
With the aim of providing a service that she would have liked to have, through her YouTube user account, Marisolpink (named after her favorite color), Marisol made her own review, which she detailed in detail and through of several videos, the use of each pan.
In each example, this charismatic mother -for whom the kitchen has always been closely linked to the happiest moments of her life- made a particular stew, where her cooking skills, humor and closeness with the viewer invited that users asked for a new video, but now explaining how to make rice, then another stew, then another and another.
Marisol did not imagine that her born pedagogical approach inspired by Bigott, where explaining in the most didactic, close and illustrative way possible is a main element, would make her one of the most spoiled cooking moms on Mexican YouTube.
After little more than six years of having formally created her channel, and hundreds of recipes, jokes and perfect shots later, Marisolpink will be celebrating the six million users registered on her channel next July, according to estimates from the analytical site Social Blade .
In an exclusive interview for El País, Marisolpink explains why the kitchen is for her a place where the best things in life flow and learning happens in a fun and natural way.
A place where ingredients, aromas, flavors and utensils are, in addition to tools for creativity and delicious food, the channel through which humor travels and mom's love is connected.
“As a child I thought that my job was going to be the kitchen, I have always liked it and since I was little they taught me.
My mom told me: 'let's see, so that you never stay hungry and know how to do your things when you grow up'.
She always taught me to be independent and my dad also liked cooking but with little powders, with spices, etc.
It was a combination of both, where daring was very present, regardless of whether they were salty or something like that.
My grandmother and the rest of my family also cook and that inevitably spreads, you gradually get that taste.
I remember that we cooked and there was a party around the kitchen, there we all got in to see: you saw my grandmother move the pots and what she was preparing or chopping, my parents talked over a drink...there was a lot of relaxation.
I associate it a lot with parties and fun.
For me the kitchen is very family, to be chattering;
It has a very nice and positive meaning for me.”
Nobody is perfect, everything is delicious
Despite being a resounding success on YouTube and having a future with a busy schedule of collaborations, courses and activities with various brands, Marisol, Omar Zavala, her manager, and the small but strategic team that bring the irreverent and endearing videos to life of Marisolpink kitchen, they consider that this lucky moment comes from taking an attitude at the height of their users, from telling things as if they were one more friend, and moving from the place of celebrity to influencer, incorporating the imperfections, the imperfections and the mistakes as a vital part of the experience.
“I think what clicked with people was that, instead of teaching you the recipe in a serious way, I did it relaxing, telling jokes and not taking it so seriously, so in order or as it should be.
And it is that sometimes in the kitchen people can get stressed if something does not go well.
I told them 'if you don't have this ingredient, change it', 'this chance doesn't work out for you, but nothing happens'.
It made sense to people because I'm wrong or sometimes I burn something.
There is an identification with the housewives with that element, that they drop something or can improve what they do at the moment.
It generates a lot of empathy to let people know that we are not perfect.
And I also add a touch of humor, a joke, ”says Marisolpink.
Swiss enchiladas, cochinita pibil, Korean banderillas, northern pork rinds, orange chicken, mole from scratch or mixed paella.
For Marisolpink, the kitchen is a happy place where borders do not exist and possibilities are transformed into their own delicacies, a tradition that today is also taking shape as a legacy passed from her grandmother to her mother, and from her to her daughter.
“I have three children, the oldest is nine years old.
And although she hasn't cooked since she was 6 years old like me, she does try to instill confidence in her like my mom did with me.
'The worst thing that can happen to you is that you end up rich, and if it doesn't work out for you, I'll give you a hand,' I tell him.
From a very young age I have taught her some independence: 'Mom, I want a sandwich', and she is already teaching her little by little.
Right now, at 9 years old, my daughter already cooks spaghetti well.
I ask her which dishes are her favorites and she teaches her about that.
She loves that, ”says the YouTube cook mom who usually says“ aceituqui ”,“ enchiladirris ”, or“ freirts ”with a very characteristic self-confidence and irreverence.
Being a mom and cooking
Now that time is pressing and success is coming, Marisol recognizes the challenges and benefits of being her own boss, where trying to be a mother continues to be at the forefront.
“Being a mother is a bitch, but the good thing is that the channel and its format have their advantages.
The freelance modality allows me to manage how and how much I work.
And I always work with Omar (her manager), based on not neglecting my children, balancing and taking the opportunity that the platforms give with the videos that you can make at your own pace, ”she explains.
For Marisolpink, who had a mother with an eye toward cutting and sewing a recipe for a comfortable and safe life, being a mother, life and cooking often have certain things in common, although the results sometimes add up and sometimes they don't. .
The young cook mother recognizes that “you have to know how to choose the ingredients, learn the times of things and the necessary steps for things to work.
If you are a mom, the ingredients of life should be the ones you think are the best."
Facing a future full of successes but also of vital strategic growth, Marisolpink, the channel, continues, although with a path of expansion and diversification, both in networks such as Tik Tok and Facebook, and through basic cooking courses on the Hotmart platform platform, for those who love it, they are just starting out in the delicious and wide world of cooking.
