Are You Aware? A Latina in the American Kitchen

This is part I in our “The Latin Experience in the States” Awareness Wednesday series. Read the other posts in the series here.

I remember watching my grandma Josefa make corn tortillas from corn that she had planted, harvested, and prepared. Eating never felt wrong, because it was the fruit of hard work, never an indulgence. She lived a long, healthy life to 107 years old. 

Growing up in a Latin American country, I never knew that cooking with fresh veggies was healthy, because that was the only way to cook. Using canned food, drinking sodas, or eating desserts every day was a luxury most of us couldn’t afford. Ironically, we thought we were deprived for not having access to processed food. 

Globalization has since changed that for many people. For those of us who decided to move our lives north and make the U.S. our new home, things changed radically. Everything is at hand; we no longer need to plant and harvest in order to eat. Going out to the store is now a choice, since many of us can order pretty much everything online.

I remember my first time going shopping for groceries here in Arizona. My friend took me to Food City and showed me all the frozen meals — she explained that there’s no time for cooking anything more complicated. At first, I got excited. But then I was just too nostalgic for flavors from home to give in so easily. So I did what I do best: I got into the kitchen and started cooking American food infused by my culture.

I am from Costa Rica; our food is not spicy like Mexican, but both are full of fresh flavors. It has been almost two decades since I came to the U.S., and since then I have learned to love all the diversity found in this country. I have learned (and am still learning) to cook not only American food, but dishes from many other countries. We are blessed here in Arizona to have access to lots of fresh ingredients.

A friend who was born here, but whose parents are from El Salvador, shared with me that growing up, she and her siblings were always upset because their friends had premade, bought-from-the-store lunch, while they only had homemade meals prepared by their mom and, later, by themselves. Once she got married, she went to the store and got all the food she grew up wishing she could have. She quickly found out how lucky she had been all along. 

Last year I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. That was a big shock — I considered my diet to be healthy. After investing several days trying to understand diabetes, I realized that food is a big part of the problem — but not all. Back in my country, I walked everywhere, I ate smaller portions, and I did not eat as much food prepared from wheat or drink the amount of soda I had been drinking almost every day for years. Since moving to the U.S., I had stopped walking around, and I filled my spare time with food.

I decided I needed to change things around, and I was emphatic about not blaming food or my physical location for my choices. Diabetes is not an American thing. It’s a global disease that is increasing all over the world. It’s the result of personal lifestyle and genetics. Blaming the country where we live now won’t change our sugar levels. 

I make a living cooking for others. Most people like the way I prepare food: fresh, colorful, and full of flavors. I cook dinners for my family every day. My kids, like my friend, dream of fast food. It’s an irony. Sometimes I play the cool mom and let them have their way, but I am trying to teach them to love a healthy lifestyle that includes fresh food and some kind of physical activity. Since last year, through exercise and eating the right food in the right portions, I have been able to pretty much reverse my diabetes, and I do not need any medication. We may not all live as long as my grandma did, but we can still have a good life by taking the right steps.

My journey has taught me that adding more healthy choices to our diet works better than restricting. Moderation works in every aspect of life, and eating is not an exception. And this isn’t an issue about size. It’s about making better choices and not letting convenience keep us from eating healthful foods if they are available to us. Creating our own healthy food culture at home can be so much fun if we take the best of our countries’ roots and combine them with all the great things we can find in whatever place we call home.  

Today is “Cinco de Mayo,” and many people here in Arizona are planning to eat Mexican food to celebrate. During the French-Mexican war, on May 5, 1862, Mexico won a battle against the French army in the beautiful city of Puebla. That’s the origin of Cinco de Mayo. It is now a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture in the U.S. I had never heard about it before moving here, and I am pretty sure many Mexicans don’t know about it either, but I love it because it’s a great excuse to prepare some guacamole as a family and talk about our traditions, even when this holiday is not directly related to our own heritage.

Traditions are so important. We all have a need to belong, and traditions increase that feeling. Food is a way to bond. One of my favorite movie quotes is from “The Hundred-Foot Journey“: “Food is memories. . . . Every bite takes you home.” So get in your kitchen, and make some memories. 

Everyone has their own way to prepare guacamole; here’s mine. It’s perfect for involving all the family in the preparations.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados
• chopped cilantro (as much you like)
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 2 limes
• diced red onion (as much you like)
• diced jalapeño (optional)

Instructions:

• Slice the avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork and make it as chunky or smooth as you’d like. Add the remaining ingredients and stir together. Give it a taste test and add a pinch more salt or lime juice, if needed.

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Laura Flores is married and a mom to four. She is from Costa Rica. Her hometown is Escazú, “The City of Witches,” and because she loves to cook, her family and friends call her the Kitchen Witch. She is a junior at BYU-I majoring in business management. She also loves hiking and photography.

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