I grew up in a family that was rooted in a crossroad of white, Mexican and native attitudes toward food: We left no food on our plates, we never threw away food unless it had gone bad and if I didn’t like what was for dinner that night, then tough luck. Meat and other animal products were staples of...
When I was a kid, between the ages of four and 12 years old, Christmas was my favorite time of year because it was the closest thing to magic for me. A mysterious man named Santa Claus climbed down my living room chimney every year to leave presents for my brother and me under the Christmas tree then would...
As I reviewed my notes for the forthcoming high school Model United Nations conference in a seat by the sliding doors of the 12:30 p.m. BART train, I jerked my head up as an evidently wasted man with a bottle of alcohol got on board and began causing a ruckus. “Don’t look this way … please don’t notice me,”...
By: Janine Lano and Edward Dave
Dear Troops,
Veteran’s Day isn’t just a holiday celebrated so people can have a three-day weekend. While it is a plus, the real reason it’s celebrated is to commemorate the sacrifices the men and women of the US armed forces have made. It’s the one day where we can turn our attention to those people who...
For as long as I can remember, my parents have been divorced and this consequently has resulted in separate events for virtually everything. Thanksgiving Day had to be split in two — lunch at grandma’s and dinner at mom’s. The same went for graduations and birthdays. Given my family’s Catholic background, there has always been some awkwardness, as divorced...
It all started in the summer of 2016 after I had eaten a very large serving of four-cheese lasagna. The nauseous feeling that overtook me had me wondering, what would it be like to live without dairy and meat? Would being vegan make me feel healthy all the time? Would I feel energized and have a more positive outlook...
Every Thanksgiving special on TV has one staple: The family dinner. And while TV programs show that family dinners can be awkward due to untold secrets and hatred within the family, it does not show that Thanksgiving dinners are not for everyone.
Thanksgiving is not a big deal in my family. It is just a day where I do not...
“Well, you know, she is a vegetarian,” my mother tells the nurse. It’s 2 a.m. and she’s dragged me to urgent care after a number of hot and dizzy spells. After the doctor determines my body is most likely under a large amount of stress — like literally every other college student on the face of the Earth —...
Almost as soon as Republican nominee Donald Trump was announced as the president-elect, America was gripped with fear and a sudden realization of how racism still actively rules our society. While the white majority may be rejoicing Trump’s election, this year’s presidential campaign has taught me to be afraid of Trump’s policy promises, especially because Trump’s racist rhetoric echoes...
From a time before I can remember, I’ve been a Catholic. I was baptized very young, and consequently have been going to church and learning about that faith for more or less my entire life. It is fair to say, then, that being Catholic has always been part of my identity, and influenced many aspects of my life, from...