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...
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...
“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 —...
If somebody asked me about good places to eat in my hometown, I would be able to give that person a list of options and explain in detail whether the service, quality of the food and ambience justifies each restaurant’s price point.
I could do the same for clothes, makeup and other products. I have formulated opinions on these...
These past couple of years, and in particular, 2016, taught me that we Americans are lucky because we’re at a period in which most people in the U.S. now have some access to the internet, the most powerful idea-spreading tool ever created. If enough people recognize that this gives us a great opportunity to improve our country by spreading...
During our New Year’s Eve party in 2014, my father announced that we were going to move from San Francisco to Sacramento in the summer. I yelled at him, demanding answers as to why. I didn’t want to move away from all my friends. I shuffled away from the crowd and leaned against a window, looked outside and just...
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...
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...
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...
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...