Spanglish . . .

As you may not know, I proudly come from a Hispanic/Latino family. I was born and raised in Manhattan and later on in life was moved to an island in the middle of nowhere, the enchanted island of Puerto Rico. I am culturally confused but existentially strong. 

 A few years back, I gave my Mami for Mother’s day the movie “Spanglish”. I significantly identified our relationship in this movie. We are a culturally Hispanic/Latino family and our cultures clashed when living in the US, but I/we adapted. This movie is about the impact that a mother can leave on a susceptible child…it is about social stature, race, parenting, pride, aspiration, accomplishment, and even about disappointment. Bottom line, it is about life. This was me and my Mami a few years back.

I love my Mami. I know that most people say this but I truly owe who I am to her. She continues to make everything possible, whether it be with her words or with her love. The greatest legacy she has left me is the ability to cook and the knowledge of her recipes.

Mami: All of my meals are dedicated to you.

Love && Food,

Mari

Random musing: When the 2010 census came around, I was greatly disappointed. I would have liked the government to add to the list of White, Black, African Am., American Indian, Alaska Native, etc. I would have been ok with Latino, Spanish…hell I would have been ok with Brown. But they didn’t, so I crossed out the “race” section and wrote a letter specifying that the color of my skin is like a lightened cup of coffee, not White and not Black or anything else on that list. I was upset, and I believe that the budget allocation for my city will not include my household. Oh well.