Celebration of Love

          I am Mexican, and so a lot of the things that we do in our family, is traditional, especially when it comes to mealtime; the way that the food is prepared, the ingredients, or the love put into it, it’s all passed on from generation to generation.  I never once saw my father eat a meal without a jalapeño; that was his thing. And although my grandma is no longer here anymore, I can say that she is always in our hearts when we enjoy her recipes.

          There are the usual holidays where my family gets together and has a meal, such as Christmas or Thanksgiving, but there are also two other occasions where we actually prepare a meal together as a special tradition, and than enjoy it as a celebration of our heritage.  One is when we make Menudo and the other is when we make Tamales, the latter is a more timely process and involves a lot of manpower. Both meals can be eaten any time of the day, but usually the whole day is spent together preparing and/or catching up.

          Menudo is a definitely an acquired taste, and usually not a fan favorite for outsiders. Some people actually cringe when they are told they are eating the stomach of a pig, specifically the intestines. But if you are able to get past the heart of this dish, you will enjoy the rest of this flavorful “soup.” Menudo means “often” in Spanish, but I think I am probably fine just having it only once a year.

          The other dish we make together is Tamales. I could probably go on for hours about why I love them, but I will give my number one reason- they are delicious! Tamales are made by taking seasoned meat, than rolling the mixture in cornmeal, and wrapping it in corn husks. And than after they are steamed. Making tamales always takes a full day of preparation. Usually Mom makes the meat, my dad mixes the masa (cornmeal) and than us kids (plus significant others, and our kids) spread the masa onto the corn husks.

          I would have to say hands down, that making tamales is the one meal tradition that we all look forward to the most. We usually make around 6 dozen, so that there is plenty. They are just an amazing food that I have to yet to find anything that compares. I can’t help but wonder though, would they taste as good without all the love that was into them? Our family may live and breathe American culture everyday, respectively, but we are bound by our Mexican traditions that remind us of who we are and where came from.

The Facbook Community

• Facebook is a community. If you don’t what Facebook is, it is an online social network for people to join for free. There are many different purposes for why people join, such as finding old friends, making new ones, and also networking opportunities and business contacts. Because we are connected by our own choice in the network, I feel that this makes us a community. I joined Facebook about three years ago because my daughter had an account also; she was my first friend. Than came my others kids, some siblings, cousins, and than friends. Facebook is the only community that I really feel connected to; the reasons why  probably have to do with how close I am with many of the people who are “my friends,” and the security I feel, knowing that most of those friends would be there for me, if I needed them, at anytime. This is what holds us together.
• There are many different interests that people in my network comprise, ranging from hobbies, food, movies, families, dating, friendship, and much more. I believe the diversity of mine is unique; I have single friends, gay friends, men, women, children, people of different races and even those from different countries. Every one has their different needs; some even use the network for financial gain for their own businesses. Many values are also similar within, but much is very different, and this is part of the whole make up people, as in any social situation or community. I am Catholic, and so are a lot of people that I grew up with, here in Facebook. Some of us still attend the same church. But for the most part, I don’t usually get caught up in religion or politics with my friends, because it never really comes up.
• As far as cohesion as a group, I rarely see problems that interfere with our ability to remain tranquil. Sometimes I have issues with things my children write; they are teenagers, and they don’t see that their words can reflect their character in a negative way. I find myself repeating these words to them, “Say it; forget it. Write it; regret it.” I see a lot of support going on within my group of friends, which I guess maybe some might feel left out. Recently, a friend of mine was hurt with me, because I hadn’t contacted him for a long time on Facebook; he took this personally and deleted me as one of his friends. I was a little confused by his reaction, mostly because he could have reached to me, just the same.

What's in my wallet

Taken separately or together, how do the contents of your wallet construct an image of your identity?

Separately or together, the contents of my purse do not construct a very clear image of my identity. Sure separately, one can find out who I am and where I live by my driver’s license, but this does not tell who I am or where I come from. I carry so many random things in my purse that don’t even belong to me, so these items would throw things off. Lists of items are:

Prilosec, Matches, Gum, Eye drops, Tanning lotion, Drivers License, Credit card, Lipstick, Chap Stick, Hand cream, Hair rubber band, EBT Card, State of Washington Medical Card, Espresso stand cards

What assumptions might someone make about your personality, values, or identity based on what you carry in your wallet?

My state medical card shows someone that I am on some sort of supplemental medical program, by this someone might make an assumption about my social class. The medical card and my EBT card together show that I receive state benefits; this could make one assume that I am low income. My bank debit card could make one assume that I am responsible. My espresso stand cards may indicate that I drink coffee, but maybe I drink Tea. The tanning lotion may indicate that I tan, but it is my daughter’s lotion. The eye drops and matches together could indicate I smoke marijuana, but the matches are my sisters, and my eyes get red from being around her smoking.

If all they had to go on is your wallet, what would people miss or be unable to know about you?

I have no pictures of my children in my purse. My children are adults and I never replaced pictures of them as kids. A very large part of me is missing because of this. I am a mother before I am anything. I live and breathe for my kids. By the content of my purse people could not see that I am giver, I would give the shirt off my back to someone in need. I don’t have anything in my purse that shows my faith. I am a strong believer in Jesus Christ, and I feel that I am much a part of him, as he is I, therefore he is part of my identity.