by Victoria Tello
My project wasn’t just an assignment. To me, it was a connection to my family- specifically to my grandma.
I have always loved cooking. That love originated from the way my family cooks. It wasn’t just something we had to do. It was a family event. The whole family (68 people) will all be called, invited, and gathered to meet up and cook. I can still hear the kitchen filled with love, laughter, and pranks.
Cooking has played such a big part of life but I started losing it when I began working. I would get home tired and when my mom asked me to help in the kitchen, I’d always say, “Not today, work was exhausting.”
“My project wasn’t just an assignment. To me, it was a connection to my family."
However, my passion didn’t die completely. When I had to decide on my project, it was an easy decision. I thought cooking would just be an easy project, but it brought me back to my family and to our traditions.
Over Christmas, I went to Mexico to visit my family, and it just reminded me of the reason I fell in love with cooking. On New Year's Eve, we all took turns cooking. All of my cousins and I were sitting around our large dining hall table. We were all chopping the veggies and making sure everything was ready for my uncles to cook on the grill. We had music playing and it was all laughter and singing. We were catching up, spilling all the gossip. Having cooking be like this, a big family event completely changed the way I felt about cooking. It brought in a bigger appreciation and love for the kitchen.
With my cooking group, I felt the same way about building a community and a safe environment. We got to cook, dance, sing and “spill the tea.” I hope that this continues to be a tradition in my family (both biological and Chinquapin) for years to come. It truly is amazing and I'm glad I had the opportunity to help others learn to cook while passing down family traditions.
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