What is your favorite food from your culture, and what does it mean to you?
Gabriela Francisco (sophomore, sociology pre-med), from the Dominican Republic:
My favorite food is mashed plantains. I like to pair it with onions that have been sitting in vinegar, fried cheese, and avocado. It’s my go-to Dominican dish. I love it so much. The sitting of the onions in vinegar makes the onions nice and sour. I think of family when I eat it. When it’s there, I’m around people that I love. I like how all the parts of the dish come together to make an amazing meal that is so satiating. In the Dominican, people will eat that for breakfast and you don’t have to eat that much because it fills you so much. I associate it with family and something that just makes you happy.
Karen Garcia (junior, pre-physical therapy minoring in psychology) from Mexico:
My favorite food is arroz con leche, which is essentially rice pudding. The reason I like it is that it is associated with good mornings and breakfasts. My mom would make this in the mornings and because it has a really strong aroma, I would wake up to it.
Josh Bojorquez (junior, computer science) from El Salvador:
My favorite food is a dish called pupusas paired with horchatas. Pupusas are basically this tortilla that’s stuffed with cheese and beans. You could also put meat in it and make it however you want. At the end of the day, it tastes so good—so good! You could also dip it in sour cream. You can enjoy this meal with a glass of horchatas, which is a plant milk that you can make with cinnamon. This food means everything to me. It defines who I am, and it defines my culture. You take a bite out of this dish and you will have a new profound perspective and respect for Salvadorians and Hispanics in general.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.