Food
Tamales Are For Eating, Not Walking
Of all the sounds you can wake up to in Mexico City, my favorite by far is the distant shout of the local vendor slowly approaching your street, yelling “tamales.” My partner was usually up before me and would let me know the vendor was getting close as he handed me my hot cup of […]
Ethiopian Food as Divine Blessing
Some people self-care with a massage or a spa day. Me? I find the nearest Ethiopian restaurant, even if it means traveling hours by car, bus, train, airplane, or all of the above. It may seem like extreme lengths to go for a family serving plate of injera, doro wot, lamb tibs, and shiro, but […]
Of Tacos y Heartbreak
Isabel Quintero and her ex-husband find the perfect tacos to eat at the end of their marriage.
Flan Desparramado
A battered woman makes a crucial deal with Dominican Jesus: if she could escape her abuser in order to spend time with her dying mother, she would learn to make flan.
“Tacos”
Long Beach writer Brian Addison's ode to the culinary hot mess known as the Jack in the Box "taco"
Crustaceans
Gris Muñoz writes a gentle, haunting story about love, lobsters, and abusive men who flaunt their power.
I Miss Cheese: A Vegan Complaint
Comedian, actor, and story-teller Sammie James writes about her eternal hope for, and constant, crushing disappointment over vegan cheese.
Cafecito
I think of my abuelita's stories. These tales often began with a declaration that she’d been born four months after the Titanic set sail. With a laugh, she’d swirl her ever present cup of coffee and add that the ship sank five days later. Meanwhile, she persevered. She said that it was coffee that kept her going.
Pie Person
To our delight, Grandma Clara's pie blended fresh eggs, fresh lemons from her tree, C&H sugar, real butter, and a lard crust. Endowed with otherworldly powers, she whipped up fluffy meringue with mere egg beaters. The toasted meringue resembled the melting snowpack of the Sierra Nevadas, defiant seams of brown in foamy white.
Crying in H-Mart: Grief, Hunger, and Healing
In rock musician Michelle Zauner's memoir "Crying in H-Mart", food is not just a vessel to memorialize her mother but a touchstone for accessing her Korean heritage.