Dichotomy of Latino Diet Culture!
November 13, 2017
I’m starting this movement to be 100% real with my audience. All my life, I have been a product of the Latino dichotomy that exists within our culture. Let me explain–what I’m referring to when I say “dichotomy” is specifically in reference to what you may know as the universal Latino family struggle: our love for food and our simultaneous love for fat phobia. Are y’all following me? I’m talking about the salsa “Gran Combo” songs:
“A comer pasteles To eat ‘pasteles’ Puerto Rican tamales
a comer lechón To eat lechón pig/pork
arroz con gandules rice with ‘gandules’ Puerto Rican rice
y a beber ron and to drink rum (known as ‘coquito’)
que venga morcilla Bring the blood sausage
venga de toooooo” Bring everything
& yet that same rhetoric that you can’t be too thick or fat. Those constant reminders of body shaming, come on all my Latinx brothers and sisters,you all know exactly what I’m talking about.
“Ay mijita, no te pongas mas gordita.” (Sweetie, don’t get any fatter/thicker). I write this blog to exemplify love for Latino culture as well as the dysfunctionality that exists within our diet culture. Again mi gente, I want to start off by saying that this is my experience and journey through self-love, health, and my own fitness journey. I’m going to practice being vulnerable, in an effort to encourage all womyn to love themselves inside and out, from every hidden muscle, jiggly thigh, thick or slim waist, from your head to your toes! I want you to forget and uncondition your mind from having that toxic mindset in relation to societal bullshit regarding what they think is healthy. Societal expectations of body image are unrealistic–society pumps digitally altered images our minds don’t know how to digest. So with this, I want to inspire you all to find that inner goddess! Love her, care for her, and treat her like the queen she is! Your body is beautiful, regardless of what stage you are at in your journey.
This is my story. Growing up in a Puerto Rican household never ceases to amaze me. Unlike most stereotypical Puerto Rican moms, my mom couldn’t cook for shit! In all other aspects, she is the real MVP. Unfortunately, I inherited some of her bad habits. For one, I absolutely hate to cook. I am a hot ass mess in the kitchen! Thankfully, my abuela was the cook in the family.
Holidays at abuela’s house were amazing, dysfunctional and what some might call entertaining. Every birthday abuela Lydia made us a cake. Thanksgiving & Christmas were always lechon, arroz con gandules, sopa de pollo, pasteles, you name it–wela had it! Christmas dinners were just as amusing, filled with religious, controversial arguments that fueled the dinner table. It usually started off with something like this: Tio Jose would criticize our love and obsession for “La Virgin” and there was your usual crazy ass debate about Christianity. I was super young back then but I remember thinking, “Aren’t Christianity and Catholicism the same damn thing?!”
Delicious Tostones! Fried Plantains
My Sheroes!!!! Abuela, Titi Carmen, & mom.
Food has always been at the core of our culture. Grandma Lydia would fill our plates up with arroz con habichuelas and subsequently ask us, “Quieres ’poquito más?” (Want a little more?) “Yes grandma!” we’d scream. FUA! She would slap a whole bunch more onto our plates. DAMN GRANDMA! Most of our immediate family, my grandparents and my tios, have transitioned into another life. I know I have them looking down on us, laughing and keeping our spirits alive. I see my grandma’s smile in both my titi Carmen and my mom. I see my abuela’s grouchy ass attitude in my mom’s hilarious demeanor. Needless to say, our family still lives through us. We recently lost a very close family member on November 1st, 2017. My baby girl, hijita, and beautiful doggy Carmela, passed away. She lived a good life! She too, enjoyed the richness and grasa of Latino food!
In order to understand our dysfunctional yet smitten relationship with food, we have to understand the cultural dynamic that exists within our families–in my case, the Quinones family. My abuela was always hard on my mom for being thicker. In turn, my mami was always blunt with me for being a thickums! Ha! My titi Carmen couldn’t have said it any better; the funny thing with Latinos is “We are walking contradictions!” Hell, I want to look like J.Lo but I catch myself eating like King Kong!
Those crazy thoughts are exactly what I want y’all to understand & correct. F*ck those self sabotaging thoughts. My amiga couldn’t have said it any better: “Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re not.” I have been consistent with fitness for 2 years. The process of health and wellness is a never-ending journey. It has taken me 24 years to find that balance. I workout currently, not to be a skinny b*tch or thick b*tch but to train hard because I love my body to its fullest extent. From every curve, dimple, cellulite, spider vein, big booty, etc. You get my point. We have to love our flaws and accept our scars. If you are currently unraveling a relationship with health and wellness, you have to accept and love all of your flaws. Be UNAPOLOGETICALLY you.
I’ll leave you with this. Growing up, my mom and I went on stupid ass diets. If one exists, chances are we tried it. The South Beach diet, Paleo diet, this nasty ass tuna diet we tried before I went to my senior prom; fasts and cleanses for stupid purposes. What did all of these do? These temporary fixes resulted in a lifestyle of inconsistency, complacency, dissatisfaction, and frustration. When I wouldn’t see rapid results, I would just give up. I went away to college and almost gained 50 pounds in a four-year period. Two years as a postgraduate, and your girl has lost about 40 pounds! This transformation did not happen overnight. In 2015, I went through various life-changing events, which is when I decided to put myself first. I had two goals in mind: 1. travel the world, every chance I get 2. become healthy. (I did both!)
Consistency was the most difficult part, but once I started working, meal prepping, and exercising, the rest was history. (Yes, I have fallen off the bandwagon many times but I jump right back on). Initially, I had self-sabotaging thoughts; I wanted to be slim-fit for whatever reason or another. Those thought patterns were influenced by family, Latino culture, societal expectations, and complete BS.
So I went from that to now, in 2017, where I say f*ck trainers, f*ck diets, f*ck anybody that tells you to be any different than what you are. Workout because you love your body. Partake in activities that make you happy. Dance like nobody’s watching. Run with the wind. Take care of you by whatever means necessary. I thank God for my family. Without my beautiful mom, titi, and my hilarious, controversial Papastro William, I would not have a platform to share my complex and complicated relationship with food and Latino Diet Culture!
The End!