That right there is a picture of my family, my closest family. I'm talking about my grandma, my two uncles, and their wives, my mom, my sister, my cousins, and the boyfriends (We look like a whole bunch, but we are a small family compared to other Latin ones). This picture was taken last week when we gathered to go to a special mass to honor my late grandfather (he left us 4 years ago). At the end, we improvised a plan and we were all headed to my grandma's house to eat, talk and be together. 

That fact got me thinking, we Latinos take food and family so serious that there can't be one without another. I feel this is something very Hispanic, and I might be wrong (please leave a comment if you belong to a different culture and you come from very tight family bonds that go along perfectly with a crowded table of food). 

Back when my grandfather was alive, my family gathered every single Sunday in the afternoons. When I was growing up, Sundays were cool days because I knew for certain that I was going to see my family! I got to play with my cousins, I got to laugh and of course, I got to eat. The menu was very simple, we had sandwiches and at the very end "manjar de piña", a very weird dessert made out of pineapple, I say it's weird because nobody seems to know about this dessert except for my family. It was sort of like a flan. And I know it might sound nasty, but it was incredibly delicious. So there it is, food is really present during my childhood and family memories. It's always been there.

Food is there during Christmass, during your birthday, during your first communion, during graduation parties, always. Food for us is not just what you serve on the table, food is what creates a bond between us. With food we celebrate and we comfort during tough situations. With food, we share the good news and the bad ones too (because is a lot easier going through a bad moment when there is "plátano frito" served  in the table) 

This is why I love this food group because behind every single recipe that we share we have a very specific memory, a family story to share, food represents our moments in life, and I'm happy to be here sharing those moments and flavors with you guys! 

Thanks for reading!