I was born in San Antonio Texas, a city full of Mexican culture with a taco shop and panadería on almost every street, or at least in my neighborhood. Growing up, I never really gave much thought to the type of food that I ate. I remember being nine years old and spending Christmas at my cousin’s ranch. I would watch as my uncles and cousins would slaughter a pig in the barn while the women were in the house preparing the food. To me that was a typical Christmas, even the family members that lived in Mexico City would make the drive just to eat some of my grandmother’s cooking.
From third grade to fifth, I moved to various places around the Dallas area only to return back to San Antonio for middle school and my first year of high school. When I was in seventh grade I joined the tennis team. It was the first sport that really interested me; I had tried to play football but those days as a lineman were short lived. Through tennis, I was able to showcase my skill and only had to rely on one other person at most. It was a completely new experience for me since I was only ever expected to know how to play soccer. When I joined tennis, even though we went to the same school, I hardly knew the people on my team. So I remember bringing breakfast for everyone before our first tournament, it was a small gesture but it really went a long way in creating new bonds. Some of the fondest memories I have of being in band throughout middle school and freshman year of high school come from the time spent during our pizza parties. Every time we would finish a concert or after our UIL competitions, the band teacher would always celebrate our accomplishments with food. I could still picture my friends running around the band hall because of the sugar rush they got from eating so many sweets.
I moved to Houston in 2011, my sophomore year of high school. While not as obvious as San Antonio, Houston is a city that is filled with culture. It is because of its diversity that I was able to discover that there are better types of Ramen than Maruchan. In high school, I never considered joining chess club until I learned they gave pizza and chips during their meetings. Once I joined, I came to realize that I actually enjoyed playing chess, and that is something that I would never have discovered had it not been for the appeal of free food. When I graduated, many of my family members made the drive to Houston so they could hear me give my speech. Afterward, we all went to a Mexican restaurant and had a great time. A couple of years ago I took up baking as a way to express my creativity by experimenting with different recipes and designs.
I had never really thought much about it until now but food has really made an impact in my life. It has allowed me to experience new thing and grow for the better. Food is something so common that its influence is often overlooked, it does more than just nourish our bodies, and I would not be who I am today without it.