This object here is a "Media para el cafe" (Coffee sock). It is typically used by poor and working class families in Colombia to strain their coffee in the absence of a coffee maker, that is when they have monetary means to obtain coffee beans, since coffee beans are expensive and only used in special occasions (isn't it ironic? being that Colombia is known around the world for its coffee, yet its citizens can't drink it) all of the other times we use instant coffee. After Thanksgiving, my mother asked my newly arrived family from Colombia if they wanted coffee, of course everyone said yes, she disappeared into the kitchen and came back a while later with a tray of cappuccinos, made with her new shiny espresso machine. They looked at each other and complemented her in how beautiful they looked. She seemed proud. This scene made me think a lot about how our habits as a family have changed after being in the United States for over 17 years. My mom no longer cooks, nor makes arepas (a sort of corn cake) from scratch, she makes coffee in an espresso machine and my family celebrates Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day. Even my newly arrived family has been sucked into these celebrations as a way of assimilating to their new country. As i am thinking about what have we culturally lost, my mom interrupted my silence and said, "No te gusto el cafe?" (you didn't like the coffee?), I answered; "It's good, i was just thinking about la media para el cafe".

– Paola Pineros

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