This pilon is my culture. My great grandmother gave the pilon to my Dad. She must have wanted him to have a part of her, after all the pilon is his culture too. I miss my great grandmother. I wish I could have cooked with her. Whenever I see the pilon, I think of her. A pilon is a mortar and pestle and has a purpose of mixing spices. Before that’s all it was to me, a tool that mixed spices, but now it is much more. It is a part of me, my culture, my family, and most importantly it was apart of my great grandmother. You may ask, why is this pilon so special? Or why are you so sentimental towards your great grandmother?  A mortar and pestle/pilon is what is in this picture.  My great grandmother (who passed away) sent this pilon with love to my dad. This is why it is special. It is made of wood at the top it is lighter then gets darker at the bottom.  My great grandmother cured the pilon for my Dad that is when you put oil and spices in the bowl to soak the wood.  To do this, she used Puerto Rican spices that came straight from her garden. This object keeps memories alive of her that’s why I love it.  My whole family loves it. We all get good memories from it. Sometimes we will smell spices that remind us of her. She was an amazing person, and I will always be grateful for the time I got to spend with her. 
 

– Olivia Sola

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant