For my birthday this year, my parents hosted a traditional pozole party in our home with my closest friends. Pozole is a Mexican celebratory stew, rich in flavor and best served piping hot. It is made with a blend of hominy and meat, garnished with toppings like lime, avocado, and chile powder. The Aztecs would cook it on special occasions to celebrate the creation of humans from corn. 

Mexicans commemorate the dish by gathering to eat it with friends and family on holidays; a tradition that my parents carried with them from Mexico and passed on to me. This party allowed me to share an important part of my culture and upbringing with my American friends. It was even more special to me because my parents met for the first time at a pozole party in Mexico.

When my parents first moved to New York from Mexico in 1990, they lived in a cramped apartment in Manhattan's Greenwich Village; a far cry from their pleasant adolescence in Acapulco. They struggled to adapt to their new environment with customs and a language with which they were largely unfamiliar. When they felt homesick, they would gather ingredients from the local Mexican grocery store and throw a pozole party for their friends. They instilled the same tradition in me by celebrating my accomplishments with pozole. 

This party made me reflect on the sacrifices they made for me. I am so happy they taught me the lessons they learned as immigrants, including the value of hard work and the importance of preserving tradition.

– Nora C Flores

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant