Posole

Aron Alvarez
My entire body was shaking in cold while I impatiently waited for the food that was being
cooked. It was Christmas in Mexico and surprisingly, it got pretty cold. I was sitting in the kitchen
table with all of my family. I could see my grandma and aunties check up on the casuelas each
with their own little job that they were supposed to do. Every time they moved around the
casuelas, they would let off an aroma of sweet chili scent that would fill the whole room making
your mouth water.
My grandma has a specialty of making Posole. Every year I go to Mexico, we eat the
same food and it never fails to taste delicious. Esta comida se la necesita que aprender para
que se la enseen a sus nios. Every time Christmas came around, my grandma would always
say this. She always said it would make you a positive person. In order to make pozole, you
need to start 3 hours before. You need carne de puerco, chile, cebolla, oregano and maiz. I sit
with my grandma and ask her if she needs any help, but when it comes to cooking, she wants to
do it all by herself.
I watch her cut up the cebollas and cilantros to dump into the big cazuela where the
carne de puerco was being heated up. In those three hours, that is when family starts flocking
in to my grandmas house. The only way I was helping my grandma was when the doorbell rang
because she would send me to open the door. It began to smell better and better as minutes
passed and all I could think of was the thought of having a worthwhile memory to remember
with my family eating Posole on a cold Christmas night. My grandma, with the help of my
aunties start filling up bowls of Posole and passing them down the table.
My stomach is growling and I only continue to grow goosebumps seeing that Posole
pass right by my face, I finally got mine. All the problems that I had in life were put aside. This
was a worry free moment where your only job was to eat, laugh, and enjoy the moment. With
every bite I took, it seemed to make me more joyful and calm. The fact that I got to see my
entire family laugh and get a long never tops anything else in life. Posole is a food that means a
lot to me as a person because it always makes me realize how fortunate of a person I am to
have a loving family. They always teach me to love and stay positive. You can never go wrong
when you are with your family, the only people that really love you. Posole represents me as a
person because it shows who I am. I know that many families probably eat the same thing for
Christmas, but each family has its own way of perceiving what Posole means to them. Going
back to your roots and staying positive is what Posole has always meant to me.