Food is tradition, culture, shared memories, and community.
I think this idea that food is enjoyable gets lost far too often. As a woman involved in teaching strength training, fitness, yoga and other health-promoting movement modalities, the assumption is that I would only take a clinical, narrow “diet approach” to food for myself and my clients. And for many years, I thought that was how it had to be in order to maintain health. But I’ve found that restrictive approach so limiting. To me, food is a blessing, it connects us and a healthy and balanced relationship with it is so freeing.
When I think about chile rellenos, I think of my abuela, my grandmother Christina. She was an immigrant from Nicaragua. Has an incredible life story. And she loved me. She also made a version of these chile rellenos for me when I was a child. How could I ever refuse them? I will be celebrating her life this summer with my family. And my memory of her filled with cheese and fried chiles makes me so happy. Happy enough to make and enjoy them!
