Memoir Blog

             It was almost summer vacation in fourth grade and my recreational soccer league had finished its season. To celebrate, my entire team was invited to a pool party. Each of us brought different foods to share with each other, mostly desserts. Almost everyone brought basic desserts, like Oreos and cupcakes. However, one girl decided to bring something new. She brought flan. As her mother presented it, she announced to the group that it was my teammate's favorite dessert. It was my first time seeing flan and I remember thinking it looked like some kind of cheesecake. It was large and circular, like a pie, but it had no crust and jiggled slightly whenever it was moved. It was obviously home-made. The kind of dish that took time to prepare and came with a sense of pride after it was completed. 

The flan was new and exciting, so naturally each member of my team took a slice. As I bit in, the strange texture assaulted my tongue. It was moist, not at all like the cheesecake I was so fond of. It squished between my teeth before I choked down the bite. Around me came exclamations of disgust as the rest of my teammates did the same. I was shocked, not because they didn't immediately enjoy the new food, but that everyone was so openly discussing their dislike of what was obviously a favorite of our fellow teammate. In fact, several of them rose and dumped the remainder of their plate into the trash with absolutely no regard for how it might affect her. The teammate who brought the flan was usually quite reserved, and this moment was no exception. She could hear everything they were saying as clearly as I could, facing it with her head down, shoulders slumped. I wanted to tell my teammates to be quiet, don’t you know she can hear you?, don’t you know this is wrong? Instead, I forced down every last bite of flan in silent protest. 

 It was the first time I really saw how carelessly cruel people could be. They weren’t trying to be mean, they just weren’t thinking about how their actions might affect someone else. Looking back, I see how my teammate’s behavior can be excused due to childhood ignorance. Still, this wasn’t an isolated incident. Every day, people much older than my teammates respond in even worse ways to new foods and practices from different cultures. It's hard wired into our brains to be wary of things that are foreign to us. However, that doesn't mean we’re entitled to insult or degrade others for liking them.