There have been a few times in my life that I’ve found myself in unfamiliar surroundings and I’ve asked myself, “Who am I? Who are all these people? And what am I doing here?”
I remember two distinct times when my world was changing at breakneck speeds. The first time was when our family of five moved from Small Town, Alabama to Atlanta Suburb, Georgia. I was sitting in a church fellowship hall in Marietta, Georgia when I asked myself these questions.
My world was changing and that meant I was changing, too. Sometimes it takes a little time for your mind to catch up with your changing environment.
The second time I asked myself these questions, I was in a classroom learning Spanish in San José, Costa Rica at the age of 41. Once again, my mind was trying very hard to catch up with my changing world. I was a small-town girl from South Alabama fully immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. I had gone from a confident and capable adult to feeling like a child as I went to the bank or doctor’s office or even attempted to order food at a restaurant. And just to keep it real, I found myself back in a classroom even though I had three children of my own, who were themselves struggling to embrace life in a new culture.
Change can be hard, and by nature, I tend to fight it with every ounce of my being. But I’ve learned something about myself during these uncomfortable times in my life. I’ve learned that as the changes become more comfortable, I feel my worlds meld into somewhat of a fusion. In those times, there’s a blend of who I was… and who I am becoming. I find myself becoming a better person as I embrace the changes around me and let myself experience new normals, new cultures, new traditions, and new people who become friends that I never would have met if I had stayed in my comfort zone.
When two worlds collide, it may create conflict and friction, but it can also create beauty as we discover things about ourselves and those around us. Through the years, I saw my children adapt to various environments. They lived in small towns, suburbs, U.S. cities, and cities in Latin culture. I would like to say that they always handled it well, but that was not always the case. But what I do know is that now they have a bigger view of the world than I did at their age.
Much like the fusion our family has experienced through the years, food has been experiencing a bit of fusion in recent years, also. The definition of “food fusion” is a form of cooking that combines contrasting culinary traditions or techniques into a single dish.
When Cavin and I visited Memphis, Tennessee we ate at Babalu’s – a restaurant that combines “southern cuisine with Latin flair.” In Marietta, Georgia, a favorite of ours is Taqueria Tsunami where they blend Mexican and Asian flavors together. I’ve even been doing it in my own cooking as I’ve concocted a new favorite dish that we call “Buffalo Chicken Stir Fry”. It’s a combination of our family’s love for Buffalo wings and Asian food.
But, “food fusion” is not new. The term “Tex-Mex” was coined in the 1940s when traditional dishes of Northern Mexico came together with the robust flavors of Texas. When we go to Atlanta, we have a few Tex-Mex favorites, but one that we really love is Superica. Last weekend, our family went to Superica in Buckhead for one of our favorite family meals… fajitas. We love to order them “family style” with chicken or steak.
At Superica, they make their own homemade tortillas that are served hot with melted butter. Ooh, la, la! I think I could just eat the tortillas and be perfectly happy! This time we ordered two pounds of chicken with all the fixings which includes the meat, tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños, cheese and lettuce; and of course chips along with two kinds of salsa. It’s a little bit of “Tex”, a little bit of “Mex” and a whole lot of GOOD!
As we each put together our fajitas just the way we like them, there was laughter around the table. There was good-natured teasing as we enjoyed being together as a family. This is what I miss…. I miss those everyday times spent with family. As parents, we take these times for granted when the kids are little and all living at home. One by one, each child leaves home, and life changes. And with each change, the mama heart inside of me fights back! As we sat around the table at Superica, I noticed how each of our children is different, but each is thriving… at least most days!
This past weekend, I had to address some of my feelings about my own family. Since we’ve lived in so many places both in the United States and overseas, it’s created a bit of fusion and at times conflict about who we are. I just made the comment the other day about myself…. “I’m just a small-town girl who loves the big city!” I still get a sense of excitement when we drive into the city of Atlanta. The high rises take my breath away and I love the hustle and bustle of city life… not to mention the great restaurants!
When we lived in Panamá City, Panamá we lived on the 23rd floor of a high rise overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the busiest street in the city… or the whole country, for that matter. It’s true that “the city never sleeps”. There was constant traffic 24 hours a day and you learn to sleep with the sounds of the city in the background.
Now, Cavin and I and our son Preston live in Brewton, Alabama which is the exact opposite of a big city. According to the 2020 census, there are 5276 people who live here and we know most of them. Not only that, we live in the back of a quiet neighborhood. We have almost no traffic by our house, and when we do, we run to the window to see who it is. The sounds that put us to sleep are the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets. They are definitely not the city sounds that we experienced in other places we have lived. Yet, there is still beauty to be found in small-town life. It’s common for me to stop my vehicle as I drive through our neighborhood to enjoy the deer or rabbits, a beautiful sunset, or say “hi” to a neighbor that I know by name!
And something about the fusion of who I am… and who I am becoming… gives me comfort and peace within my soul!
Now let’s go eat some Tex-Mex!
Sampling the South… the fusion of flavors makes it great!