Food for Culture

Food for Culture

On January 6 the streets of Juana Diaz are alive with people a part of the community that have a Three Kings Festival that symbolizes the end of epiphany. The festival features the three kings Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. The kings rode through the brick streets of Juana Diaz on horses covered in robes of beautiful colors and jewels. The Juana Diaz town square was covered with excited families awaiting the long waited arrival of the Three Kings. Families line the streets in anticipation to have their photo taken with the Three Kings.

As I walked through the crowded fair like aisles of food at the Juana Diaz I began to feel like I was walking through the aisles of the Texas State Fair in Dallas, TX. The Three Kings Festival is celebrated throughout the Juana Diaz town square. The aroma of fried food consumed my sense of smell. The aisles of the festival are crowded with costumed clothed children and adults searching for the freshest fried cod and fruit. The spirit within the festival is contagious. I approached a food stand covered in yellow and red-stripped fabric. I enjoyed a bowl lined in plantains and filled with lettuce, rice and chicken.

The food featured throughout the town of Juana Diaz represents the cultural history of Puerto Rico and the history behind the festivals and lives of the community. I felt that the food in Juana Diaz was all culturally unique; I experienced food and cultural experiences that are exclusive to one place, Puerto Rico.