This past weekend, my family and I had to do the hardest thing we have ever had to do: close the doors to our business. For the past six months, the town in which my families business is located has been under MAJOR construction. From the bridge that gets you into the town being closed, to all of the roads being ripped up, the town was a war zone. The costumers needed a police escort to get into our store making it ultimately impossible to get in!  Since the bridge was closed, if you lived in the neighboring town, the detour took about twenty minutes! Although my love for rice balls, and fresh mozzarella is very strong, like most of our patrons, I wouldn’t have traveled 40 minutes to get those delicious Italian foods either.

Finding out that this was our last operating day made my heart break. Our business was the only occupation my family and I knew. What would we do on Christmas? Who would cater our parties? What would we do if had a craving for one our homemade rice balls (This was only my concern)?  What would we do if we needed lunch for school tomorrow? Where would my parents work? Some of these problems may sound superficial, however this is what rushed to my brain. Growing up, we always had food at our fingertips — so having to go to the grocery store for things that were always accessible in my store felt so bizarre.

Pacing up and down the deli case, trying to figure out what to eat before it was all gone felt more like trying to figure out what to write an essay on. After much consideration, I picked a rice ball. Before I could even walk, I ate rice balls. It was my go to food as a child, and still is. They could be as small as a munchkin or as large as a softball! They came in all different sizes and some came with meat and some came with cheese.

Most of you are probably thinking why is she writing about this? Growing up in my store made me who I am today, and without my store, I wouldn’t have the same passion for cooking and love for my culture. Visiting Port Richmond’s vast array of restaurants, bodegas made me realize that there are others out there with different backgrounds and cultures that have a shared passion for food like my family and I have. Visiting these places made me feel proud of my families long-lived business, and all of the things we have shared among our costumers, friends, and family.