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Diversity
“Aruduru! Please make quesadilla for my son. He is hungry!” my father shouted. This was often repeated in my Korean family’s small, American fast food restaurant in San-Francisco, California called Fish and Chips. Until my father hired Arturo, whose name my father butchered into “Aruduru,” I ate either Korean or American food. The idea that there were other ethnic foods never crossed my mind, but Arturo changed that.
When Arturo placed a quesadilla consisting of a flour tortilla, cheese, and some peppers, in front of me, neither of us had any idea that it would become a part of the Fish and Chips’ menu. From then on, Arturo became very comfortable with us. One day, I was mildly shocked to hear him say in Korean while giving me a quesadilla, “Eat! Eat!” Being a child and easily amused, I was delighted that he spoke in my native tongue, so I thought I would return the favor and asked him to teach me how to count in Spanish.
I knew that Arturo was different. He frequently spoke to himself in Spanish and had darker skin, but he was fun and made delicious quesadillas. Because he wasn’t afraid to introduce a part of his lifestyle to Fish and Chips, our menu offered more than greasy burgers and fries. Now we also had greasy quesadillas. This is something I want to pass on to people around me, because everyone deserves to try a delicious quesadilla, especially if they have never tried one before: everyone deserves a little diversity in their menu.
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