The one common that everybody can agree on is that this: It could actually’t be a bodega with out “regulars.” And by that, I do not imply frequent patrons who would possibly are available each day for silent exchanges of cash for cat meals or espresso. No. I am speaking about individuals for whom stopping within the bodega is part of their day. It is a spot to see their neighbors, to speak politics and even simply move on bochinche with the bodeguero behind the counter. A real bodega is, no less than for sure occasions of the day, an area social middle. Group is a part of its DNA.
Though the bodega is now as a lot part of New York because the Yankees or the MetroCard, few understand its roots are uniquely Nuyorican, that distinct variation on Puerto Rican tradition that developed as a part of the mass migration from the island to New York Metropolis. Puerto Ricans have been shifting to New York since they have been made U.S. residents throughout World Battle I. Nevertheless it was through the ’40s and ’50s, with diminishing agricultural work on the island and extra employment alternatives in city factories, that the Puerto Rican inhabitants vastly expanded. As did the proliferation of bodegas that stocked acquainted tropical meals not simply present in American supermarkets.
Small in measurement, the bodega was for the brand new migrant a grocery store for the soul. The deli counter supplied minimize meats, however, generally, ready dishes from “residence.” The aisles stocked groceries, but in addition votive candles, Agua de Florida, medicine-cabinet staples, cleansing provides, and even, generally, a file part of Latin music. In brief, the bodega did not carry all the pieces, however
it carried all the pieces one wanted to maintain an excellent Puerto Rican residence on this new place. And it supplied neighborhood. In response to Caribbean historical past scholar Carlos Sanabria within the e-book Bodega: A Cornerstone of Puerto Rican Barrios, the bodega turned a spot the place current arrivals may discover information about flats for hire or obtainable work. And, as a result of they have been largely owner-operated, family-run enterprises, many bodegueros would permit prospects to buy on credit score. However what made the bodega particular and distinctive, and nonetheless does to at the present time, is that it is greater than a spot for commerce. It’s a place the place figuring out your neighbors and the kids of your neighbors issues. It’s a place vibrant with life, very similar to the island of Puerto Rico itself.
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