UPDATED August 1st, 2016 WHY ASK ME? Ok, I knew. I knew the moment I decided on “Nacho Mama” as my blogging moniker that it would come up a lot. I remember thinking, “I might be answering questions about nachos for a long, long time.” Not that I’m unqualified to answer these questions. For as […]
THE FAT BRIDESMAID I was 17. My cousin was getting married in a BIG Catholic ceremony and had asked me to be a bridesmaid. My prima was very stylish and instead of the usual frumpy, taffeta nightmare she had chosen a slim black sheath from a swanky boutique for her bridesmaid’s dresses. I was so […]
Anyone who knows me personally knows that my favorite TV show of all time is Rupaul’s Drag Race. It’s everything I always wanted Project Runway and America’s Next Top Model to be, plus it’s about a squillion times more entertaining. I don’t know if it’s because I’m from a town with a pretty active drag […]
It was 1988 and I was sitting in my junior year religion class at my Catholic high school. Despite the best efforts of my teacher (a perky ex-nun, think Kathy Najimy in “Sister Act”) I was bored to tears. Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened and the vice-principal walked in with a tiny, shy-looking […]
Although only a few of my relatives have served in the military, their time there has had a huge impact on my life. Yes, both my parents are textbook products of the “Baby Boom” and all it symbolizes, but there’s more. Because both my grandfathers served during WWII, both of my parents became the first […]
I feel extremely fortunate to have been born in Southern California in the early 1970s. The hairstyles alone were unforgettable—my Tia Maria had a red afro! The children at my school not only received a bilingual education, but our teachers encouraged us to learn as much as we could about our relationship to American History. […]