Orgullo means pride in Spanish. I felt orgullo to be from Puerto Rico. I felt it in the late 90s when I saw Ricky Martin on TRL. I felt it in 2009, when Sonia Sotomayor was nominated for the Supreme Court. I felt it in 2022 when I read Diasporican and cried when I saw los helados de los Chinos featured on its own page. And I felt orgullo very very deep in my heart for Bad Bunny. Boricuas, we take care of each other. It was something I noticed growing up on the island. Life was hard sometimes, and crime was high, and we were by no means rich. But you could always rely on your neighbor to bring a bushel of plantains, a bag of mangoes, a job opportunity, some achiote pods, or drop in for a very hot cup of coffee (though they went more to spill tea than drink coffee :p)

Sometimes living in the US I feel lonely. There are no Puerto Ricans where I live, and no one to speak Spanish to whom I know is tied to me in their cultural experience. But seeing that Bad Bunny helped my islands economy by not hosting any concerts on the mainland and keeping all the shows in PR is a testament on how much he loves his people. He knew the risks of his fans being targetted. He knows our economy and infrastructure are gutted. So I did feel a deep welling of joy and pride.

I moved here to find better opportunities 20+ years ago. But the more time passes the more I feel disappointment and sadness about how people percive or have treated my island. Marjorie Taylor Green did not know we were a commonwealth to the US. Trump threw paper towels at islanders after Hurricane Maria. Even last year, many conservatives had a nice chuckle over the nasty joke that Puerto Rico is a "floating island of gargage." The island has taxation with very limited representation and no right to vote in the US elections.

So when I saw another Bad Bunny headline about him doing the Super Bowl Halftime, I cried. Cringe all you want haha. I cried because I love my island, and I want people to know the joy islanders have. The food we love, the music we make, the intensity of our love and care. The coarse, slangy use of the language. The shameless and embarrasing things. Like having an official cinema anthem in the form of an old Harris Paint ad, a nightmare fuel of a goodnight song for kids, and a problematic gossiping puppet that we need to boycott every decade and a half. Least to say we had a Liberace-esque psychic spreading love, one horoscope at a time. We are loyal. Not perfect. I remember vividly some conservative values in the older generation that lead to nasty prejudices, but in the end, we do care. So even though Bad Bunny is a celebrity, one that I even seldom listen to, he is Boricua like me, so he's in a way a cousin, and old friend, and a compadre.

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Sorullitos
Ingredients
  • 2 c (455g), water
  • 2 tbsp (25g) sugar
  • 1 tbsp (12g) butter (optional)
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 1½ c (227g) yellow cornmeal
  • oil for deep frying
Instructions
  1. Add water, sugar, butter if using, and salt to a medium saucepan and boil.
  2. Set pan aside, add cornmeal, and stir with a rubber spatula until a mass forms.
  3. Let mixture cool for a few minutes.
  4. Take 2 tbsp portions (a cookie scoop makes this very easy) and shape into logs and set in a plate.
  5. Heat oil on medium high and fry logs until golden brown.
  6. Serve with mayo ketchup (mix ½ c mayo with ¼ c ketchup. Add ½ tsp garlic powder for extra flavor.).
This recipe can be scaled easily. I often make double and freeze the sorullitos I want to save for later.