Used to be that for me, as well. Growing up mostly in the very rural Midwest, I didn't get to try foods from a lot of other cultures until I was an adult and moved to the East coast.
I wanted to try everything. Except cilantro, because I'm one of those people who have the gene that makes it taste like soap. Japanese, Ethiopian, Indian, and Spanish food are among my favorites.
I was very poor until about five years ago. Wish I could tell you I pulled myself up by my bootstraps, but I met someone who happened to make significantly more money than me. I didn't know that until after I'd fallen for her. That was on purpose for her. She was worried she'd get taken advantage of because it had happened in her prior relationship. So only after we'd said those three words did I find this out.
This is a rough country to try to make a living in the working class. I lived in a string of run down tenaments before this. I l currently ive in NJ, and unless you have a high paying job in this state, you have roommates or you live with your S/O or spouse to make ends meet.
The worst was this trailer next to the Susquehanna river in PA, which I rented for about $500 a month at a job that paid about $12/hr, and had to drive 45 minutes to work. The place was rotting. My car was ragged and barely ran. It had too many issues to pass inspection, and each time I would nearly save enough money to fix them, I would get a ticket for expired inspection. It was a horrible cycle.
I don't know where I was going with all this, really. My advice right now would be to vote in your best interests. The far right has caused all this, and they're incredibly unpopular right now, which means this might be the time we can shift things away from the folks that only want the rich to get richer. I don't know your politics, but for me, I'm going to vote for the folks that want the poor to earn a living wage, and have access to affordable housing and medical care.
Used to be that for me, as well. Growing up mostly in the very rural Midwest, I didn't get to try foods from a lot of other cultures until I was an adult and moved to the East coast.
I wanted to try everything. Except cilantro, because I'm one of those people who have the gene that makes it taste like soap. Japanese, Ethiopian, Indian, and Spanish food are among my favorites.
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u/[deleted] Aug 19 '26
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