Food for thought: Daniela Escamilla and Angel Lugo talk veg eating, culture, and community

Daniela: Hey, Angel! Thank you for taking the time to talk with me about food, culture, and going veg!

I was recently watching Street Food on Netflix, which is a series that visits some of the world’s most vibrant cities and explores street food through the eyes of the people who create it. Have you seen it?

It got me thinking about food, culture, and family and how much all of those things are so tied together. Growing up in Queens, New York in the 90s, there was culture all around me. Most kids I went to school with were the children of immigrants, just like me. Some of us didn’t speak much English, but in kindergarten, it was so much easier to make friends with people you had nothing in common with. In fact, food is what often brought us together at lunch time. I remember eating so many different foods from so many different cultures. I knew what spanakopita (Greece), kimbap (Korea), and adobo (Philippines) were before I knew how to speak English fluently. I remember my mom would have no idea what to do when I’d ask her to make me these different kinds of foods for dinner; she would tell me that she only knew how to cook Colombian food.

It’s funny, actually—culture, family, and eating Colombian food in Colombia is what ultimately led me to decide to never eat animals again. In Colombia, my family loves to gush about how fresh the food is. I didn’t realize it was because the animals they would eat for dinner were playing in the backyard in the morning and then slaughtered for food in the afternoon. I was 14 years old, and I had never thought about where my food came from until that first day we visited family on their farm. I always loved animals, but I had never made the connection. It broke my heart to think about eating the animals I had just been playing with that morning, and I decided I would never eat an animal again. The rest of that trip was a challenge… I was in a new country, meeting family for the first time, while having to explain that I didn’t want to eat their animals. I ate A LOT of tostones on that trip! (Laughs.)

I’m curious how food, culture, and family have shown up in your life and veg journey!

Angel: First of all, I am so excited to be having this conversation with you, Daniela. Your story literally brings up a flurry of memories and emotions surrounding Puerto Rican culture, family, childhood, and food—I don't even know where to start! A lot of unprocessed emotions, as well, since I've never really sat down to discuss these things with someone else who would "get it."

So, I also grew up in the 90s, not too far from you, in Waterbury, Connecticut; a city that The Atlantic once concluded was one of the "15 saddest places to live in the US." But that's probably a story for another day. When I mention growing up in Connecticut, I feel like most people wouldn't automatically envision rich, multicultural diversity…for good reason. But they'd definitely be mistaken! The Latin influence is prominent in certain cities and towns in the Northeast, especially the Puerto Rican diaspora's influence. So, on weekends as a kid, my family would go to the flea market, and my top priority was the street food. In particular, papas rellenas (stuffed and fried mashed potato balls) and pinchos (grilled kabobs with lots of barbecue sauce and a slice of French bread) were an absolute must.

Fun fact: the word “barbecue” originated in the Caribbean from Puerto Rican indigenous ancestors, the Taíno. But, yeah, where you and I differ is that I was a very picky eater. As a kid I would never have eaten the kimbap or adobo you mention. Puerto Rican staples such as bacalaitos, nope! Ensalada de pulpo, gross. Jamon con piña, nah. Pollo guisado, no thanks, I'll just eat a hot pocket. Even the arroz con gandules that my mom prepared weekly, I would carefully eat around the pigeon peas or swallow them whole, because I hated their texture. So, even back then, way before going veg, I was kind of an odd duck in my family.

But thinking back on it, one of the main things I've come to realize is that the foods I disliked the most were the ones that most resembled the animals they had come from. And that's not out of any compassion that I had for animals as a kid. It was mostly textures, smells, and how the food looked on a plate. My family would also mention the "freshness" of the meat dishes. And that brings me back to memories of waiting in the back of my mom and dad's car as they went up to a farm to bring back live chickens. I hated the smell of the ride home and the sounds of the chickens in the car trunk, so I'd eat a Mama Celeste frozen pizza for dinner on those nights. At parties, one of my uncles would roast an entire pig on a spit over an open fire. I hardly ate at parties. A part of me definitely wonders if these sights, sounds, and smells did some work on my subconscious. (Laughs.) And to top this all off, it seems like none of the adults in my life knew how to cook any actual vegetables! At school, the cafeteria food was terrible. The vegetables were the saddest looking thing. And at home or at my aunts and uncles' homes, vegetables were an afterthought (no shade intended!), because the meat and rice were the stars of the show.

What you said about having to explain to your family that you didn't want to eat their animals also resonates with me. I've definitely been in those shoes in Puerto Rico, where I'm mostly eating different variations of plantains, because even the rice is cooked in chicken stock with added pork. And there's that weird sense of guilt or shame from family for not wanting to eat the same things, which some folks unfortunately see as a rejection of the culture… or a rejection of their love, because sharing food is a major way that some Puerto Ricans express affection. Food is so darn complicated! But on a lighter note, some of the most fun I've had in the kitchen is in veganizing the Puerto Rican food I avoided as a child and exploring the wide world of vegetables. Like, I only just incorporated green beans into my diet in 2020… and I'm 32 years old. (Laughs.)

Now, I'm wondering if you've managed to veganize some Colombian dishes, and where you find your support for eating veg. Oh, yeah, and I’ve definitely seen a few episodes of Street Food on Netflix. That show is solid!

Daniela: Wow, that’s so fitting that you have memories as a kid eating street food at the flea market. I feel like there’s so much culture in street food, and definitely in food in general. Papas rellenas are so good—my mom sometimes makes me vegan papas rellenas when I visit for the holidays, and they’re amazing. I feel like they’re a lot of work to make, so I’ve never tried making them myself, but you’ve made them before, right? I love seeing your delicious creations on Instagram.

I had no idea that the word “barbecue” originated from the Taíno. That is definitely a cool fun fact! If we would’ve grown up together, I would’ve happily taken all your pigeon peas from the arroz con gandules. I love pigeon peas! And I totally understand your love for hot pockets. I’m actually sourcing some vegan hot pocket recipes to share on The Humane League’s social media later this year. I think you’ll like them!

I know we’ve talked together about feeling like the odd ducks in our family in the past. In fact, a lot of what you described—about going to pick up live animals at the market and the “fresh” food at parties—takes me back to my own very similar (and sometimes traumatic) experiences. I definitely believe the sights, sounds, and smells did work on our subconscious minds. I mean, look at where we are now! I’m grateful our experiences have brought us together at The Humane League, where we are able to dedicate our work to taking a stand for animals. It’s also just really nice to be able to have someone to relate to. I didn’t have any vegan friends until I started working at The Humane League. And I didn’t know there were people like me who were vegan, people who grew up in Latin cultures where, as you noted, meat was the star of the show.

I always thought something was wrong with me, that I wasn’t like my family or they didn’t accept me because I didn’t eat what they ate. You are so right—so many cultures express affection through food, not even just Latin cultures. And yes, when food becomes more than just food, it can be very complicated. I definitely felt out of place as a teenager whenever we’d get together with family, because food was always at the center of those gatherings. It wasn’t until I left for college that my family started paying attention to having options for me at gatherings. I think they wanted to make me feel welcome whenever I visited home, since I didn’t get to visit that often.

I left New York City to go to school in Western Pennsylvania. I definitely struggled with the lack of diversity there, and it made me feel out of place again and like I didn’t belong. So whenever I came home for visits, and my family was finally paying attention to make sure there were always options for me, that was the most amazing feeling. I started to learn that there is nothing wrong with me, and it’s okay to be different. The people who matter and love you will always make an effort to accept you. And if not, those just might not be your people, and that’s okay.

My mom has been the most supportive person on my veg journey. She loves to make vegan versions of traditional Colombian foods. My absolute favorite is making empanadas, which actually happen to be like Colombian hot pockets! (Laughs.) The best part of making empanadas is the aji, which is a spicy sauce made of onions, hot peppers, garlic, cilantro and lots of lime. My mouth is watering just describing it. I will put aji on everything.

I’m curious, what was it like for you when you went veg?

Angel: Yesss! Empanadas are amazing. I'm definitely feeling hungry now! I think it's so cool that your mom makes you vegan versions of Colombian foods. It’s so important to have that kind of support, because being vegan in a non-vegan world has the potential to be quite alienating.

A couple things come to mind when I reflect on first going veg almost 7 years ago: alienation, and how something very obvious can be staring you right in the face before you choose to acknowledge and accept it. Luckily for me, my partner had been vegetarian for a long time. She was studying to become a veterinarian, and one of her guiding principles was always: "I'm dedicating my life to taking care of animals… So why would I take care of certain animals, and then go ahead and eat others?" So, full credit goes to her for introducing me to the idea of animal rights.

But while I admired her principles, I still cooked and ate meat. Grad school kept her very busy, so I'd cook veg meals for her and something with meat for me. If we went to a restaurant, we made sure they had options for her. And I would get upset if friends didn't consider her when we went out to eat as a group. So here were these concepts—that animals deserve compassion, and that we shouldn't cause their suffering—staring me in the face every time I sat down to eat, and I somehow remained oblivious for years. And then one day, at a previous job, I pulled up YouTube and purposely searched “factory farming” to finally see what it was all about. I watched “What Came Before,” the video narrated by Steve-O, and it hit me like a train. I left work early that day, because I felt sick to my stomach and deeply sad. I gave away the meat in my freezer that week, and I decided to go vegetarian with the goal of soon becoming vegan. My wife also then went vegan. It took all of these things happening to break down my social conditioning… to see animals not as food, but as beings in their own right.

And then came the alienation. You know that Simpsons "old man yells at cloud" meme? That was me for a short time. (Laughs.) I went through that stage that some vegans go through, where you make a lot of angry social media posts about animal cruelty and factory farming. You're not so concerned about how to effectively communicate, and you're mostly mad and frustrated (justifiably so—factory farming is outrageous), and your posts aren't resonating with people. And you're left wondering, "Where are all the other vegans? Why aren't more people on my side?"

It also didn't help that some of my closest family members weren't supportive at the time, that I had fewer and fewer friends, and that I knew zero other vegans aside from my wife. So it was a little rough for a bit, but eventually things got better. Joining The Humane League was pivotal for me. Similarly to you, I realized that there were people I could relate to, and I started to feel that sense of community as I made new veg friends. My mom veganized her arroz con gandules for me (I came around on pigeon peas; they are delicious!). Now when I show her pictures of my rice, mofongo, pinchos, papas rellenas, alcapurrias, and so on, she's like, "Wow you cook better than me!" My stepdad will gladly eat a JUST Egg or tofu sandwich. My sister goes out of her way to get me vegan croissants for breakfast. My sister-in-law went vegetarian. My mother-in-law always makes sure we have plenty of options when we visit. And culturally overall, in the US, I think people are becoming more accepting of veganism and are willing to try it.

Switching gears a little bit, I saw that you’ve recently joined THL’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Congrats! I was in the DEI committee for almost two years, and it was a challenging yet very rewarding type of work. I see DEI as immensely valuable not only to The Humane League as an organization, but to the farmed animal movement as a whole, so thank you for taking it on! I’m curious what you’re looking forward to on the committee.

Daniela: Ooh, yes. I can definitely relate to what you said about the truth staring you right in the face and still remaining oblivious. That was me, as well. However, I do think it’s normal for people to not really think about it, because we’re just so used to the idea of eating animals. That’s just the way the world operates. When you start to really look into it, though, by way of research like you did, and you discover how animals and humans are abused and exploited by our corrupt food system, it really becomes so clear that the industry is all about making money and there’s no regard for the well-being of humans or animals. The exploitation of living beings for profit is something I’m just not okay with.

I also wanted to tell everyone around me about everything I was learning, because I thought everyone would feel the same way I did. But it can definitely alienate you if you don’t consider how that’s coming across to others. I learned that the best way to get people to take interest is to lead by example (and with compassion) and meet people where they are. I always think about that one story we learned as little kids, where the sun and the wind make a bet on who can get the person to take off their raincoat the fastest. The wind sends a terrible storm to try to take the raincoat off by force, but instead, the person pulls the raincoat around them even tighter. When it’s the sun’s turn, all it does is shine bright and warm, and the person happily takes the raincoat off. Trying to get someone to do something by force or by pressure never really works.

Yes, I did just join the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee!! I’m feeling good about this opportunity to represent and make a difference. Like you said, I think this work is valuable for the farmed animal movement as a whole. I can see why my friends and family—and anyone, really—might think of veganism as a lifestyle that is just for the rich and privileged, or just for people who love animals. That’s what it looks like in the media, for the most part. But there’s so much more to it than that. The whole movement is about taking a stand for the oppressed and fighting for justice. It’s about caring for the individuals around you, the environment, marginalized communities, and, yes, animals. Our work is intersectional, and I think that’s what I’m most excited about bringing to the forefront with the DEI Committee. I want to show that you don’t have to look a certain way or live a certain lifestyle to create meaningful change. Anyone can come as they are and make a difference in the world. I know you were also a part of the committee for two years, and I’d love to hear any advice you can give. I know it won’t be easy, but I know it will be meaningful.

Thank you, Angel, for taking the time to talk with me about culture, food, and the movement! I really enjoyed getting this chance to catch up with you. We’ll have to do it again sometime!

Daniela Escamilla is The Humane League’s Social Media Manager and has been with the organization since early 2019. She has a passion for justice for animals and marginalized communities. She recently graduated with her Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication and plans to use everything she’s learned to continue to make a difference in the world. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband, Ben, and their dog-son Moe.

Angel Lugo is The Humane League’s Senior Video Editor and has been with the organization since May 2018. As an avid movie lover and visual storyteller for the last 10+ years, he is a firm believer in the power of art and film to help inspire action and advance social change. He currently lives in Doylestown, PA with his wife, Jerica, their pittie, Annabelle, and their two cats, Panda and Storm.