The Latin kitchen is an interesting one, filled with many useless compartments, or very smart inventions, it can go either way.

Let's start with the stove, commonly used for cooking pernil, it also has the tendency to offer storage after hours. If you keep your stub, you get to stay for the after party of pots and pans of oil.

"Why don't you bake a cake?"

"Let me take out these three pans of oil first.."

And you can't throw it down the drain, I made a big mistake many years ago, and still haven't lived it down. No, just keep it in that pan, por favor...old oil, I guess that's where the flavor comes from. Here I thought it was the sofrito.

Ever wonder where Latinos keep their left overs? Well, ask to make some popcorn at their house, you'll see. I never really understood the concept of saving food in the microwave but I learned to follow suit quickly. Friends would suggest I put the chicken in the fridge, something about health hazards, but what's safer than a rapidly increasing hot-box which can scorch the outside layer of meat to a blazing 1000 degrees in 60 seconds? Exactly.

Leftovers, part duece.

Latinos are either super clever, or dangerously strange, when they pull out containers of Domino sugar filled with arroz con habichuela. Country Crock butter is really some sort of meat, and the olive jars are kept for beans. I mean, it is actually pretty smart, but awkward when you are trying to make your coffee in the morning.

Every house has a shit drawer, a concise space for random odds-n-ends...but Latinos have theirs in the kitchen, and honestly it's more like "Oh Shit" drawer. Inside you can find the winning insides of a contestant's bag on "Let's Make a Deal." I've come across the following shenanigans in ours: batteries, pencils, individually wrapped sporks, spare change, Kodak disposable cameras, miscellaneous wires, salt packets, pictures of children, permanent markers, a screw driver, 1990's cellphones, and Chinese food menus.

And we have two "Oh Shit" drawers.

After dinner, I usually get asked to do the dishes, which is why I offer paper cups and such, because I know when I load the dishwasher, I'll have to unload it and wash them by hand.

"You're gonna waste water for five plates, four cups, seven forks, three knives, two bowls and that pot?"

"Um, I guess not. Why do we even have a dishwasher?"

"Wash the dishes!"

Well, that's all for now. And yes, I love my heritage!