As the smell of garlic and cumin filled the air, my tummy rumbled.
Working full time at a Mexican restaurant for six months, it was my job to take orders and help with cleaning.
The menu was full of authentic meals, but our signature item was tamales – a traditional dish consisting of a minced meat, bean and cheese filling wrapped in a corn-based dough then cooked on the stove.
Sometimes I got to help the cooks prepare them.
One evening in March 2021, when I was 21, the
