The Betrayal by Goya
“We're all truly blessed to have a leader like President Trump, who is a builder. That's what my grandfather did, he came to this country to build to grow to prosper.”
- Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue
I know it's about money. But you have to pick your sides, especially nowadays as sensitive as things are. Goya might get to $2 billion but it loses the very people who made them who they are. How could Goya side with Trump? The reason why Goya is in business is because of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, Jamaicans, and more. Mexicans buy Goya’s shit and now Goya’s going to sit there and side with the man who's made such derogatory terms towards their lifelong supporters. Who let people in Puerto Rico practically die after the hurricane. Goya picked the wrong president to show love for.
Goya stepped on a landmine. Caribbean people are very proud people no matter what island you go to. My best friend's mother, who’s Jamaican, was just as instrumental as my mother in my growing up. These strong women who come from the Caribbean, they're not taking no bullshit. There's a lot of men and women who are angry at the statement.
You can't get caught up in the brand. Like with the seasoning Adobo, it's not a special sauce. You know what goes into it, it's not that hard. You can recreate these seasonings. That's what makes the beans taste good. It's not the fact that it comes out of the can and you put it in the pot and it's going to taste good. If you it like that, that’s gonna be some bland ass beans. There's certain things that you add that are that are so infused into the culture. It doesn't matter if Goya makes it or not, because you can make it yourself.
One seasoning, recaito: it’s green peppers, onions, garlic. Any Latin kitchen makes it, but I especially remember my mother and grandmothers. It's recaito in a raw form and when you cook it’s sofrito. The smell of that when it hits the pan. I don't care where you are in the world- if you smell that smell, it's going to bring you back to the first time you smelled it.
You hear the sizzling and then all the other seasonings, and then it's just a culmination of things. And it starts with something as simple as the cooking oil. The cooking oil has a smell to it, and when that recaito hits the pan and starts to sizzle…man. You know what I’m talking about.
That seasoning is the base for your beans, it’s a marinade for your meat, it’s so many different things. But when it hits the pan it's like...what.
It's amazing how the smells and the sounds that the kitchen makes can bring you back to a memory in your life. You can smell something and it automatically triggers a memory that you have with a particular person. Goya is the brand name that we recognize and attach to our culture. It's a part of us. But there are other brands out there that make red beans or kidney beans. I think in order for us to boycott, you have to really recognize when you make something: Is it good because it's GOYA or is it good because you make it?
You can't get caught up in the brand. Like with the seasoning Adobo, it's not a special sauce. You know what goes into it, it's not that hard. You can recreate these seasonings. That's what makes the beans taste good. It's not the fact that it comes out of the can and you put it in the pot and it's going to taste good. If you do it like that, that’s gonna be some bland ass beans. There's certain things that you add that are so infused into the culture. It doesn't matter if Goya makes it or not, because you can make it yourself.
Puerto Rican Carne Cuisada y Arroz con Habichuelas