Fifteen years of memories packed into one dish, every summer since before I can remember involved that one dish. The dish that makes me instantly excited and sentimental when I hear its name. In a competition of my favorite foods, nothing compares to Felipe’s guacamole. Its fresh flavor and heavenly balance of ingredients makes my mouth water instantly. Unlike other mushy, monotone guacamole’s, it is a beautiful array of colors and textures that could draw anyone in. It smells of fresh avocado with underlying hints of lime, tomato, and cilantro that fill your sinuses with perfection. In about a half hour, I can easily create guacamole that stimulates all my taste buds and brings them on a wild adventure, and it is all thanks to my Uncle Felipe.
It was the summer of 2005, the second week of August and my family and I were driving up to a cabin in Vermont for vacation. Little did I or any other member of my family know that we would be returning to that same place with the same people every year since. We drove in to find nine little cabins lined up next to a pool, a basketball court, a volleyball net, a recreation hall, a path that led to a lake, and plenty of open space to run around in. We were meeting our close family friends here to spend the week together, but it turned out that we spent that week with many more families than we bargained for. The seven other cabins that our group did not occupy was filled with different families, some related that were related and some that were complete strangers. As a whole, this group of random acquaintances bonded in a way I will never be able to fully wrap my head around. Through the years of returning to that lake with those strangers, we built memories, bonds, and traditions that will last a lifetime. One of these traditions being feasting on Felipe’s signature guacamole.
Felipe’s guacamole brings back several memories of summer’s prior. It reminds me of adults and kids alike running when we hear that fateful scream of “guacamole” in a thick Peruvian accent. It takes me back to “guac on the dock at five o’clock” where we would all float around on the lake, occasionally passing by the bowl of guacamole on the dock and grabbing a chip-full. It makes me reminisce in the times when over twenty people would be gathered around a single picnic table, laughing and making memories together while eating the dish that we dream about for the rest of the year when we are not together. Most importantly, it reminds me of the summer of 2018 when Felipe handed his guacamole recipe down to me. We spend over an hour together in the kitchen of my cabin, him teaching me every detail about making the perfect guacamole. The way to cut each ingredient to be the perfect size, exactly how much to mix it so it is perfectly blended but not mushed together, and how to instinctively tell what needed adjusting in the dish was all passed down to me that day.
To create this flavorful dish you will first need to dice three large, red tomatoes and half of an onion and place the ingredients in a bowl. Next take 3 small piles of cilantro leaves and dice it finely and add it to the bowl. Following this you will need to take 4 ripe avocados, remove the skin and pit, and cut the avocado into small cubes and put it in the bowl and lightly mix the ingredients. Next, take one and a half limes and squeeze the juice into the bowl trying to cover as much surface area of the previous ingredients as possible. Finally, you will add as much salt, pepper, and cumin as you see fit. There are no true measurements for these spices and you have to taste test to find just the right amount. Make sure to mix together again once all of the ingredients are added. An option that I usually opt out of is adding diced jalapeños peppers to the guacamole, without seeds if you want just a little extra kick and with the seeds if you prefer something spicy. In the words of the chef, “Everytime I make guacamole, I try to make it better each time”. This means that his recipe is always slightly changing and that it is not a strict formula that you must follow in order to find that perfect taste. Instead of rigidly following the mental recipe he gave me, Felipe encourages me to use his recipe as a base and experiment when making the dish. That is one of the main things that I love about his guacamole, it grew as our vacation group grew to become a family. It also has a different personality each time it is made, just like each member of this unofficial family has a unique personality. This simple guacamole recipe helped to bond me with each and every member of this group, despite age, gender, and ethnic background. Although he claims that I love his guacamole, “because you know how to appreciate good food made with Latin flair”, which is very true, but this dish means so much more to me than just a delectable taste. It makes me connect to the roots that grew in the backwoods of Vermont and reminds me that I will always have a group of people that love me unconditionally and will support me through the toughest of times, and for that I am forever connected to them and Felipe’s guacamole.
