ELEVEN QUESTIONS: Natalie Love Cruz
I remember hearing "no te ahogues en un vaso de agua" a lot, growing up...it literally translates to "don't drown in a cup of water."
impervious, adjective im·per·vi·ous | \ (ˌ)im-ˈpər-vē-əs \
Definition of impervious: not capable of being damaged or harmed. Not capable of being affected or disturbed.
Writer and Afro-Latina culinary professional Natalie Love Cruz answers Eleven Questions for
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Natalie writes the newsletter , a Featured Publication on Substack. She specializes in culinary instruction and decolonized food systems and is currently writing a cookbook on the African Diaspora in Latin America.
1. What can you tell me about your given or chosen name?
My name is Natalie Love Cruz. I’m pretty sure that my first name was inspired by the character Natalie from the ‘80s sitcom, “The Facts of Life.” Unfortunately, I don't have any friends named Blair, Tootie, or Jo, lol!
I've never wanted to change my name, but in the last five years I’ve met so many other Natalies that it's kinda wild - like five others - and they're all my close friends now. I usually refer to them by last name whenever I'm talking about a particular Natalie in conversation.
I love my middle name. It's so unique and makes me feel very loved. It has always sparked conversation because people do not believe that it’s really my given middle name even though it’s on my license!
2. Do you have a favorite book or story from your childhood?
I have so many favorite books and stories from childhood. I always loved “Stone Soup,” a story about strangers coming together to show kindness and community by sharing resources to make a big a ol’ soup. “Stone Soup” definitely led me to an interest in food. My favorite version is by Marcia Brown.
Any book that had recipes or featured food piqued my interest. Tomie dePaola was one of my favorite authors because so many of his books featured his characters cooking or eating food, like “Strega Nona” or “Watch Out for the Chicken Feet in Your Soup.”
I also really loved stories about ordinary kids going on wild adventures or solving problems that adults couldn’t, such as Encyclopedia Brown or Nancy Drew. I was super obsessed with the yellow spine hardback versions! I was so obsessed with Nancy Drew that in the 5th grade, I had to do a creative presentation on a book and decided to write an original song about her with my best friend. We wore Madonna headset mics and we danced our choreography and sang in front of our whole class. I'm not sure why it was a contest, but we got first place and got to take home a small fake Oscar trophy. My favorites are definitely “The Secret of the Old Clock” and “The Hidden Staircase.”
3. What are your favorite sounds? (If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, please share a favorite sensory experience of your choosing.)
My favorite sound is the crunching of leaves under my shoes especially when they’re super dry and curled up. It’s such a satisfying sound of crackling that culminates the autumn season. It reminds me that nothing is permanent, but that things can come back, grow, flourish, and fall again. 🌱🍂
4. What is your favorite thing to eat? Do you know how to make it? Who taught you?
French fries are my favorite food and I know how to make them from scratch. I grew up eating them made from scratch and didn’t realize that other people didn’t have this same experience growing up. Most people buy frozen cut fries, but I didn’t realize that we were too poor to buy those and that’s why our fries were always made fresh from Idaho potatoes, which is a crazy thought because the fresh ones taste so much better, even though frozen were considered a luxury.
My aunt helped raise me with my mom and they always made us fries from scratch, served with eggs. The egg was always fried since the oil was already hot from the fries. I liked my fried eggs, super-fried so the egg yolk was cooked all the way. I was not a fan of yolks as a kid, but they have recently grown on me. It was a cheap, easy meal to feed kids!
I was never formally taught how to make the fries, but I learned from just watching. I like my french fries with ketchup! I only like ketchup on fries and a burger. Nothing else besides those two things.
HOMEMADE FRIES
Ingredients:
3 large Idaho potatoes (peeled)
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt
Cut potatoes into long French fries (a great tutorial for how to do this can be found here). Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, or pot, over medium-high heat. You can test if the oil is ready by dipping the tip of a fry in it. If the oil starts to sizzle, then you're ready to fry.
Fry the french fries in small batches so you don't crowd the pan and they cook evenly. Once fried and crispy, place them on a paper towel to absorb the oil or in a large mesh strainer. Salt generously while hot and enjoy!
5. What is your favorite quote?
“Imagination is one of the most powerful modes of resistance that oppressed and exploited folks can do and use.” - bell hooks
6. What is something that you used to believe but no longer do?
I used to believe that I had to execute things perfectly or otherwise it was a waste of time. I eventually learned that it’s okay to make mistakes and that those mistakes show that at least I am learning along the way.
7. What do you value most in a friendship?
I value effortlessness. Effortlessness in the sense that I can not see or talk to a friend for months and we can reconnect again as if we had just spoken the day before. Friendships that bring ease and do not require constant coaxing are the best kind.
8. Where is home? If it is a physical place, does it still exist? Who lives there now?
I think home is wherever I set down roots at the moment, which is currently New York City with my husband.
9. Who or what is your biggest motivator?
My biggest motivator is the future. That may sound weird, but I’m motivated by knowing that I can try my best in my everyday life and work to do something small that can have a positive impact on the future - even if it’s just the future of my local community.
10. What is one helpful piece of advice someone shared with you when you needed encouragement or a kind word?
I remember hearing the Spanish phrase “no te ahogues en un vaso de agua” a lot growing up. It is meant to remind you that whatever problems you have or tough times you’re going through may not be as big as you think they are. It reminds me to take a second to breathe and really think about the situation before letting anxiety kick in and win.
I grew up in Manhattan on the Upper West Side in a relatively diverse neighborhood. I was told this phrase often as a teenager from my mom and my aunt when I would get frazzled over small trivial things that teens would get frazzled about in the late ‘90s early ‘00s...whether it was my hair not looking like I wanted or something not panning out like I thought it would.
I used to believe that I had to execute things perfectly or otherwise it was a waste of time. I eventually learned that it’s okay to make mistakes and that those mistakes show that at least I am learning along the way.
No te ahogues en un vaso de agua literally translates to “don't drown in a cup of water,” but really means don't sweat the small stuff. It's a common phrase that I still use and hear today. An awesome Dominican author named Angie Cruz (no relation) actually wrote a book called, “How Not to Drown in a Cup of Water.” I haven't read it yet, but it's on my ever growing list of books to read!
11. When do you feel most impervious?
I feel impervious to what others may think of me. For many years I cared about being liked and what others thought about me, but as I’ve gotten older, it has become liberating to not care as much. It’s not an easy feat, but it has gotten easier as I intentionally practice self-love and kindness to myself.
Thank you Natalie!
This post was truly a joy to read! Agree we can learn so much from others and connect with shared experiences.
Thank you for featuring me! ✨💗