Essay On Bodega

La Cultura de República Dominicana has been integrated into New York communities for over one hundred years. New York City, New York is home to the largest Hispanic population in the United States, totaling over 2.2 million. A group of producers of NPR's podcast Latino USA organized a visit to a Harlem bodega to debut their 2015 podcast “A Day at the Bodega.” The podcast included interviews of owners, workers, and customers in Spanish, and insight into the everyday Dominican life in modern America. At the heart of these communities, and on every corner, are bodegas. A bodega is more than just a convenience store. Lined with a bright yellow awning, the bodega doors welcome all. It serves as the social center, a favorite lunch spot, and a learning opportunity for Hispanic entrepreneurs. There are more than 11,000 bodegas in New York City alone. Each bodega employs more than four to seven immigrants. It gives workers a chance to earn a steady living, learn the English language, and strengthen their ties to the community. Bodegas have become a staple New York City. According to New York City customers, everybody knows everybody, and not another store’s environment is comparable to that of the infamous bodegas.

The shelves are lined with traditional Spanish staples such as rice, beans, and less healthy options like CoCoRico, a Puerto Rican Soda, and 50 cent snacks, high in sugar, fat, and carbs. The lunch menu consists of sandwiches such as 'Carne con Juevos.' Efforts to make food options healthier at bodegas have been made to reduce health problems in Hispanic communities. These communities hold the highest rates of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease in the nation. To combat this, the Healthy Bodega Initiative was passed. The idea was to lower the price of healthy food in bodegas to increase the demand for