Love without Borders

On this Presidents' Day, we're taking a look back to a little over a week ago when Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime show consumed the country. Whether you watched the game, just the performance, MAGA's counter act to it or missed it entirely but were inidated with highlights of it on the internet, there was and still is no escaping it and it's over all message of inclusionary love.
There are different cultures across this nation, that's what makes America, America. We may be different, in a multitude of ways, from our neighbors but ultimately we are all human so really we are all the same at our core.

Acceptance is love.

Embracing differences is love.

Love is love. 

Bad Bunny and his team boldy put this on display on stage as well as off with a huge billboard stating: "The only thing more powerful that hate is love." Ringing to the tune of the MLK quote: "Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that".
As one of the country's great Presidents, FDR, once said, "the only thing to fear is fear itself" and Bad Bunny did not back down in the face of political fear mongering propaganda. He did not cower in fear and submission like we've witnessed so many men do. Bad Bunny stepped up to the challenge to truly unite the nation as the current administration continues to force division and diversion which is the least patriotic thing a person can do. 

This review is taking us outside of the box of traditional cupcakes to indulgence of treats from different cultures. If you love food then we have something in common. What's not to love about trying new, different, delicious things. Variety is the spice of life. 

Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

A little while back I got wind that a Filipino bakery was opening up shop in Long Beach and I could not wait to try their Filipino baked goods! Once San and Wolves opened I perused their menu online before going and found that I was not familiar with a lot of the selections. This did not deter me, rather it increased my excitement. I love a food adventure and discovering new foods from different places and cultures.

Ube, a purple yam native to the Pillipines, was introduced to the US market a few years ago and is everywhere now. It's a predominate flavor at San and Wolves, from cookies and coffee cake to cinnamon buns, the unique bakery offers varied Ube options. I do enjoy a good Ube treat but I wanted to try something more tradional and less white washed. Adopted by the Philipines with origins in Spain where ensaymadas are a spiral shaped pastry made from rich, yeasted dough made from lard for flakiness, rolled and coiled into a snail-like shape and dusted with powered sugar, the Filipino version is a broche bun topped butter and cheddar cheese. 

A sweet bread of broche, butter and cheese? Say less. 

Biting into that fresh, fluffy, chewy bun with its buttery goodness melting in my mouth accentuated by the whisper of sharp cheddar was like taking a bite out of heaven. Is there anything better than buttered bread and cheese? I'll wait. 

Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

I have gone back to San and Wolves for their Cheezy Ensaymada alone and will continue to do so. It is delicous, statifying both sweet and savory cravings in one fell swoop. 

Cheezy Esaymada from San and Wolves in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Next up on this short but sweet food tour is another trip to Gusto Bread, also in Long Beach. On February 13th and 14th, the artisanal panaderia had a Valentine's Day special: a pair of San Chocolatin cakes. In Spanish, chocolatin is the masculin term for a small chocolate bar, candy bar or piece of chocolate. In this case it is a small, dark chocolate cake. San translates to Saint and oh. My. God. These little cakes, which are presented as cupcakes in cupcake wrappers and all, are dipped in a ganache using Ecuadorian cacao. Topped with chocolate sprinkles, they also bore small rose petals in celebration of Valentine's Day.  

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

My heavens, does the San Chocolatin pack it in. Not dense with moistness, though they are in no way dry, but dense with robust richness.  And when I say these cakes are dense I mean they are thick, as in damn she thicc. The cake itself doesn't look like it'd be very chocolatey but it doesn't have to look chocolatey because eating it speaks for itself. This is one chocolatey, chocolate cake. 

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

If you've ever read one of my reviews of chocolate cake you know I am not easily pleased by it. This one though, this one es muy bueno. In place of typical frosting is the shell of ganche over the top of the little cake adds to the overall chocolatiness while offering a slight texture juxaposition. Gusto's San Chocolatin isn't to sweet but is just sweet enough as a yummy dessert or coffee pairing. 

San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread in Long Beach 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

Both San and Wolves and Gusto Bread are small, local businesses. Both bake everything from scratch using high quality ingredients. The San Chocolatin from Gusto Bread was only available for a limited time but the Cheezy Ensaymada from San and Wolves is available every day they're open for business, so long as they're not sold-out of them. 

When I was a kid I remember being taught that America is a melting pot, meaning it's full of all sorts of different people. That different people and their different cultural backgrounds and beliefs were welcomed here. 
How lucky we are to be able to have the option to try foods from around the globe right here in the States. It's a luxury the United States wouldn't have if it wasn't for immigrants, people that came here for a better life while in turn making all of our lives better. 

Spread love, not hate. 

Try something new. 

Support small, local businesses. 

In the wake of the dismantling of American democracy, supporting and uplifting each other unites us and all of our differences. That's what it means to be an American and that is something to be proud of. 

Hate is nothing to be proud of. It is a wound that needs to be healed. It is ignorance of a lesson that needs to be learned. There's a fine line between love and hate so choose the side of love. Love is an action word that must be practiced because it doesn't always come easy. Work at it. Not just for yourself because when you give it, you get it. Love transcends, connecting us all and that's a beautiful thing. It's not something to be scared of like some people want us to believe.