HEARTC♡RE

Montezuma's Revenge? More like Pakal's revenge. 

My biggest misconception about my own body is that I have a stomach of steel. Day 6 into my trip to Chiapas, I woke up with GI issues that have lasted me up to today (Day 11). Alhamdulillah, it isn't that serious, but it's probably the worst I have ever felt related to GI. Day 1, I felt weak, had a pang in my stomach equivalent to severe anxiety, loose bowels (:-D), headache and I felt lethargic. I took Mexican medication and it prevented me from having to use the bathroom, which was a Godsend because we were still traveling via Sprinter, 20 deep, hours away from home and sightseeing. Day 2 madrugada - it hit me all at once and I was the last one on the Sprinter that morning. Again, my body came through and kept all the noise at bay until I got home. Next day felt a little better, but still reeling from the hit to my body. I could not sleep at night from the pressure in my abdomen and finally I figured out that I just need to burp it all out (terrible sulfur burps). I was also coughing a lot of phlegm at night. I thought this was a separate issue, but after a quick Google it happens when the stomach acid rises to your esophagus. Then, I thought I had surpassed it all and on the road to recovery (Day 4). Now Day 5 and 6 I am back down. I'll spare you the details (well you have most of them), I can only be thankful that I have been spared vomiting. Now, everything I eat bloats me to such high discomfort, it is borderline painful. I cannot wait for this to end. But, I also have anxiety so my mind spirals a bit and toys with the idea that I caught a bug that will cause me chronic GI issues. . . but no, it will go away soon. The first bout of sickness, I do theorize was due to a virus/bacteria but after I got a bit better I will blame it on my diet - I am eating spicy, irritating, inflaming foods and a lot of sugar . . . I am definitely not helping the cause . . . might as well be throwing wood to the fire!

I am mostly surprised (not really) that there's still new bacteria that got me, when I have traveled to Mexico my entire life and if anything, I come from a pueblo and I have never gotten sick. Well it's never too late and you're never safe :-). FYI, aware I can get salmonella and e.coli in the US :'-). I just thought the Mayan spirits would spare me due to my good vibes.

After typing the above, I went on the internet and I think I know what parasite I am working with.... AHHHHHH. May be Giarda. You guys know I am a ride it out kind of girl (I recognize this is a mistake) so not looking forward to going to the pharmacy to get my one dose to help me out :-D (I am so silly....). Anyways, Google Giarda - he's a scary looking little sucker. 

Yesterdays food: spicy chilaquiles that I felt burn the lining of my stomach, a cherry ICEE, two scoops of sorbet, half a red bull, (I am pregnant with bacteria gases at this point), pizza, potato wedges, and a margarita . . . 

On to my diet of bland baby foods for the next week I guess. . . . .

On Tropical Diseases. I recently read a couple books on mosquitos and of course their whole schtick and purpose on this earth is to be vectors of diseases (please ask me and give me mosquito book recs). I was excited to come to Chiapas because it is one of the southern states that is susceptible to tropical diseases (don't get me wrong, we have some further up north too but Chiapas is always on the intake survey before you donate blood). Over chilaquiles yesterday, I asked my Chiapaneco brother in law about the status of malaria in the state and he laughed and said that's an African thing and equivalent to asking about Ebola. I was not very surprised to hear this since malaria is a rare disease, at least in North America, and with sustainable efforts for full eradication. Thankfully, he is a big Googler so immediately, he began reading out loud that malaria is present in Latin America, including Mexico in the states of Chiapas and Campeche. 

I found this website that's going to clearly be my newfound obsession. You can click by region and it is showing you real time Malaria risks by country. https://atlasvisualdelamalaria.org/paises/malaria-mexico/

But Malaria isn't the only tropical disease in Chiapas and the surrounding states. See CDC table below from the Mexico 2026 Yellow Book (I omitted the other Mexican regions but you can click to redirect you to the page). 

Hi guys! 2026 is here and I am so excited! I've spent the last two weeks on PTO (my company closes between Christmas and New Year) and I vlogged those daily adventures on TikTok. I really had the best time spending quality time with friends and family, eating yummy food, crafting, drinking at holiday bars, reading outside, going on walks, window shopping. . . real shopping - just making the best of every hour of the day. 

This year I am really excited to continue diving into some of the hobbies and interests that found me, or came back to me, in 2025. I feel like 2025 was getting a little taste of the vibes and 2026 is just a full embodiment of . . . the vibes of. . . me??? And I do say me, because sometimes we, I, the internet, are like clean girl, hot girl, vampire girl, punk girl, soft girl, boss babe, etc. And I get stuck in the loop of trying to box myself in. For example, when I want a sweet treat - I try to police myself by asking - is this skinny girl behavior? - and then I come back and think "no, who cares, this is Melissa girl behavior and she's gonna have a sweet treat right now" and just keep it moving. So what is Melissa's 2026 energy?

I saw a few "were bringing 2016 back" but for me, it's giving 2006 energy. 5th grade - playing in the creeks by the house, raising caterpillars to butterflies, reading Highlights magazine, children's place clothes (lmao), going to the library and spending the whole time in the language section, a pet rat, obsessed with wanting my own room, magnifying glasses during recess, spending money at the scholastic library, eating croutons like chips, Lisa Frank stationary, keep a fish tank and taking care of little fry, and so on. It's going to be all the aforementioned vibes, but elevated to someone who is in their early 30s and with a little more spare change - travel to see butterfly colonies, learn a new language, read a lot of meaningful books, make my own croutons, work towards my own place, frequent the river. What can I call this? Why do I want to call it something? Can you even get the vibes or is it a stretch? I am looking forward to what I call regressing but it'll also be a time of enrichment... lol I'm droning on now. 

Anyways, one 2026 goal I do have. . . . and have every year. . . is to blog more. To start, at least once a month but hopefully more frequently. 

. . . . I actually don't voluntarily listen to reggaeton. Hear me out, I enjoy it (especially in other people's cars), but I am not going out of my way to play it. Regardless, have y'all (if you're Latino) seen the meme of "me rolling into my corporate job" and the bass of the reggaeton is just blasting? When I see people post their own take on it, I'm like  *tired trope*. But actually #Guilty, because anytime I have the corridos blasting as I am scanning my badge into the parking deck (and you do think about it because the dock worker nearby can hear it through the thin windows), I think to myself "the Mexican customers setting up their North Pole scout have no idea that the employee on her way to make sure their toy is passing child safety standards is in her feelings to Junior H's Tres Botellas"

Exhibit A (although I didn't find anything about corporate job - just work in general)

click for art source

So I am guilty of it too. Again, I am not special - but growing up as a second generation (definition on that below, as many people would consider me first generation), when I thought of corporate America I thought of white men in suits (not even white women came to my mind). And when I also thought of corporate America - a little older, but still young - I'm like what are all these random jobs that people do that are not doctor, lawyer, accountant, etc. What are the jobs that just fill up all these buildings? I didn't have the example of how you just land, I don't know, Manager of Building Blocks, Wood, Northeastern division. 

So anyways, as Junior H is blasting into the Riverwood building, it's just a reminder that little ole' Mexican me is taking up space (in my purest form). And maybe I am the only one that thinks about this, but if I have a product I love and I know that a little Mexican girl plays a part in it - well I love that even more. Ah I hate being cheesy!! BYE. 

First Gen vs Second Gen according to Harvard:

A person who is a first-generation immigrant is defined as one who is born outside of the United States. 1.5-generation immigrants are individuals who came to the United States as children. Second-generation immigrants are born in the United States but have parents who are born abroad.

A while ago, probably more than a year ago my friend Leah asked me "Mexicans use a lot of MSG in their food, right?" and I replied "hmm, not that I know of, I don't think so". When she asked me this, I imagined the white crystals - MSG in it's purest form. It wasn't until months later that I thought of Knorr's Caldo de Pollo. I was looking at the back of the bottle one day and realized it really is just MSG with a little party hat on. And honestly, yeah I feel like we put that shit in EVERYTHING. And why wouldn't we? When I am cooking a meal and it's missing something - guess what? sprinkle sprinkle.

But first, who is she? Who's Knorr? How did she infiltrate the Latin community and how did she become so iconic? I have a shit memory, but I always remember that Knorr had a booth at the Latin Festival that was held at Underground Atlanta at least one year (holy shit, so iconic - bring it back!! I swear I saw Gloria Trevi there). I don't know why I have that specific memory, but it was probably because as a child I was confused as to why I got merch from a seasoning. 

A German company founded in 1838, its founder, Carl Heinrich Knorr, experimented with and sold dried soup and it was in 1912 when he came up with, the greatest invention ever, the bouillon cubes. Wait, if he's German why do we use French "bouillon"? Anyways. Since 2000, Knorr has been owned by Unilever (who isn't) and it's actually their highest selling brand! Annual sales up to 3 billion euros. 

Also, for the longest I wondered why we call it Knorrsuisa, but I just read on their wiki page that in many countries in Latin America it's known as Knorr Suiza (so my mom didn't just make that up).

Fun Fact Break: Switzerland has a Knorr mascot that debuted in 1948 and inspired by mountain gnomes. His name is Knorrli!!! :-( I love him - not surprisingly he is a household name in Switzerland. 

CLICK PHOTO for SOURCE & WONDERFUL ARTICLE ON HIS STORY (+ vintage Knorrli art!!)

I wanted to focus on Knorr from a Mexican perspective because no ones trying to read a deep dive on chicken bouillon - but tell me why my heart rate increasing as I start to read the article on Mexico's Knorr "double digit growth" in the last couple years. Where do I stand in my feelings for Knorr . . . yes all I have done is praise it. But my praise is attached to it from the perspective of someone who isn't a whiz in the kitchen. To think that we're just relying more and more on artificial, mass produced flavors just ... rubs me the wrong way. But am I right in that sentiment? Let's keep going. 

Unilever, like they knew I would want to know all of this a few months later, published an article in July of this year where they chat with their CMO, Foods Latin America on how they've been able to grow in Mexico from 4% (2023) to 13% (2024) and how they accomplished a presence in 9 out of 10 kitchens. Essentially, their marketing team took a "social-first" campaign strategy where they leveraged celebrity, influencer, and television opportunities. Their focus is on the younger consumer (I mean is this not every brand's strategy? not sure, I'm not in marketing) and it has made it to Mexico's top 5 brands. 

"These bold, social-first campaigns and influencer-led strategies provided the perfect opportunity for us to engage with younger consumers and showcase our core products as the ultimate flavour hack for top dishes for a new generation of home cooks"

As much as I make a face at the quote below, it's a brand's mission truth: 

"To fulfil our ambition of delivering the most authentic and culturally resonant brand experience for Mexican consumers, we crafted a strategy redefining bouillon not just as an ingredient but also as an essential part of Mexico’s culinary identity."

As someone in consumer products, I can relate. The goal is to make the customer feel like we're an essential part of . . let's say your family's special holiday tradition, essential storytellers and shot callers of. . . I don't know, let's say the North Pole and Christmas. If I read the above quote in the context of Christmas - I'd say the same thing, you can't OWN CHRISTMAS!!! Just like KNORR shouldn't have a say in Mexico's culinary identity. 

In the short article, they share 3 case studies. The first case study included propping up billboards and murals all across Mexico City's busiest avenues and a cooking competition through one of Mexico's top shows - La Casa de Los Famosos. I know Yuri is a fan, so I will have to ask if she saw the Knorr Minados competition (....cute name.). The other two case studies used famous singers and Mexico's top TikTok stars.

At the end of the article the CMO shares how he'll continue to build on the success, staying three steps ahead on trends in "technologies, top partnerships, and content creators" and shares that their aim is to:

"continue to deliver a best-in-class experience for all Mexicans, addressing their needs and inspiring them to use Knorr as their top flavour companion."

And then on the other hand, after all my heart beating, I am thankful for Knorr? The marketing campaigns effects spread throughout all of Mexico, but it seems the key to unlocking it is through Mexico City. And if you know anything about Mexico City, the lifestyle is just GO GO GO and Knorr is obviously all about convenience and having all those rich, salty, and umami flavors at your fingertips. Never mind that the younger generations are not as talented in the kitchen as they should be. If the brand is listening to the consumers, tailoring to the culture and traditions, making life a little easier, and helping us to keep cooking and recipes alive. . . then hmm not so bad? 

Okay, the last part on keeping Mexican cooking alive is kind of a big claim and really just purely anecdotal. Again, I am not a cook, but if I think of following a Mexican recipe - I am always confident I could get the flavor right but this is only because in my mind, Knorr is always present. If I didn't have any Knorr on hand, all my confidence on getting the right flavor would be lost. So here's me, a young cook, given a boost to cook and share my cooking, only with Knorr's helping hand. Does anyone else feel like that way?

On short form video recipes I've seen across TikTok and Instagram, whether it's taquitos, sopita, espaguetti verde, tamales, pozole, arroz - I have seen the girlies use chicken bouillon. I swear to you one day I had the dark thought that I immediately had to push away - . . is Mexican cuisine increasingly relying on that yellow gold to make it delicious? Does it just feel that way because the videos I've seen are more quick weekday recipes for a busy life? What were we doing before Knorr? If Knorr has existed for more than a century - can we even remember a time before it? And if it's been present for that long. . . does it have a proper, well earned, place in Mexican cuisine? 

One more quick online search and I found a Salon article titled "How Knorr Seasoning Became a Staple in Mexican American Cuisines", but it actually provided no insight on this question outside of Knorr working with consultants to tailor to different market's tastes and that's how it took off [and according to this 2019 article, Indonesia and Mexico, in that order are the bouillon's largest markets (US is fourth)]. The author also shares stories of two or three Mexican American chefs that remember using bouillon in both their mothers and grandmother's kitchen and so it brings me back to - does it just belong in Mexican or Mexican-American cuisine? Is there a distinction in the Knorr domination timeline between these two? 

Add this to the list of things I really need to know.

In no recent memory, have I ever created a Christmas List! But this year is just the year!!! I started jotting things down as they came to mind. First list is easy pickings and second list is something I would not spend on this year but would be.... more than nice to have.

(the way I didn't realize I got myself two things from my list already hehe)

Want:

• Plastic Beauty organizer 
• Cozy Friends coloring book
• Markers or color pencils
• Binoculars (not the poopy ones I got at TJMaxx :-()
• Birds of Georgia field guide by Stan Tekiela 
• Christmas candle
• iphone 12 lighting charger (I found a cable in my bag!)
• E.L.F. beauty blenders
• Bio-Oil skincare oil
• Dry Shampoo 
• Medium difficulty girly puzzle
• Gingerbread cookies
• Jot & Mark recipe paper/sheets
• high caliber hot cocoa and cute shaped marshmallows
• Vilhelm Parfumeria in Dear Polly
• Chatahoochee Parks yearly parking membership
• Starbucks or DD gift card
• Instax film
• Picnic blanket (Baggu or Ban.do style)