The other day I had to run an errand. I took the Bx bus line to Yonkers. It happened that my bus stop was directly in front of a Mexican bakery called Café sin Dulce. I immediately recognized the aromatic Mexican bread, the cinnamon, the sugar, and the wonderful smell of baked flour. I looked at the window and saw the artisanal Mexican bread. Since I was in a hurry, I just checked out the bread and cakes displayed in the window. I saw how the colors and designs were well coordinated. I said to myself, “What a magnificent way to coordinate colors, shapes, and designs.” 

This aroma immediately sent me back to my childhood. I remembered that I used to go with my mother early in the morning to the bakery and to the fresh market every day. This wonderful smell followed me to my destination. I asked Aroma, “Why are you following me? I am in a hurry and cannot indulge myself with these delicious pastries. I need to keep going, and you are disturbing me in such a way that I crave you and cannot walk fast enough to my destination. Please stop following me!”

Finally, I made it to my appointment. While waiting to be seen by the X-ray technician, I could not stop thinking about and craving the Mexican sweets that I had just passed by. I was trying so hard to fight back those cravings. I made so many excuses not to fall for this delightful aroma. “Aroma, you are not going to convince me to eat your best friend, Flour.” 

 I kept repeating to myself, “You cannot eat any kind of flour, you don’t want to get sick, your acid reflux would not be happy, and you would end up bloated.” But then, “What about if I just eat a fourth of a piece of bread? That won’t bother my heartburn. Probably the piece of bread would pass unnoticed.” I even tried to be reasonable about how 

Mexican bread is made. Facts: Mexican bread is baked not fried, and another plus is that only natural and healthy ingredients are used. It’s chemical free: ground cinnamon, pasteurized eggs, and real cane sugar.

On my way back, I could not resist anymore. Guess what? Aroma won this intense fight because she cheated. Aroma invited all her bread and pastry allies’ flavors to flood out of the pastry shop and fill all the streets of Yonkers. 

I stopped by the bakery and bought a variety of pastries for me and my entire family. As soon as I got home, I sat down and ate my favorite sweet breads, elotito (little corn) and nido (nest). I was in heaven for a few minutes. Thank you, Aroma, for your persistence.

Gabriela I. Robles is from Mexico and has lived in New York City for over twelve years. She loves to network with people from all over the world, learn from different cultures, and travel in order to meditate and do yoga. Her writing was published in LR20. Gabriela I. Robles studies with Corinne Butta at University Settlement Society, where Lucian Leung is the program director.