The 11th Burrito

S M Chen
5 min readNov 20, 2024

One of the many things I buy at one of my favorite big-box stores is frozen vege-burritos.

I briefly glance at the ingredients and place the box in my shopping cart.

Price is a secondary consideration.

I have a young Ukrainian couple living with me.

They tend to eat a lot of meat, as is likely customary in their country.

I give them full use of the house, including the kitchen.

I know they are under stress.

They have shown me videos of bombs and missiles landing on areas not far from where their families live.

Shortly after arriving, I heard the young woman weeping.

She was already homesick.

In addition to being away from home, one of them is seeking employment.

The young man had a job, but lost it.

The young woman works full time at a local senior-assisted facility.

They are trying to learn English and adapt to American culture, which is different from that in Ukraine in more than one way.

I figure the last thing they need is someone telling them what they should and should not eat.

Sometimes I eat what they cook.

Other times I don’t.

They know I’m largely vegetarian but eat some fish.

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