David Acevedo's Blog

How do you know what restaurant is good? As I was walking through the food kiosks at Luquillo, a beach town in Puerto Rico. I realized that you look for the crowded one, because if the locals frequent it, then it most be at least decent, right? At least that's how the thinking goes. While food-poisoning looks imminent in that lonely restaurant with nobody in it. This is a type of group think. You crowd-source your restaurant decision because you don't have time to check each restaurant for cleanliness and audit their food, you go where others have gone to eat and trust in the wisdom of the crowds. Now sometimes you go off exploring too, and go check out that restaurant you haven't tried or that new place that opened. But when you're in a hurry, in an unfamiliar place, need to eat quick the lonely food kiosk just feels sketchy even if it's totally fine and the crowded one is just good. Why is this important? It isn't but it's a cool way of thinking about ...

For the past two months I've been in Puerto Rico, the island I was born in. I frankly feel conflicted about Puerto Rico. In a weird way every time I've come back since I left for college, it's felt like a different country, and I've suffered reverse-culture shock every time. Even now. Now however I'm seeing a Puerto Rico that is in a worrisome state. NPR has been doing a 4 part series that's worth checking out here  called "Disenchanted island." Puerto Rico is called "la isla del encanto" or the "island of enchantment" so the title is a play on words. It's worth a listen. Like children you don't see grow up because you see them everyday, the people that live in Puerto Rico become essentially blind to the changes that happen in the island. While I who feel at times like a strange uncle that comes to visits sees them starkly. So much so that I get a push back. It's very strange to see consistent responses from people t...