I stopped with my spoon halfway to my mouth. I put my spoon back into the bowl and stirred it up, looking closely at the small pieces of meat and hominy floating in the rich and savory broth. It could not be true! I was eating tripe—the muscle lining of the stomachs from a cow. How gross!! The lining of a cow stomach? Really?

I was so disgusted. And yet, the soup tasted so good. I thought about it for a few more seconds. I decided to keep eating it. The soup taste had not changed – only my knowledge of what it was made of had increased. I love Menudo to this day.