The American Dream

My love of Mexican chips y guacamole recently led me to a local restaurant called Abby’s Kitchen. The owners, Abby & Mario (from Mexico City, Mexico), came to the United States six years ago, and opened Abby’s Kitchen at the end of 2009. I have been to the restaurant twice now, met their two daughters, and spent time talking with Mario’s mother who is visiting from Distrito Federal. The food at Abby’s Kitchen is fantastic (the choc-flan incredible!), but the greater message is not about food at all—it is about the American Dream.

James Truslow Adams first used the term “The American Dream” in his book The Epic of America, written in 1931. He states, “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement . . . .”

Abby & Mario are first-generation Americans who are admirably pursuing their American Dream. What is most impressive, however, is the passion to achieve a “better and richer and fuller” life exhibited by their oldest daughter. At the age of 12, she has just graduated from the 8th grade (two years ahead of others her same age), and is dedicated to working hard to receive an academic university scholarship and “the best education possible”. On the first Saturday of summer, as I socialized with my family and enjoyed the great food, she was sitting alone at a table with a book and a pencil. In Texas, we call this “Taking the bull by the horns!” Without a doubt of possibility, she is working to achieve what she wants most in life. It is her American Dream.

Getting to know Abby & Mario and their family has left me with many questions: Is the American Dream real? Do second-generation (and third, fourth, etc.) Americans understand the American Dream? How do we pass the legacy of the American Dream to our children? Have you felt the American Dream in your life? As a tenth-generation American, I have failed to fully grasp and implement this concept for myself. More, I have taken it for granted. I hope there are others who are doing a better job of passing the torch. ¡Viva el Sueño Americano!

*Note: The author recognizes that The United States of America is not the only country on the American continent, but for the purpose of this post, “American” refers to the U.S.A.

by Julie Broadbent