I just thought of the well-worn sofa that I have at home. It’s pretty beaten up, even torn in some places. However, it still works, so I’m not in a rush to replace it.

As I thought about it, I was immediately transported back to my childhood. I couldn’t help but think of the many different homes I visited growing up in the Bronx. Many of these were Latino households, and there were several common traits I noticed.

All the homes seemed to have affordable chandeliers with a bit of flair. We all had bunk beds. Quite a few had colorful bead curtains to separate rooms, and I could go on and on with the similarities. But let’s focus on one of the biggest ones!

One tradition that stood out was how sofas were almost always kept covered in their original plastic. Removing those plastic covers was usually not done. In many Latino households, that plastic covering was seen as a way to protect the furniture and help it last longer.

Looking at my humble sofa now, some 30 years later, I can appreciate why our parents and grandparents did this. One of my best friends still has the same couch his family had during our teenage years! It’s covered in plastic and intact two decades later. While sitting on plastic in the summer can sometimes be sticky or uncomfortable, the protective aspect certainly helped those couches last a long time.

Viva la patria! Respect!