For many New Yorkers, their local bodega holds a special place in their hearts. The bodega is more than just your average convenience store — or, god forbid, the tiny corner-store-sized Whole Foods Market Daily Shop. It’s a testament to the city’s vibrant immigrant communities, a cultural hub that’s steeped in rich history and filled with love from generations past. Where supermarkets are closed, the bodegas are open. Not to mention that these local stores are also home to some of New York’s most iconic dishes: chopped cheese, bacon-egg-and-cheese and chicken cutlets, just to name a few. Even amid a ruthless pandemic, the bodega persevered and continued to serve as the backbone of NYC. So it makes sense why bodega culture is such a big deal amongst city dwellers. Where you go and, most importantly, what you get matters.
In recent weeks, bodegas have been a major topic of discussion online thanks to Jennifer Lopez. The singer, actor and dancer is being ruthlessly ridiculed over what she claims is her go-to bodega order. Lopez quickly became a laughingstock on TikTok following the release of her musical film “This Is Me... Now: A Love Story,” which critics described as “confusing” and straight up ludicrous. The trolling intensified after a clip from her latest documentary “The Greatest Love Story Never Told” went viral for once again being straight up ludicrous. In it, Lopez, who appears to be at the gym, takes her hair down and says: “I like taking my hair out like this. It reminds me like, when I was 16 in The Bronx running up and down the block.” Cue the jokes, recreations and impersonations.
