but what about us latinos? we ve been here in this city, and we ve got every kind of latino. you want your puerto ricans? wepa. you want your cubans? dale! dominicans? que lo que tigre. colombianos? todo bien, todo bien. mexicanos? no manches, guey. and this is where i grew up, too. and when i was a kid, i don t know what the streets were paved with, but it damn sure as hell was not gold. but that didn t stop latinx new yorkers from making big contributions. basquiat, rita moreno puerto rican. cardi b dominican. supreme court justice sotomayor, nuyorican from the bx. even the very first non-indigenous person to live and work in the island of manhattan in the 1600s was juan rodriguez, a dominicano. mira eso, right from the start, we ve been here making this city great. now, i don t know what new york would be without latinos, but it sure as hell wouldn t smell as good, it wouldn t taste as good, and it definitely wouldn t sound as good. that s right, cause salsa music was in
Basquiat, Rita Moreno Puerto rican. Cardi bdominican. Supreme Court Justice sotomayor, nuyorican from the bx. Even the very first nonindigenous person to live and work in the island of manhattan in the 1600s was juan rodriguez, a dominicano. Mira eso, right from the start, weve been here making this city great. Now, i dont know what new york would be without latinos, but it sure as hell wouldnt smell as good, it wouldnt taste as good, and it definitely wouldnt sound as good. Thats right, cause salsa music was invented here in new york, thats right. [vocalizing along to salsa music] youre welcome. I wanna retrace my steps from queens, where i grew up, all the way to the Bright Lights of broadway and show you how latinos have contributed to the culture of the greatest city on earf. Thats right, i said earf. And you cant tell Latino Stories without plenty of good food, music, and dancing. So come on, lets go, lets go. Come on. [upbeat music] welcome to Jackson Heights. Thats right, this i
- mm-hmm. hire me. - now, a chopped cheese is like the new york version of a philly cheesesteak, only it s better. yeah, i said it. and word on the street is that the genius behind this iconic new york city staple was carlos soto [speaking spanish] from east harlem, el barrio. how d you learn how to make it? - actually, i learned to cook here. i learned to speak spanish here, to cook, everything. - right. - yeah. - it s like a college, a bodega college. - they just molded me here to the perfect bodega man. - you know, latin people, before we eat, we start to dance a little bit. mm! - there you go, my man. - wow. - ready to order. ready to go. - smells good. - yeah. - all right. that s pretty dope. oh, my god. it s really tasty. thank you, man. appreciate it. - of course, brother. - much love. [speaks spanish] - take care. much love. - [speaks spanish] so bodegas filled your belly and your heart.
- now, a chopped cheese is like the new york version of a philly cheesesteak, only it s better. yeah, i said it. and word on the street is that the genius behind this iconic new york city staple was carlos soto [speaking spanish] from east harlem, el barrio. how d you learn how to make it? - actually, i learned to cook here. i learned to speak spanish here, to cook, everything. - right. - yeah. - it s like a college, a bodega college. - they just molded me here to the perfect bodega man. - you know, latin people, before we eat, we start to dance a little bit. mm! - there you go, my man. - wow. - ready to order. ready to go. - smells good. - yeah. - all right. that s pretty dope. oh, my god. it s really tasty. thank you, man. appreciate it. - of course, brother. - much love. [speaks spanish] - take care. much love. - [speaks spanish] so bodegas filled your belly and your heart. and i don t care who you are, if you re from new york city,
- yo, there s one reason i am here. one big reason, and it is i m dying for a chopped cheese. - all right. i can do that. - you gonna make it yourself? - i ll make it myself. you get the specialty. - you got skills like that? - i do everything here, bro. - damn, managing skills. - i do everything. - helps the community, and makes chopped cheese. - mm-hmm. hire me. - now, a chopped cheese is like the new york version of a philly cheesesteak, only it s better. yeah, i said it. and word on the street is that the genius behind this iconic new york city staple was carlos soto [speaking spanish] from east harlem, el barrio. how d you learn how to make it? - actually, i learned to cook here. i learned to speak spanish here, to cook, everything. - right. - yeah. - it s like a college, a bodega college. - they just molded me here to the perfect bodega man. - you know, latin people, before we eat, we start to dance a little bit. mm! - there you go, my man. - wow. - ready to order.