I chose to watch Elizabeth Garcia’s interview. My best guess as to why she chose to plant onions in the OSS Garden is because onions are very useful for a variety of different functions. She mentions that cooking is really important in her Dominican culture, so she probably planted onions so that they could be used in a variety of dishes. Elizabeth Garcia also mentions that she really values the community aspect of her neighborhood, so she might have chosen onions because they would be beneficial and practical for her whole community. About halfway through the interview, she begins talking about her sons- how her oldest lost weight when he started eating vegetables and how impressed she is with her youngest for being an avid vegetable-eater. So, maybe she had her sons in mind when choosing to plant a vegetable in the garden.
I found the message behind the OSS Gardens to be very inspiring, and the spaces are also aesthetically lovely. The shapes of the gardens are particularly interesting- with shaped as clasped hands and one built to facilitate social activity. I really enjoyed learning more about the people behind the plant choices in the garden, as it helped me to contextualize my visit there.
