←Recommendations of AS I EAT THE WORLD

From the first second, I was captivated. AS I EAT THE WORLD draws from so much life experience and for that reason it is one of the most empathetic plays I've ever encountered. I so wish I can see this live one day!

Powerful, candid and delightfully wry exploration of eating disorders and their tie to machista culture. AS I EAT THE WORLD illustrates the uniquely difficult position Latinx people living with eating disorders face as well as detailing the addictive nature with a level of accuracy that brought tears to my eyes.

Herrera is shining a light on a deliberately ignored struggle in the Latinx community and the world NEEDS to see more of this. Immensely disappointed that I missed the latest run but hopeful to see it in the future.

This play is a powerful and genuine exploration of eating disorders, masculinity and mental health. Though Colombian/pan-Latine masculinity serve as the backdrop for Luis's struggle, this specificity reveals the universal ways in which both our immediate communities and broader American culture impact self-image and overall well-being. I saw Luis perform this show at the Tank in New York, and I think more communities out there deserve to see it too, and contend with the questions it provokes about eating disorders, body image, and mental health.

A raw, honest, thought-provoking exploration on body image, "machismo", what it means to be a man, and family. Experiencing this show during the FRIGID Festival, as each bite becomes heavier and the weight of the world begins to suffocate him, brought me to tears. Anyone who’s felt uncomfortable in their body, identity, and have succumb to or witnessed depression can relate. In "AS I EAT THE WORLD", the weight of the world is in this man's stomach as he struggles to stay alive and Herrera begs the question-how do you prove to yourself that you’re worth it?

Gordito and Flaco were two nicknames I had always feared being given growing up around my Cuban grandparents. Herrera does an absolutely excellent job at tying in that fear with the reality of living in a latinx household. Truly showing how food is not only a language of love, but also an object of fear.

Herrera's unflinching breakdown of the pernicious cycle of self-image and eating disorders as run through the infinite negative feedback loop of family gatherings, societal pressures, and flirtations with the abyss. Personal, wry, and intimately harrowing narrative aside, what I love most about this particular piece is it's exploration of what food seeks fill and it's abject failure in that mission.

This goes beyond self-control, it's a battle for your mortal soul.

As I Eat the World is a vulnerable and inspirational play that explores the many facets of eating disorders. The topics of anger and masculinity and how it relates to mental health and well-being gave me chills.

A powerful, vulnerable solo show that grapples with body image and eating disorders from a lens rarely focused on. I was taken aback by the balance of specificity and universality. Herrera tells one specific narrative with nuance and particularity, but tells it in a way that addresses broader cultural conversations about mental health, self and body image, gender, masculinity, and the intersection of those things with racial and ethnic identity. If you read this while the run of this is still happening in New York (and streamed online!), I hope you take the chance to see it.