Food Glorious Food

After feeding the homeless again today I have decided it is a great project for every volunteer to try here.  The people there are really nice, I got a marriage proposal, and someone thanked me for my face, lol.  Despite the flattery, the people are genuinely grateful for your help.  Erika, Kaku, and I had lunch at Masa a restaurant close to our house after volunteering.  The service there is the best I have found since being in Colombia, and it was there I decided to blog about my food experience thus far.

As part of the volunteer fees we have a person who cleans the apartment, and cooks for us every weekday for breakfast (desayuno) and dinner (comida or cinna).

Breakfast has been either toast, hard boiled eggs, and tomatoes, or pancakes, or french toast.  I am not a fan of hard boiled eggs, so on those days I would have toast and some peanut butter I bought, I have eaten the pancakes or french toast on those days.  It is not healthy though and I have been upset lately about starting my day with those, so I bought cereal and fruit last week, and have had that every morning since.  I have to keep the strawberries in my room, so they don't disappear.

Lunch (almuerzo) varies depending on the volunteer project for that day.  When we volunteer at homeless, or abuelitas, we get lunch after the project is finished back at the apartment we will make something or some of us will go get food out like today.  Those projects are done by 11:30 or 12 usually.  If I am working at Hogar (the orphanage) I pack a peanut butter sandwich with nutella, and a piece of fruit an apple or a grenadine this orange looking fruit that is filled with black seeds surrounded by a yummy pulp.  I was nervous to try it, but its delicious.

Lupe and I re-inacting the first time I tried the fruit, I was scared so he fed it to me, look how happy he is...lol.

When I go to Soacha, I buy lunch at a restaurant by the school, it is 4,000 at most which is a little over 2$ US, this is not a good option for picky eaters or vegetarians because you get a plate that includes meat and usually you don't have a choice about anything on the plate.  There is usually a piece of seasoned meat either chicken or steak, rice, beans, and a plantain.  For the same price soup and juice is also included, but I don't get the soup...too much food!  The plates are good and there is a ton of food, it works for anyone who is not super picky.

The dinners in the house have varied but almost always have rice, and plantains.  Sometimes we will have lentil soup, or Ajiaca (sp?) a potato soup with chicken.  I often need to add salt to the meal, but it is never bad.

On weekends we fend for ourselves.  Eating out here is a completely different experience compared to the states, and I am not only referring to the obvious language difference.  To start the servers take forever!!  If you ever come here I would leave tons of time to eat, they are very carefree here and it often takes 20 minutes to even get a drink.  The food is very meat and carb centric, the vegetables being potatoes and or beans.  Traditional Colombian food usually has arepas which are similar to bread but denser and come in various sizes.  The food here can cost as much as going out in the states, but often is less expensive.  Wine is more expensive though.  A large coffee here at Juan Valdez (the colombian equivalent to Starbucks) is as big as a Tall at Starbucks but only costs 2.50$ US, if they saw our Venti drinks they would probably have a heart attack!  Street food is a must try and you wont be disappointed, from empanadas with various fillings, to Arepas con queso, or Arepas with additional fillings, these treats or afternoon snacks cost less than 2000 pesos or around 1.25$ US.  Sooo good, but not the healthiest treat.  If you have read my posts before you know that I broke fast with pizza this year, from Papa Johns.   There are a number of american chains here, including Burger King, McDonalds (both of which I expected), also a ton of Dunkin Doughnuts, pizza huts, dominoes, and even a Hard Rock Cafe.  I cant tell you if all of them have Colombian additions to their menus, but I can tell you that Dunkin Donuts has an Arequipe donut, the caramel like treat I wrote about before.  The Dounuts are filled with this delectable treat, and it is amazing!  Luckily I have only been in Dunkin once, because I do not think I could resist another Arequipe donut.  There is also another restaurant that is really popular here called Crepes and Waffles, and they have........you  guessed it Crepes and Waffles.  It is very good and doesn't cost too much.  What I like the most about the restaurant is that it is employed entirely by single mothers.  I like the concept of a company only employing women that are supporting families on their own, and it is a great opportunity for them here in Colombia as the company has benefits.  I wonder if something like that would fly in the states?  I am sure that single fathers would need to be included as well, but I like the concept.

Tipping is optional here, and usually they will include a service charge of 10% to the bill, if they do not that is a customary amount to tip.  The servers themselves aren't really concerned with your needs or satisfaction with the service or food most of the time.

Will I miss the food here?  I can't say that I will, I do better at home and have a better variety of cuisines in my diet at home.  I will probably miss Arepas the most.

Thats it for now, glad I wrote this post on a full stomach.  I will add some pictures soon!