Comida

 

Food. Mostly, it’s fried. Salt is the only known spice, and it is applied with gusto.  Coffee is simply a carrier for sugar; the first day, I watched my dona shovel 5 spoonfuls of it into a very tiny cup of coffee. I felt like a coked up hummingbird the rest of the morning, before coming down and swearing it off.

For breakfast, my dona usually gives me papaya or pineapple, two grilled cheese sandwiches (known as “dona sandwiches”), and orange tang. I often take the sandwiches to go, and either forget about them in my bag, or eat one when I’m about to fall asleep in training.  “Special” breakfasts may consist of chicken soup, fried fried salami sandwiches, or a plate of french fries, and a glass of soda to wash it down.

We eat lunch at the training center, and it usually consists of rice, beans, chicken, and shredded lettuce (a meal known as la bandera, the flag).

Dinner is with the dona, and can get about as interesting as breakfast.  Tonight, for example, I had fried plantains with fried salami and a fried egg on top, and a big glass of orange soda.  Other times, you may get a giant plate of extremely boiled noodles and orange “tomato sauce,” with fried salami on top.  Mangu is a favorite—mushed yuca or plantains with tons of butter and salt and onions, and maybe a fried egg on top. Beans, rice, and chicken are a sure bet. On one wonderful night, I got a big plate of sliced tomato, avocado, onions, and boiled yuca.  I ate it all, and made a big deal about how amazing it was.  The next night, I got fried salami and rice.