Friday, January 16, 2009

Learning to Cook

Happy Friday everyone! Since I will be away from the computer for a few days here between the weekend and the trip up North, I thought it would be good to write a little something now. Also, apologies in advance. I was only able to get one of the two promised pictures last night (the horse is harder to capture than you would think). Since I was not about to have my last post of the week be just a picture of the bathroom, I figured I'd choose a different topic.

While I'm here in Nicaragua, I'm hoping to pick up two (life?) skills that I feel I've been lacking for awhile now. The first is the Spanish - I'll give an update on how that is going after a little more practice. The other thing I'd like to learn is how to cook.

Many of you know that I am desperately incompetent in the kitchen - at least without a little direction. Add to that the fact that the few things I do know how to cook - left overs, Lean Cuisine, pizza, anything on the grill, and take out - all require either an oven, a grill, my mom, or a nearby restaurant - and I am completely lost when it comes to feeding myself here in Nicaragua.

Fortunately, those wonderful roommates of mine do know what they are doing in the kitchen, so I am not going hungry by any stretch. Also, because dinner is such a process here in Nicaragua - lots of chopping and prep work, and many dishes to be done by hand after - I am getting involved in it a lot more as a way to pitch in around the house. I'm hoping I will pick up a few tips here that I will be able to bring home with me.

In terms of what kinds of food I'll be learning to cook, it falls into a few main categories. Rice and beans are a staple at literally every meal. Gallo pinto, as the mixture is called, is often served with lunch and dinner, and can also be made for breakfast. We also cook a lot of vegetables at home because Joe has a garden and the produce at the market is great. Throw in a little meat here are there, and you have the basic composition of every dinner here in Managua. It's nothing too exotic, but I generally enjoy it and have found a few favorites. For example, my roommate makes a tuna salad with plantains that is delicious (I don't even like tuna), and they also make tostones, which are fried plantains that taste a lot like chips.

Since all of this writing is making me hungry, I'll sign off here. Be back mid-next week with stories from my trip!

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