But what will you eat?

My friend Deb and I have decided to post daily on our respective blogs for the month of July. I had tonight's post all planned out since I was going to Deb's for dinner after work and knew I'd need to have something relatively easy to crank out when I got home. Well, after yet another of my dear friend's delectable meals, I decided to digress from the plan (shocking!).

Instead, I will write about food tonight. Surprise!

I suspect my trip to Nicaragua will be the dominant topic this month. There will be some not-so-lighthearted posts, to be sure. After all, I went on a mission trip to the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere after Haiti. When I told friends where I was going, a number of people asked, "But what will you eat?"

Here are some highlights - in no particular order:

Loved this happy sign (pronounced "nyam nyam"):
Breakfast, lunch, grilled meats and pizzas

My lunch consisted of plantain chips, marinated beets
and carrots, squash casserole y frijoles. Ñam ñam!

The first two days we worked in La Chureca,
we went to Tip-Top for lunch. It was air-conditioned.
It was clean. People were friendly. But somehow
Carolyn's food always came last. Of course, the second
time was because I inadvertently gave her meal to our driver.
Oops.

Fairly typical breakfast of fresh fruit, fried plantains,
huevos y gallopinto (rice and beans)

The guest house where we stayed had many fruit trees -
mango, lime, orange, starfruit, papaya, avocado ... and one
with the awesome name of guanábana.

Of course, there was GUACAMOLE. Y mas frijoles.
Fresh tortillas, pico de gallo ... y pollo.

The chefs at Quinta Havilah (the guest house where
we stayed) preparing tortillas ...

... y fajitas

Del Fogón a Su Mesa - "From the grill to the table" - 
local eatery with fresh, affordable fare ... enjoyed amid the 
awesome aroma of wood smoke.

Pollo muy sabrosa!

One day, after working in the school at La Chureca, we were completely grubby and sweaty and disgusting (having finally finished painting a very large wall). We asked our driver to take us to another place we'd heard of - local like Del Fogón a Su Mesa - but outdoors. Somehow we ended up at a (somewhat deserted, thank goodness) five-star restaurant and found our grody selves inside with linen tablecloths and attentive waiters. We all chose non-chicken dishes. I ate fish. One member of our group had shrimp with huevos de toro. You might want to look that one up.

 

Pescado a la Tipata - boneless whole fish infused with garlic.

On our last day, I enjoyed a fruity batido in Granada,
served by our friendly waiter, Ramón. For lunch I had
a cup of gazpacho, Nicaraguan style - puréed. It was herb-yand garlicky. Quite delicious.

With one notable exception, we ate very simple food. Fresh fruit, frijoles at least twice a day, eggs, chicken (BBQd, grilled, rotisseried, steamed, curried, fajita-d ...). Rice. Potatoes. Simple ensaladas of shredded cabbage, tomatoes and sliced cucumber. Even macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and pizza. Oh, and Subway after our day in Masaya and Granada. One day we ate granola bars for lunch and another day an assortment of fruits and munchies from a local market, but other than that we ate three meals a day. Unheard of.

I did not expect to eat that well on a mission trip! I was not at all concerned about what I would eat before I left. In fact, I had very few concerns or preconceived notions about what I would do or see or experience. Perhaps that is one of the many reasons I was surprised and delighted each day in numerous ways.

Even in the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.