Breakfasts and Biotopos

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Caldo de Calzado

I'm finally starting a special section I've been thinking about doing since I
began this trip. The section will be devoted to my discovery of this country's
cuisine. Since my trip is pretty low budget you can bet that most of the stuff
I'm writing about will be too. But food (and drink) are the things I'm likely
to splurge on too. My other weakness is for the weird stuff. If I've never
seen it, tasted it or even heard of it, you can bet I'll be ordering some if I
can afford it.

The title comes from a translation error I made one day while reading a sign.

Caldo is a traditional kind of soup here. It's made with either chicken or
beef (usually chicken) in broth with cilanto, rice and vegetables. It's served
with tortillas, half a lime that you can squeeze in and salsa piquante. It was
the first meal we had when we crossed the border.

On one of our chicken bus trips I got off to stretch my legs and have a look
around as it looked like the driver was planning on being there awhile.
(Sigh). We were in some town centre and there was a sign on the side of a
building that said Calzado in faded paint. There was something else written
above it but it was illegible. I poked my head in expecting to see a few
tables, and maybe catch a glimpse of the food being served. (I love seeing
what everybody else is eating almost as much as I like tasting it.)
But there were no tables, only a lone wrinkly faced Guatemalan behind a table
covered in a mountain of shoes of all kinds. Turns out the sign should have
read "Reparacion de Calzado" which means shoe repair. Hence I begin my column
of a gringo's experience of the Latin American menu.

DESAYUNO: The makings of a typical Guate breakfast

Anyone who knows me back in Montreal knows that breakfast is one of my favorite
meals of the day. Nothin' beats fried eggs with bacon or sausages, beans,
toast, fried potatoes and HP steak sauce; especially when you're hung over.

Guatemalans love their first meal of the day just as much as Montrealers.
Countless places serve breakfast for dinner because eggs are so cheap in this
country. Here's a sampling of what you can expect.

Mosh: This stuff is like oatmeal with way more liquid in it. They add lots of
milk, water and sugar so it's almost like a thick soup. Kind of reminds me of
warm rice pudding. Usually it's eaten on its own, but if it's available add
some jam (marmaleda) to it. Pineapple, guyaba and tamarind are good exotic
options to the typical strawberry.

Huevos (Eggs): Get them estrallados (fried) or revueltos (scrambled). There
are tons of other options too which will usually cost you a little more.
Rancheros are fried on a tortilla with salsa and sometimes avocado on top.
Scrambled with tomatoes and onions is another favorite.

Frijoles (Beans): The type of beans and the way they're served seems to vary a
little with the region, but the concensus is black beans. Sometimes whole,
sometimes mushed into a thick paste. They can be flavored with salt, garlic or
just plain. Often they replace the protein in small towns where meat is a
luxury.

Platanos (Plantain): The bigger, firmer version of bananas aren't quite so
sweet and are usually served fried up with butter for breakfast. This fruit is
super versatile though and because of it's abundance Guatemalans cook it in
every which way. The weirdest I've heard is as a base for a kind of soup
called atoll.

Tortillas: Obviously. The type of tortillas here are different from the
Mexican ones (I like their's better). They're thicker and chewier and seem to
have less taste.

Salsa: The kind served will vary by region. If it's a good home cooking joint
the salsa will be homemade sometimes with chipotle peppers (hot and smokey
tasting), chiles or habañeros, the spiciest pepper of them all.

Meat: Like I said before, lots of places don't offer meat for breakfast. In
the bigger towns though, you usually have the option of chorizo, a small
specially spiced porc sausage; longaniza, another type of sausage that comes
with a variety of meat fillings from beef to chicken;jamon (ham) or tocino
(bacon).

Other grub:
Some places give you a slice of the local cheese that tastes like a millder softer version of feta.

Cornflakes are also a big hit here and you have the option of hot or cold milk. Pancakes and french toast are other standard options.

Fresh fruit (pineapple, cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas and papaya) are also readily available. Usually with an option of granola and yogurt.

Drinks: Coffee (that I'll probably devote a whole other little column to) and about five standard tea options: black, camomille, rosa de jamaica, mint and cinnamon. Orange juice and liquados (fruit blended with water, milk or sometimes chocolate milk) are the cold drink options.

Biotopo Quetzal and off to Coban

Although the park's sign said it was open at 7:30am we stood at the locked gates and could only stare in like a couple of helpless kids. Any kind of real animal watching has to happen in the early morning or at dusk. We gave up around 7:45 and headed back to the hostal for a desayuno tipico. The hostal owner told us the place usually didn't actually open up until 8:00 (7:30 Guatemalan time). We should have figured. When we finally got in the park's information guy was really polite, telling us which way to go, explaining some of the animals we might see, answering all my slowly formed questions and even trying to imitate the sound the Quetzal makes.

We took three and a half hours walking a trail that should have only kept us occupied for two. I like taking these nature walks slow. You see more stuff if you're quiet and little more observant of detail. We were treated to lots of lizards and salamaders, one big crazy snake a couple of water falls, flora of all kind and some spectacular views of the valley. Quetzal watching, however was to no avail; we were too late.

We left the Biotopo somewhere around midday and hitched a ride with a collectivo into Coban. What a gorgeous drive! Coban is surrounded with fincas (coffee plantations) and the owners are living pretty large. This makes for some dramatic contrasts between the small tin huts and bunglaows painted in lively colors, but the homes are beautiful. Some of them are just country places for the well off from Guatemala city who come to sojourn here. These views coupled with the perfect, sunny weather made me really excited to get to Coban.

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