La Comida

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Nothing too crazy has happened here during the week, but while there's kind of a lull, I thought I’d share a bit more than just what I do on the weekends. Of course the weekends are the exciting times, but the weekdays have their perks and quirks too. I’ll try to share different aspects of the culture and my life here when I get a chance.
Starting with food: the most important part of every day!
The most common meal in Mérida consists of arepas and ‘squeaky cheese’ (as some students at Venusa have named it). Arepas are small pancake-like sandwiches made from corn flour. They are usually cut in half and stuffed with squeaky cheese or meat. The first week I decided they were my new favorite food. I’m still fond of them, but would find them much more enjoyable if I had them every two days rather than two times a day- they really like them!
Besides arepas, I have eaten several meals of beans and rice (which I love). My host mom is a retired nutritionist and loves to experiment with me with new types of food that her daughter won’t try. Some mornings I have gotten a drink similar to oatmeal but flavored with spices that I have to pick out as I go. So far I’ve gotten two variations of the drink- one made with oats and one with corn. Other mornings, I’ve been fed desert. I’ve never had pancakes (except in Los Llanos), but I’ve had cake a few mornings. For two days after my host sister’s birthday, I had cake for both breakfast and lunch. But I’m definitely not one to complain- I would never turn down cake for breakfast!
The fresh-squeezed fruit juices and coffee aren’t as common in my house as I was initially expecting, but when I do get them they’re incredible. The coffee’s not as strong as I had heard it would be. I watched my host mom make it one day, and she put the coffee grinds through a filter with hot water, scooped 3-4 tablespoons of sugar into a blender and quickly mixed the coffee and the sugar together in the blender. That’s why it’s so good!
While the majority of my meals have been restaurant-worthy I’ve experienced a few ‘interesting’ meals here too. The first trend I noticed was spaghetti covered in a mixture of ketchup and mayonnaise. I will say I was really reluctant to try this, as I’m not too big on ketchup or mayonnaise. But despite my uncertainty, it was actually pretty tasty. I’ve also had hardboiled eggs (straight from the hens in our front yard!) covered in the same mayo/ketchup mixture. The smell was nothing to be excited about, but the taste was much better. It just proves that you don’t know if you’ll like something until you try it!
I’ve decided that my host mom does not believe in wasting any food. Examples:
-We had cake so often after the birthday party so we didn’t have to throw any away.
-If one person doesn’t finish their food, another will usually get it that night or the next day. I have been the victim of second-hand food a few times, but try to knock the thought out of my head right away.
-The day I got sick at school, I didn’t eat the lunch my host mom had packed me. When I got home I explained to her what had happened and told her I was sorry for not eating the food she had prepared. I told her I would eat it the next day, and she took me up on it
When there are leftovers, but not enough to make a meal, we give them to the chickens. I do like the idea of not wasting any food and will continue to keep this up once I get home…but maybe minus the second-hand food.
Additionally, the portions here are a little crazy. We’ve all come to the conclusion that Venezuelans must think we’re huge pigs. This makes sense when you look at the health statistics of the average American. But this morning, I ate an entire avocado for breakfast, along with two pieces of bread and some squeaky cheese! Breakfast is usually mid-sized, lunch is generally the biggest meal, and dinner is the smallest. There’s rarely desert unless there’s a special occasion, but sometimes dinner will be followed by a small cup of coffee or tea, or a fruit juice. Other than this, my family doesn’t drink anything with their meals.
The food here is something I’ve grown to love. I may feel like I could never eat another arepa and be extremely happy, but I know that once I get back to the states, I’ll miss the meals. Because of this, I’ve tried to keep an open mind and try everything set in front of me before judging whether or not I like it.
P.S.- I tried chocolate here for the first time last night. SO much better than Hersheys!

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