Comida de Colombia

While we were in Arizona for Leo's parents' sealing, his mom took us to a Colombian tienda that just started up. Leo was in heaven. I was pretty happy too. We ate my favorite Colombian food, papas criollas, that night. One time when I was pregnant, I hadn't been able to keep anything down for days and I suddenly felt like papas criollas (which were readily available from Las Americas Mercado, just down the street from the hospital I worked at in Florida). So I cooked them all and then ate the entire bag in one sitting (we buy them frozen in a bag). Usually it took Leo and me several dinners to finish one bag. I also bought in Arizona a huge package of Triguisar, my absolute favorite spice (I think it's mostly cumin). Anyway, not as exciting for me, Leo found morollio (sp?) which Martha also cooked for dinner that night (much to the despair of Ana). As you can see from the packaging it's a blood sausage that has rice packed in it. I put on a brave face in front of Ana and ate almost an entire sausage. It wasn't too bad. It revived my dream that one day I'll be able to travel the world and swallow down odd and disgusting things without blinking. I've only been reluctant to eat a couple of things Martha's cooked, including Lima beans (they're just not good no matter who cooks them), boiled eggs that are for all appearances seem raw (although I have eaten raw eggs, I don't like it for breakfast), and a dish very similar to rice pudding (I've never like rice pudding, even when my mom makes it). I have eaten live minnows though, (my brother Derek dared me, and then I ate one again to disgust some girls at girl's camp) but I refused to touch Rocky Mountain oysters when my cousins offered me some.Anyway, when I was little I wanted to work for National Geographic and go all over the world and eat bugs and that sort of thing. I love the National Geographic, I've read it faithfully since I was twelve. My first year in college, since my parents were too far away to steal their copy, I'd go to the history department where my sister worked as a TA and stole their copy. (I'd bring it back, eventually.) The next year I couldn't handle missing issues, so I subscribed. Sadly, the magazine has become pretty stale the last couple of years, focusing almost completely on global warming. Not that I don't appreciate an informative article on the matter, but when it's month after month, for the last severel years, it gets old. I read the National Geographic for it's interesting stories on people and their cultures; I could suscribe to a global warming magazine if that was all I cared to read about. Sigh. Not that I'm not concerned about the enviroment and all that, in fact, Leo and I were talking and wishing that we could buy a hybrid or electric car just the other day. This is the one Leo wants.

That's the Tesla Roadster. I prefer the one below. That would be the Alessandro Volta. Actually, I just like the name better. Although Tesla is a pretty stellar name for a car too. Anyway, back to comida. Here's some more of my favorite Colombian food items.Delicioso!

Milo is kind of like Nesquik. I like to eat it with a spoon. Forget the milk.Another delicioso chocolate, this one's for making hot chocolate. Again, I like to eat it plain, but if you talk to Colombians they say it will cause a horrible stomach ache eating it that way. Martha about died when she saw me eating it plain. I think it's an old wife's tale, never made me sick yet. This would be my favorite soda pop to drink. I like it better than any American pop by far. The only thing close is Canadian Dry, which is my favorite to get for rootbeer floats or rather Canadian Dry floats. The best float is Rasberry Canadian Dry with chocolate icecream, then you get a perfect chocolate/fruit mix. On the whole however, I'm not a big pop drinker, I like it once in a blue moon as a treat.This would be Leo's favorite pop. It's disgusting. Everytime he has one, I try it and reaffirm my initial impression, that it's awful. It's basically non-alcoholic beer. Poor Leo, he does miss Coronas every now and then. This is boca dillo, another thing I don't like. Yuck. They eat it with everything. Bread, deserts, cheese, plantains, etc. I'm not really a fan, I don't like candied fruit that much. I do like arepas alright. Although not with guava paste. These are pretty much the Colombian tortilla. Goes along with every meal.