Comida de Santa Ana

I am proud to say that I have not even come close to being sick of the food here, yet! One of my biggest fears about moving here was getting sick of eating the same foods over and over and over and over. Getting overloaded by carbs, carbs and more carbs as well as fried food, fried food and more fried food. Our lunches are provided by the school everyday and always consist of rice and then usually either beans, lentils, beef or chicken, along with some kind of side like french fries, fried plantains, beets or salad. One of the most ridiculous meals they served was rice, pasta, french fries and a piece of bread.... that was a bit out of control. I have to say, I am pretty overloaded with carbs and fried food, but I am surprisingly thoroughly enjoying it. 

For dinners we make our own food. I have learned how to make some amazing colombian dishes! 

our tiny kitchen that we love and adore (even when covered in ants and feels like 100 degrees)

We make lentils a lot... and we love to put yummy fresh vegetables inside.

Arroz con coco (coconut rice) is absolutely to die for.... sweet rice on the side of any dish makes it 10x more delicious.

We have even managed to make our own delicious desserts..... such as homemade ice cream and an entire birthday cake! We were extra proud that day....

For the superbowl we tried to be as American as possible... we bought a grill (and took it all the way from Cartegena to Baru) and grilled hotdogs, vegetables and made some delicious homemade guacamole! It felt just like home...

I have become an expert at frying foods... I can cook plantains any way you want.... sweet, salty, carbonized.... deeeelish! 

We make lots of potatoes... mainly in chip form or french fries.

 Empanadas we made with the help of some of our Colombian friends (not quite an expert, yet). But I am becoming very advanced in making arepas! Thanks to my loyal Colombian friend who told me my first attempt at arepas was "muy muy mal" and proceeded to teach me the correct way to make them...  so yummyy!

We also make lots of eggs, beans and pasta... and eat pretty much anything in a tortilla... 

For breakfast or midmorning snack, one of our favorite places to go is the "derdito place"... A family next to our school sells this wonderful fried bread filled with either cheese or jelly for a whopping 25 cents... it is the most satisfying snack in the world.

And of course if we are out of food or don't feel like cooking we can go to the only restaurant in town, called "Baru Grande", which is the most delicious food ever. If you show up without warning, you have to be prepared to wait at least a good 2 hours for your food to come out, but it is definitely worth the wait.... and it only costs $2.50 for a huge plate of delicious food. Now that is what I call a deal.