Food, Glorious Food

A big worry for many Peace Corps Volunteers around the world is having to adjust to the local food.  As our departure date quickly came upon all of us, we were told horror stories of eating food abroad (some true, some hearsay), what we should eat, what we should avoid, on and on.  Luckily, it never was much of a concern of mine, because I enjoy eating just about everything put in front of me.  However, it wasn't always that way.  My parents can tell you about the many occasions as a young child when I'd sit at the table for hours after dinner had finished, still stubbornly poking at my vegetables, hoping to hear the magical words, "If you can't finish your food, go to your room!"  But as I grow older and wiser (eh, bigger-bellied), I am becoming increasingly open to new experiences in the food arena.  This is in large part due to my mother's incredible talent in a kitchen, as well as to the amazing array of delicious dining options in the DC Metro area and my travels to SE Asia and Africa that I've been fortunate to complete in the last 5 years.

Bamboo worms in Thailand didn't kill me
Can't say they made me stronger though

I didn't know what to expect from the food here in Honduras.  I had a reasonable idea, but never read up on it.  To be fair, I tried searching for Honduran restaurants in the DC area, but came up empty handed.  I'm sure there are a few out there, and with my slowly developing Spanish, I plan on seeking them out when I return home.  My experiences with the food here so far have been solid.  Nothing spectacular, nothing earth-shattering, but I find the food to be appetizing, filling, and, at times, quite tasty.

The plato tipico consists of beans, rice, fried plantains, tortillas, quesillo, and mantequilla (a butter/sour cream combo that takes a lot of getting used to).  Occasionally, avocado and some form of meat, generally in the form of carne asada or chorizo, accompany the main ingredients.  Give me some hot sauce, which is plentiful here, and I could eat this all day, every day.  And, well, I do.  I've eaten it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; whenever it's been placed graciously in front of me by a host family member.  Honduras is known for its coffee as well, and a piping hot mug makes up the liquid portion of the plato tipico.  I'm no aficionado, but I've enjoyed pretty much every type of coffee I've tried, even if they do load each cup up with ungodly amounts of sugar.

Plato tipico with both carne asada and chorizo
(Photo borrowed from the interwebs)

That said, I've had a few encounters of 'interesting' food as well.  For breakfast a couple of times, I'd find my bleary eyes peering onto a plate of platanos (sweet/starchy banana-ish things) split down the middle, filled to the brim with frijoles (liquefied beans) and the aforementioned butter/sour cream combo of mantequilla.  That took some choking down first thing in the morning.  Another breakfast specialty is mushy Corn Flakes in a bowl of scalding hot milk and sugar.  I really don't even need to mention that I'm lactose intolerant for you to feel a little queasy with that one.  Hands down, the strangest food I've tried was Flor de Izote, the national flower of El Salvador.  I tried it raw and cooked, and can't say I'm a huge fan of either.  It's got a bitter taste and, to be honest, is better to be looked at than eaten.

Flor de Izote - it's what's for dinner in Honduras
(Photo also borrowed)

Soup is pretty popular here too.  I've had very tasty, simple soups.  I've also had the opposite.  Sopa de Mondongo is famous in Honduras (or infamous, depending on which gringo you're speaking with).  Mondongo is tripe, or cow stomach.  Now, I realize that many cultures the world over consider tripe to be a delicacy; I just happen to disagree with that sentiment.  I've tried Mondongo twice and, to be fair, I can't say it's growing on me, but it sat a little better the second time around.  Sopa de Pescado is another story.  The version I had included these patties that were made of every part of the fish.  Each bite was crunchy in the chew, scratchy in the swallow, and overly fishy in the smell.  I really did give it my best shot but it got so bad that when I got to my 4th patty, at an opportune moment when my host Mom was having a coughing fit, I shoved the entire thing in my mouth, excused myself from the table, and quickly deposited the treat in the toilet.  The unfortunate part of that small victory was the lingering smell that seeped into and lingered from my Magnum PI mustache for the next 2 days...  Ok, enough of that.

Neither Mondongo nor Pescado
Just simple, delicious meat and potatoes

If you're still with me, fried chicken and fried tilapia are very commonplace at the table, as well as numerous variations of tortillas, frijoles, and cheese.  If the tortilla is fried, it's called a Catracha.  If it isn't fried but is folded over, it's a baleada.  If they are all separate, they are part of the plato tipico.  Doesn't matter to me how they are arranged, I enjoy eating them every time, all the time.  I certainly won't morir de hambre over the next two years!

Fried tilapia is always welcome