October

Food!

I was guessing food in Panama would be like Mexican food. I was wrong! At first I just wasn’t hungry. I guess I was hungry for Pizza or hamburgers. I was hungry for food that I was familiar with. These new things weren’t registering in my brain as food. Don’t worry that didn’t last long. I’m sure I lost weight that first week, but my clothes are a little snug now! We eat rice every day. Here, we never eat it plain. We always eat it with something. My brother Luis taught me how to peel a yucca root. Yucca is good when it is fried or boiled. It is kind of like French Fries when fried and potatos when boiled. Another thing is that we eat a lot is Plantanones. I don’t know how it is spelled. But they are good. They are fried and they taste kinda like potato chips, but a little sweeter. My mom makes this fried bread called hojaldes often. It is good with sausages. I found the recipe for you!

4 cups sifted flour

1 tsp. Salt

2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Sugar

2 tbsp. Oil

1 / 4 water

Oil for frying

In a bowl together first 4 ingredients, open the center and add oil, knead and gradually add water until dough is smooth. Then take pieces of the dough and forming the hojaldes with your hands, stretching to the desired size, fry in oi luntill its golden until golden.

The biggest difference about food in Panama isn’t so much the food itself. We all use the resources God created. We find a way to prepare the food to nourish our bodies. What is different is that in the US, we put so much effort into sitting down and eating as a family. That is the only time we are all together. It is like it is our one chance at building family relations. Here, you just eat when you are hungry. If you don’t like what your house has for food, you could just go to the neighbor’s house to eat. No big deal. Food is food. Eat when you need it. Being together as a family happens all the time. Family and friends are always together. Not just around the dinner table.