August 14, Day 54: Food Overview Pt. 2

I have been in El Salvador for nearly two months, so I am going to reflect on both the foods and the drinks that I will miss the most. As I will tell anyone who asks, I have never eaten healthier, though I have also never drank more unhealthily (primarily because water and skim milk are much more expensive here than in the States), so check out my favorites! I'm not claiming that any of these foods are specifically Salvadorian, but they are my favorites I have experienced here.

Foods (Comidas)

10. Mangos - Gerardo's house - They are bigger, sweeter, and juicier than those I have tried in the States, though that might just be because Arkansas is nowhere near an area that grows mangos...

9. Pancakes with condensed milk - Gaby's house - Instead of syrup, we ate pancakes with nothing but condensed milk. I had never had this before, but it sure made for a delicious snack. Going to keep it in mind when I return to the States.

8. Salvadorian Chinese food - Various restaurants - Salvadorian Chinese food is drastically different from American Chinese food. It mostly consists of rice, along with three or four types of meat, which have been cooked wonderfully with vegetables. Personally, I take points off for the onions (my worst enemy) and the mushrooms (which were occasionally disguised as beef), but the food was of excellent quality at every Chinese restaurant we went to, and I will miss it. Then again, I personally prefer the Americanized Chinese food, so it isn't a terrible loss, though it is probably far more unhealthy in the States.

7. Pupusa revuelta - The pupuseria on el Boquerón - Revueltas are hands-down my favorite pupusas, containing melted cheese, creamy beans, and mouth-watering pork. I have not been unsatisfied at any pupuseria I have been to, but the one I went to with Gaby the day after going with Mario, Connie, and Gerardo's family prepares them the best. I am going to miss pupusas so much!

6. Caviar - Gerardo's house - After years of wondering what the fuss was all about, I finally got to try caviar, courtesy of Gerardo's uncle Armando, a marine biologist. To my unrefined mouth, it tasted like really salty tuna with the texture of blue berries. Slap a cracker underneath and call it delicious!

5. Pork chops and mashed potatoes - Gerardo's house - Still the best pork chops and mashed potatoes I have ever had, and I have been lucky enough to have them several times since that magical first encounter.

4. Stroodle - Gerardo's house - The exact same day Armando brought caviar to the house, his daughter Diana, Connie, and Karla were making stroodles! I had never tried them before, but they were absolutely divine. They tasted like a hot pocket apple pie to me, homemade and fresh. Apparently they took hours to make too...damn.

3. Crêpe - Crêpe Love - My sweet tooth has been somewhat tame lately, so crêpes have dropped to number 3 on the list. Despite that, I still love them with a burning passion, and lo and behold, Gerardo knows how to make them! Wonder if I can convince him to whip up a batch in the States...

2. Pasta with fish, lobster, and shrimp - I haven't had it since my first day in El Salvador, but only now do I reflect on how absolutely superb that meal was. It was filling, fresh, and the epitome of my favorite types of healthier foods.

1. Pizza - "La Tarteleta" - And the pizza from my favorite restauraunt in all of El Salvador has taken the lead at number 1! Going there the other day on our way back from Perquin only reinforced how much I loved it!

Drinks (Bebidas)

5. Pilsener - Since I won't be drinking in the States, and since Pilsener is a Salvadorian beer in the first place, I imagine that I will miss the beer that I have grown most accustomed to drinking here. That said, it is mostly the nostalgia I will miss; drinking alcohol hasn't really been as appealing to me as simply drinking a glass of milk, Sunny D, or water in the States.

4. Mirinda - A carbonated drink that is orange flavor, I have grown attached to Mirinda and Fanta, neither of which I have ever found in the States, despite one of them being owned by Coca Cola.

3. Hot Chocolate - I had the best hot chocolate of my life when I was out with Mario and friends the other day. Chocolate con leche, which sounds just like any other hot chocolate I have had in the states, but it was thick, sweet, and creamy. Truly delicious, but the hot chocolate at U of O can satisfy me.

2. Fanta - Fanta has become my typical drink of choice at restaurants, solely because they tend to have it more often than Mirinda. Just as with the Pilsener though, I prefer water and milk to soda, so I can live without it.

1. Frozen de Fresa - Frozen de Fresa will be the sole drink that I will truly miss and crave from El Salvador. I was hooked on Sonic's strawberry slushy drinks in the States, but the more natural and fruity frozen de fresa of El Salvador has it surpassed in every way.

And with that final addictive drink, I am done thinking about Salvadorian food and drink. I will really miss how natural it all is, and how the meat and vegetables are prepared better than in the States, but nonetheless, I'm excited to get back to eating what I am used to. Hopefully, I will retain some of what I have learned in El Salvador and incorporate more vegetables into my diet, but only time will tell.

One.