La comida

Yesterday, I was the hungry African. That is the stereotype they have of us. Africans are either hungry and searching for food, thirsty and begging for $2 per month to drill water wells, fighting never ending civil wars or fighting off the dangers of the jungle. When I arrived, they seemed disappointed that I was healthy and aware of current affairs. Clearly, I wasn't starving or living in a jungle. In addition, I earn more than many people here so, I do not need their $2 per month to dig my water wells. There's also the fact that I speak English and like tea. Those are not very African traits! Yesterday, however, was an exception. 

On Saturdays, we have the nasty habit of staying in the office till 10 pm. Usually, food is a distant afterthought. This Saturday, we were lucky that Ramon decided to order empanadas for the office. This is how I would describe an empanada pabellón: a kikomando on steroids! Imagine chapati dough but made with posho [maize] flour instead of cake [wheat] flour and add some sugar to that dough. Then prepare rice and beans [as with a regular kikomando], roast and shred beef or chicken and fry and cut gonja. The katogo of rice, beans, bits of gonja and strips of beef or chicken are rolled up in the raw maize flour dough which is shaped like a meat pie. Finally, you take this maize flour rolex meat pie [with rice, beans, gonja and beef or chicken] and deep fry it like you would a regular meat pie. Awesomeness!

I could not be blamed for eating 3 of these monsters. It was almost 4 pm. I was suspicious that we would leave after the restaurant had closed, with no hope for food. I was not going to sleep with just an apple and water in my belly. As I reached for the third piece, Tonita shouted, 

Ah Clara . No más. ¿Seguro de que necesitas más ? 

The African smiled and answered

Si. Me gusta mucho!

We clocked out at 21:45 and got to bed after 23:00. There was no dinner or snack after that empanada. I am glad I took the third piece. 

In other news, I discovered that a real quesadilla is just a cheese wrapped with a tortilla and what I have referred to as quesadillas all my life are actually quesadilla sincronizadas. This explains why Erick did not understand my eagerness to eat quesadillas when I had just arrived. He probably thought I just like eating cheese a lot. I also discovered a tea place by the beach. This might be my new favourite thing: tea and pastel de tres leches on the beach every Sunday afternoon. 

I have also decided I like this song.