La Bandera Dominicana

Habitúelas, Arroz, y Carne

There is no getting around the Bandera, but fortunately for me, and those of you who I have cooked for in the past, the Bandera was already an integral part of my diet.

Plus I think that the only other place that KNOWS carbohydrates like the DR in the South. In North Carolina you can get fried spaghetti, but here it is mixed with corn, cheese, milk, and a side of fried platano. Mmmmm! And here they have Aripitas, which are like Hushpuppies but with like 5 other starches mixed in. For Breakfast. For those days that your blood really doesn’t need to move.

On a healthier note, I have eaten more mangos in Las Canas than I ever dreamed possible. I have munched my way through at least 5 different species ranging from the size of a common egg to the size of my head. All of them delicious. Just when I feel like I am harta de mangos, a vecino comes over with a fresh batch “se llama mango de Alibra? Dame por favor!”

And on a recent walk to the river, mis amigos y yo stopped at every other tree and ate all kinds of weird fruits that I had never seen…even at FreshMarket. I remember the names of two Pomo y Maraño, son delicioso!

The picture is of a typical lunch in Santo Domingo, yes all that food and all those plates are for me. Typically a meal takes 6-7 plates, one to eat from 3 to serve and 3 more to cover the food from moscas. Do I eat all that? Yes. Sometimes do I finish it off with a cup of yogurt? Yes. Comí sin vergüenza.