food lore 101

first up, just for those who don't know, the (unofficial?) food of Nicaragua is Gallo Pinto: a mixture of refried rice and beans, with some onion. There are varying ways to make it depending on the region, but it is a food staple that goes with every meal. It often IS the meal.

I know Arielle at one point got the gringo t -shirt: Breakfast: beans and rice, Lunch: rice and beans, Dinner: Gallo Pinto

For me, because rice and beans makes a "complete protein (containing all essential amino acids, yada yada)": I'd like gallo pinto served with vegetables, at least once in a while? Not so fast, chele (whitey). Gallo Pinto gets served with fried cheese, plantains, sour cream, or maybe some meat on the side.

some interesting food trends practiced by the locals:

• a side dish of pasta is an accompaniment an entree of rice and beans
• if you have been sweating, it is not good to drink cold liquids
• if the water pressure on the sink used to fill your cup water is too high, you could get an upset stomach after drinking it
• never put vegetables in the gallo pinto
• eating something light (like fruit) with something heavy (like greasy potato casserole) might make you sick
• eating dairy after lunch can make you sick
• combining vegetables (like, in a saute) is never an option
• the sauce for the pasta always goes on the side, never on top
• the more sugar, the better
• garlic goes only with meat, never with rice and beans
• if you put rice IN your soup instead of on the side, you must be from the countryside, because it is an incredible unsophisticated thing to do

the fact of tradition and how different foods affect the body (especially in this weather) I find somewhat endearing and fascinating. But when i try to figure out the 'why' to some of these practices, my question is often phrased as such: "So, if I mix squash and potatoes for lunch, someone eating it might keel over and drop dead?" The answer: "maybe, Calley. maybe."

photo is of crispy plantains, roasted chicken covered with a saucey cabbage salad. i moved some of the salad off of the chicken so it could be seen.

some random thoughts:

does 'tonight's gonna be a good night' get played all the time, as it does here?

some weird things that i don't get about current American culture, as presented to me through facebook: celebrity doppleganger craze. fist pump.

is anyone going to watch the Olympics? How is Colbert Nation doing with the US Speed Skating Team?