I’m a lot like Argentina. We are both the product of Spanish and Italian immigrants and we both have a decidedly Latin vibe coursing through our beings. It’s no wonder I’m planning my third visit to Buenos Aires in October. There’s a natural affinity.
Buenos Aires is a large, beautiful and complex city. I could never do it justice here with a few lines or paragraphs so I decided to do something different for this stop on the tour.
This one is so simple! And quick. It involves 2 products and little-to-no cooking. Spaghetti Squash is an interesting vegetable, especially when you pair it with something tasty like black beans. You can roast it in the oven or – equally satisfying and quicker – microwave it as I did this time. It takes less than 10 minutes and during that time you can open the can of beans. 
Everyone enjoyed their forays into the cuisine of Nicaragua. Thank you bloggers, readers and commenters.
In this round-up, we have breakfast, refreshing drinks, rice dishes and some beautiful desserts.
East-West. Nicaragua enjoys a tropical climate sitting between the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. There’s also an interesting east-west division of historical roots. On the west, Nicaragua was a Spanish colony and shares a culture similar to its neighbors. The eastern side of the country, however, was a British protectorate and shares a culture more akin to Caribbean islands. The “Nicas”, as the people call themselves, are largely ‘mestizos’.
Nicaraguans are known for their proverbs. It is joked that a Nica could string one saying to another and have a whole conversation. I thought this one was pretty good for foodies — and life, in general.
“There is taste in variety and variety in taste.”
Kitchen ‘disasters’ happen to the best of cooks. I doubt there is a cook alive who hasn’t had a mishap at some time. In fact, if you google ‘kitchen disasters’, you’ll get quite a few links. More than ‘disaster’ in literal terms, these mishaps are usually just a source of huge frustration and inconvenience. I had one recently…and it wasn’t pretty.
Because of its teeny size and relative obscurity, I wondered if I was going to be alone in El Salvador but I should have known better. The food blogging community thrives on challenges. With this post, we even welcome our first Nigerian food blogger (currently residing in The Netherlands).
Come then to the table and see what we have.
Ironic, isn’t it? Food/feed? Something happened with my El Salvador post which was published about 9AM on Monday, January 18th (and again on January 19). It is not being transmitted to readers. But it’s on my blog waiting for you. Click here.
This post is a test to see if the feed picks this up. To those of you who subscribe by email, this does not affect you. Sorry for the inconvenience of an additional email.
El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America (and this may be my smallest post on the tour). After hours of googling ‘food of El Salvador” in absolutely every contortion possible, I found hundreds of references to pupusa, a biscuit-like flatbread made from corn — and not much else that was unique. In most part, their ‘traditional dishes’ are those of their neighbors.
Further, aside from the historic saga of conquistadors and Indios, I was really stuck on what to say about the country. Then I stumbled upon an announcement from Lonely Planet naming El Salvador as one of the top 10 countries for 2010. Apparently, they have great weather all year round, their beaches are ‘the best’, it’s not over-crowded with tourists, and it’s less expensive than other destinations. Things were looking up.
I thought you might like to see this interview which appears on the South Florida Food and Wine Blog. It was fun to do and it made me pause to think about what food blogging has meant to me and how it has influenced my life over the past year or so. Happily, all positive.
I’m adding a link to Christine’s blog in my sidebar. It’s a great resource for residents and visitors alike. You’ll find continually updated info on where to eat and drink in South Florida. Just click on that glass of red wine.
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