an ode to street food

to preface, this is such a fat kid´s post. i wrote it during an 18 hour bus ride to mendoza, argentina, when all i had was a package of oreos to satiate me for the whole journey. my thoughts began to roam to food...

in colombia, balancing a greasy corn tortilla arepa dripping with melty cheese in one hand with a fresh blended pina-banana-mango-maracuya juice in the other, finishing it all up with an ensalada de frutas filled with an assortment exotic vegetation that have no english translations.

in peru, cooling down with market-fresh ceviche, plucking fat kernels of corn straight off the cob on the beach in mollendo, dousing every plate of food with a spicy dose of aji.

in costa rica, macheting open fresh coconuts on the beach so i could drink the raw juice in front of the blue surf.

in guatemala, eating black beans with everything, smashed, spicy, stewed, whole, upside down inside out, every way mouth-watering, alongside what has become my most favoritest snack in the whole wide world, fried plantain chips.

in bolivia, first keeping it safe and simple with fresh squeezed orange juice on the street, then branching out to try cuy and alpaca meat, just to say i did.

in nicaragua, the gallo pinto, spotted rooster, as a blend of beans and rice a vegetarians delight, until i discovered that the rich flavor comes from pig´s tail.

in honduras, eating my fill of super baleadas, a massive tortilla layered with refried beans, crumbly queso, veg and eggs, a two dollar feast that left me full all day.

and in argentina, finally sucumbing to my animal instincts and savoring the most sublime steak i´ve ever tasted as it melts in my mouth, nibbling on dulce de leche-laden afajores for breakfast, having an empanada (or five) to tide me over until 10pm dinner time.

if you couldn´t tell, one of my favorite way to get to know a country is through food. you can taste a culture, literally. whether i´m browsing through the markets in inquitos weaving through the stalls and smells and spices to try a lightly grilled jungle tree grub, buying yuca chips through the window on a chicken bus in guatemala, eating at a hole-in-the-wale where the plates don´t match in cuenca, savoring a juicy papaya slice in the plaza in popayan, it´s all a tango for my taste buds. cheap thrills, culinary adventures, an upset stomach in the making because i´m never quite sure what i´m eating--in travel, who could ask for more?