La Cocina
One of my favorite things about cultural integration is experiencing the culinary tradition of various regions of the world. In the Dominican Republic, this is based on white rice with habichuelas (red beans) or guandules (smaller, rounder, greenish beans), and some type of meat. Since I like beans and rice, I am más o menos thrilled with most of the variations on this meal that I am given. One of my new favorite everyday foods is con con, or the browned, semi-crispy strips of rice at the bottom of the pot. When soaked in habichuela gravy, it is immensely satisfying. Why don’t we do that in the states? I highly recommend that se lo prueba. (try it).
Another delicious and common food here is “tostones”. These are basically double-fried green plantains: golden, crispy, slightly salted, and so much better than their northern counterpart, french fries. I happened to ask some of our Dominican professors if I could help them prepare a snack in the kitchen one weekend, and came away with knowledge on the preparation of tostones. The directions are below, if anyone wishes to compartir (share) my Dominican culinary experience. And if you want to get really authentic, you can do as I do and wash the dishes without warm or running water. It took some getting used to, and I’m still rather slow at it.
Tostones
Buy 1 green plantain per person (rough estimate). (They are available at asian markets in the Northwest, at least).
Heat 2-3 inches of vegetable oil in a pan or pot.
While oil is heating, Peel plantains and slice medium thinly, cross-wise.
When oil is hot, drop 1st batch of sliced plantains into the oil, making sure they are all covered. Leave them there until they are golden yellow in color. (about 5 min)
Remove from oil; drain, add new batch of raw plantains.
While batch 2 is cooking, smash the cooked plantain thin with the bottom of a cup or glass. Repeat with the subsequent batches of cooked plantains.
Once all the plantain slices have been fried the 1st time, drop the smashed slices into the oil. Fry them 1-2 minutes on each side, until the slices are a deep golden color.
Remove from oil, drain, repeat. Sprinkle with salt to taste while hot, serve ASAP, with ketchup optional
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Community Based Training
The First 3 weeks of training, in the capital, were general language, cultural assimilation, and development theory. However, soon after the last time I wrote, our large trainee group split into 2 large groups and one small group based on the sector in which we are to work. So I and 18 other environment volunteers bid farewell to our compañeros in the IT and Education sectors and headed off into the mountains to begin our technical training.
I feel like this is when my experience with the Peace Corps really started. The town we were in received running water once every 3 days (courtesy of a Peace Corps built aqueduct). The electricity schedule was erratic. The house I lived in had a zinc roof, so when it rained (which was frequently) the pounding resonated throughout the building—sometimes at a deafening volume. But for me, it was also much more comfortable than the capital. My family had a conuco, or a small farm to grow food for their own use. There were 4 houses of different family members on the property, so there were always people to talk to, ranging in age from over 50 to 3 years old. In addition to my don and doña, I had 3 older brothers, a sister in law, 2 little nephews, 3 younger cousins and an aunt to keep me company. We would sit and talk in the living room, watch novelas on TV (when the reception was clear enough), cook, eat, and walk around the town together. It is largely thanks to them that my Spanish improved in the month I spent with them, and I think that I managed to provide them with some entertainment as well.
My family was disappointed in how little time I was able to spend with them, due to the large amount of time I spent in technical and language training. That was some of the most intense learning I’ve ever had, on par with intensive lifeguard classes and such. In small groups, we did community diagnostics like the ones we are required to do individually in our permanent sites, we facilitated activities at a environmental youth conference, and gave Earth Day presentations in the schools, complete with an environmentally friendly activity. We learned about, then built a compost pile to efficiently create organic fertilizer (the Spanish word for fertilizer is abono, in case you were wondering, and compost pile is abonera); we prepared and planted a garden, including seed transplanting and rooting cuttings of oregano and rosemary; and we learned how to measure the contour of the land with an A-frame and built live and dead barriers to prevent soil erosion. We also built healthier and more fuel-efficient stoves, learned about organic pesticides, and proper trail building and maintenance. Now, incredibly, I feel far more prepared than I did a month ago to go into a community and start working on the environmental challenges there.
The First 3 weeks of training, in the capital, were general language, cultural assimilation, and development theory. However, soon after the last time I wrote, our large trainee group split into 2 large groups and one small group based on the sector in which we are to work. So I and 18 other environment volunteers bid farewell to our compañeros in the IT and Education sectors and headed off into the mountains to begin our technical training.
I feel like this is when my experience with the Peace Corps really started. The town we were in received running water once every 3 days (courtesy of a Peace Corps built aqueduct). The electricity schedule was erratic. The house I lived in had a zinc roof, so when it rained (which was frequently) the pounding resonated throughout the building—sometimes at a deafening volume. But for me, it was also much more comfortable than the capital. My family had a conuco, or a small farm to grow food for their own use. There were 4 houses of different family members on the property, so there were always people to talk to, ranging in age from over 50 to 3 years old. In addition to my don and doña, I had 3 older brothers, a sister in law, 2 little nephews, 3 younger cousins and an aunt to keep me company. We would sit and talk in the living room, watch novelas on TV (when the reception was clear enough), cook, eat, and walk around the town together. It is largely thanks to them that my Spanish improved in the month I spent with them, and I think that I managed to provide them with some entertainment as well.
My family was disappointed in how little time I was able to spend with them, due to the large amount of time I spent in technical and language training. That was some of the most intense learning I’ve ever had, on par with intensive lifeguard classes and such. In small groups, we did community diagnostics like the ones we are required to do individually in our permanent sites, we facilitated activities at a environmental youth conference, and gave Earth Day presentations in the schools, complete with an environmentally friendly activity. We learned about, then built a compost pile to efficiently create organic fertilizer (the Spanish word for fertilizer is abono, in case you were wondering, and compost pile is abonera); we prepared and planted a garden, including seed transplanting and rooting cuttings of oregano and rosemary; and we learned how to measure the contour of the land with an A-frame and built live and dead barriers to prevent soil erosion. We also built healthier and more fuel-efficient stoves, learned about organic pesticides, and proper trail building and maintenance. Now, incredibly, I feel far more prepared than I did a month ago to go into a community and start working on the environmental challenges there.
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