Puerto Rico Eating

Eating

Eating Puerto Rico is a drive-through buffet. All you need is a car, an appetite (the bigger the better), time, and the realization that your swimsuit won't fit as well when you get to your destination. There is a roadside food stand or 10 at every corner (when you get out of the cities). They serve everything from octopus salad, to cod fritters (bacalaitos), plantain turnovers, to rum in a coconut. You might want to think twice and consult your stomach before choosing some items - but do be willing to try new things. Mavi, for instance, is a fermented drink that children drink in the area. It is quite good. Quenepas (a green fruit that looks like large grapes) are found everywhere in the summer, and are much better for you than potato chips, and easier to eat in the car. Slit the skin with your teeth (pop them), and eat the pulp. Spit out the seed, but don't put the skins or seeds in your pocket because they stain clothes. Traditional Puerto Rican food is rice and beans, pork in its multitude of forms, and some incarnation of plantain. Tostones (double deep-fried plantains) are addictive. The seafood stuffed mofongo (don't let the name turn you off), is fantastic. Mofongo is a mashed and fried plantain ball, sometime served in a fish stock. If you are really lucky, you might get invited to a pork roast. It's not just food - it's a whole day - and it's cultural. Folks singing, drinking, hanging out telling stories, and checking to see if the pig is ready, and staying on topic, you'll find the pig likely paired with arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas). In winter, you haven't been to Puerto Rico until you've eaten a real asopao. Preferably, befriend a native Puerto Rican, get invited to their house, and eat until you can't talk. It'll take a while and it will be worth it. Asopao is a uniquely Puerto Rican stew. Often chicken based, with rice, and various spices, you might find it with seafood. Speaking of seafood - don't be tempted by the land crabs. They are yummy, but they are endangered. We all need to stop eating our way off this planet. But, you might look at them, as you will find them at - like everything else - roadside stands. Often they are live. If you are feeling particularly altruistic, buy the crabs and set them free far from the stands. Pick a nice swamp near the sea. Call it your own wildlife restoration. Puerto Rico has perfected the paella; you will find fresh Tuna in the Southwest of the Island. The roots are incredible - the natives call them "viandas" - and are available in a wide variety of types, colors, and flavors. Try them all, and use a lot of olive oil, preferably, "Bettis," a Spanish oil you can find in PR (look for the yellow can). Stay away from putting butter or sour cream on them, no matter how much they may look like potatoes, they're not. Places to eat: look for places that are out of the way. Most of the roadside stand food is fantastic, and if you're not hung up with the need for a table, you might have dinner on a beach, chomping lobster fritters (the PRs call them "empanadillas"), drinking rum from a coconut. At the end of dinner, you can see all the stars. In the southwest of the island, in Boqueron, you might find fresh oysters and clams for sale (again - street vendors). They were small, but they were only 25 cents. Try them with a lime. On Culebra, there is a neat little house that sells dinner. Ask around to find it. A couple of years ago, it was the only sit down dinner on the island. The fried snapper was fantastic - but as they say in much of PR - Americans pay more. Every way that statement can be considered is likely true. So, if you don't want to pay more (usually double), send in your Puerto Rican friend first. Either way, the food is great. With all these choices - roadside stands, local hangouts that you just might find - things that you've never seen before - do yourself a flavor and never eat from the commercial fast food restaurant except maybe, the fried chicken restaurants, which just do it differently in PR. Finally, there are some wonderful restaurants, and like everywhere, the best are found mostly near the metropolitan areas. Old San Juan is probably your best bet for a 4-star meal in a 4-star restaurant. However if your experimental nature wanes, there are lots of "Americanised" opportunities in and around San Juan. Good luck, keep your eyes open for the next roadside stand, and make sure to take advantage of all the sports to counteract the moving buffet. Drinking Beer, wine and hard liquor is available at almost every grocery store, convenience store, panaderia (bakery) and meat shop. Puerto Rico is obviously famous for its rum and rum drinks, and is the birthplace of the world renowned Piña Colada. Several rums are made in Puerto Rico, including Bacardi and Don Q. Although not as common in the U.S., the national rum of choice in Puerto Rico is Don Q. Most stores stock a locally-produced beer called Medalla Light that can be purchased for $1-$2 each. Other beer options for the discriminating drinker include Presidente, a light pilsner beer from nearby Dominican Republic (note: it's a different brew from the Dominican version), and Beck's. Beck's imported to Puerto Rico and the rest of the Caribbean is a different brew from the one that makes it to the U.S., and is considered by many to be better. Other beers which have popularity on the island are Budweiser, Bud Light, Heineken, Corona and Coors Light. Many other imported beers are also available, but usually at a higher price. Most of the beers sold vary from 10 to 12 ounce bottles or cans. The portions are small (compared to the Mainland) in order to be consumed before the beer has time to warm up. Tap water is treated and is officially safe to drink.