The Food

Of course the most interesting part of being in another country is the food. (Ok, perhaps it isn’t the most interesting but it must be up there on the list, don’t you think?) Believe it or not, I’m fairly certain you would all like the food here. If you like, I can tell you how to make a Cochabamino Bolivian meal. Really, its easy.

1. Potatoes. You can’t eat a meal without potatoes, usually boiled but if you are feeling fancy, feel free to mash them.

2. Meat. You need meat at every meal too. Beef or chicken, it doesn’t matter.

3. Rice. White rice is a good filler too and its like wearing black, it goes with everything.

4. Salad. Just a little bit but a good mixture of lettuce, tomatoes, beets (which I still think taste like dirt), onions, and tomatoes.

5. Soup – of any variety. Usually with lots of vegetables and French fries and a chunk of meat the size of my fist.

And that’s it! See, it isn’t that different! Wait, wait, wait. That isn’t enough food on your plate! Come on, add some more. No, no no. More. Pretend its Thanksgiving. That’s how much food you need. You might not think so but trust me, your American, you don’t know how much food your going to need here in Bolivia!

Other than that, we’ve had lots of wonderfully fresh fruit – mangos, papaya, oranges, peaches, and bananas. Fried bananas! Oh how I love fried bananas!

If you want to try my new favorite South American food, go to the Latino section of your nearest good-sized grocery store and find yourself some Dulce de Leche. It’s a breakfast food that is used similar to peanut butter but tastes so different. Its like melted Werther’s Caramels probably mixed with sweet and condensed milk too. So wonderfully good.