Today was a day filled with celebration. The streets were lined with children dressed in traditional biblical clothes, maracas and other instruments, laughter, food, Three King figurines, a giant parade, scantily dressed women, police, families, and food. Did I already mention food? Food played an essential role in today’s festivities. Today was the celebration of Three Kings Day. Three Kings Day, as I have understood it to be, would be about the equivalent of Christmas day to us. The excitement and decorations building up to Three Kings Day is exploded every year on Jan. 6. Where exactly 12 days after Christmas, it is the celebration of the three kings who came bearing gifts for the newborn king, Jesus.
Juana Diaz was the place to be for great food. Walking into the square you were immediately sent into a food trance. If you weren’t hungry, you are now. Fried, grilled, fresh fruit, you name it; it was available in the square. I hear Spanish flowing out everywhere around me. I decided to become brave and attempt to order my lunch in Spanish. My few years of education in the Spanish language will now be put to the test. “Mariscos por favor. Gracias” the woman in line next to me, with a smile on her face, turns to me and says, “Welcome to Puerto Rico.” I excitedly received my Shrimp, ready to dig in. My shrimp lies on top of lettuce and inside of a fried plantain bowl. I was talked into spritzing some sauce on top of my dish by a local who said I had to try it. It was a mixture of mayonnaise, ketchup, and a hint of garlic sauce. I am not much of a sauce person, but this sauce made my dish complete.
As if I my shrimp delight did not fill me up enough, I could not resist the fresh pineapples that one vendor was carrying around. For $3 I could not wait to consume my freshly sliced pineapple cup of heaven. The food that was all around the square was local and traditional to the Puerto Rican culture.
http://www.juanadiaz.org/inicio-en.html
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