Eating my way through Puerto Rico

By Maddy Payne 

            Since my childhood consisted of traveling to diverse destinations, it also consisted of eating diverse foods. Growing up, I did not have many PB&J sandwiches, but instead, I had gyoza, edamame, papaya, dragon fruit, fish and chips and nasi goreng. In Africa, I tried zebra beef jerky; in Spain, paella. As one can see, trying new foods is a big part of my life. And so, when I traveled to Puerto Rico, I was not seeking out “comfort foods” like hamburgers and French fries. I wanted to try traditional Puerto Rican food.

            When we explored Old San Juan, we decided to eat at La Mallorquina, the oldest operating restaurant on the island. At La Mallorquina I ordered mofongo with fried pork. Mofongo is an Afro-Puerto Rican dish made from fried plantains. The plantains are picked while they are green and then mashed up with salt, garlic and oil. Afterwards, the plantains are compressed into a ball and served with either meat or in a broth.

            Another day, we to a local restaurant shop in Ponce, where I had pulled pork, plantains, rice and beans – a traditional Puerto Rican meal. It was so, so good, and I would definitely have it again. Everything was fresh and for dessert I tried some flan.

            At the Three Kings Festival I tried “bacalaitos,” fried Codfish fritters. They were super salty and a fun street food to munch on while watching the three kings and parade. I also got some ice cream/sorbet from a small vendor. It was nice and refreshing.

            Lastly, three of the nights during our trip, we were put into teams and given a traditional Puerto Rican meal to make. My team’s recipe was Pollo Gulsado Estilo Puertoriqueño. The main ingredients were olives, cilantro, Sofrito, Sazon Knorr, carrots, potatoes, chicken and rice. The meal turned out wonderful and there were no leftovers.

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 La Mallorquina restaurant in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

 

Monfongo with pork, a traditional Puerto Rican dish. 

Fresh sorbet from a local vendor at the Three Kings day festival. 

Links:

http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/slideshow/eat-puerto-rico

http://welcome.topuertorico.org/culture/foodrink.shtml

http://www.latina.com/food/recipes/best-puerto-rican-recipes

  

Email: maddy.payne@ou.edu

Website: maddy.payne.weebly.com

Twitter: @maddypayne397

Of God and Mofongo

By Marisa Mohi, true believer

I’m not a religious person. God, for me, has always been more of a question or intangible possibility than an absolute. My views have evolved throughout my life. I’m no longer so devoutly agnostic as I once was whilst growing up in the conservative safe haven that is Edmond, Oklahoma. The further I get from the people shouting at me that alcohol is a sin and educated women are tools of the devil, the more I can envision a god.

For the past few years, as I have gone through graduate school, everyday I’m overcome with intense feelings of love and gratitude for the place and person I am today. I have never felt so comfortable and content in my entire life. The further I get away from the city I grew up in, the more convinced I am that there is a god out there, just not the one in Edmond that wanted me to fry.

I don’t mean to bring up a controversial topic. I’m a good country girl and I know better than to talk about religion or politics in polite company. And I know this all seems wholly irrelevant to Puerto Rico. But I’m getting there.

I’ve always been terrified of water. Pools, lakes, ponds, and stagnant mosquito-ridden puddles used to make my blood run cold. I’m not a strong swimmer, I’ve never looked good in a swimsuit, and my family isn’t the type to pack up and go to the lake. Up until my trek to Puerto Rico, I had only seen the ocean once before.

On New Year’s Day, I stepped off the sand on the beach in Luquillo and made my way into the waters of the Atlantic for the first time. I didn’t swim much, and I found out that I wasn’t good at boogie boarding, but I did wade out a little and experienced real waves for the first time.



Before this day, I had been feeling intensely homesick. I was the furthest from my family that I had ever been, and I was surrounded by a class of near-strangers. But when I stared out at the waves, I didn’t really care anymore. I finally was beginning to understand why so many people love the ocean, an entity that used to terrify me.

As the days wore on in Puerto Rico, we were so busy that many of us lost track of time and couldn’t really tell you what day of the week it was. Some complained of missing their boyfriends or girlfriends, or wanting to see their family. While I did miss my family, I really didn’t have any desire to go back. Even now, as I sit on my couch staring out the window at the dreary gray deathscape that is winter, I think that I could definitely go back.

It’s not just the ocean or the white sand beaches though. I think it was the people there too. There were so many people constantly surrounding us in San Juan that I initially felt scared. I had never been to such a big city before. As we ventured away from San Juan to cities like Ponce and Juana Diaz, I began to feel less like an outsider. Though my Spanish is still the Spanish of a public high school classroom, I still felt like I could make my way through Puerto Rico.

So, my initial reason to take this course was to get away from my family and see the world in order to become a better writer. I’m not sure if my writing has gotten any better, but I definitely have a new perspective on my surroundings. I think seeing a place unlike your home forces you to consider new ideas and makes you adjust your opinions just a little. Going into this trip, I thought that I would always live in Oklahoma. Graduate, get a job here, and finally raise a family. After this class, though…I’m thinking there might be some other things for me on the horizon. I now have places to go and a to-do list to go along with them.

So what does all this have to do with my imaginings of a celestial being? Well, maybe nothing. Or maybe everything. I am thankful that I was able to go on this class trip. I am thankful that I had the experiences I did—sleeping on a beach, hiking through a rainforest, swimming in a waterfall, standing on an 800-year old tree, seeing more neoclassical/Spanish revival architecture than I could even recognize, eating fresh pineapple on the side of the road, seeing a religious festival and standing in the middle of it…



And even now, as I wallow in flannel pajamas, I can almost still feel the ocean and how it felt to be hit by a wave for the first time. It was a whirlwind two weeks to say the least. And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I became content with just going with the flow. I stopped missing my home. I didn’t care that I was sleep deprived. I welcomed a dish called mofongo with open arms. In all of this, I would say there is more than just a tincture of grace. This opportunity to travel, the experiences I’ve had, and the new friends I’ve made—these are all things I would call blessings.

Did I find religion in Puerto Rico? Nope. But some of the feelings that I’ve come to over the years have been reinforced. And maybe for a once-staunch agnostic, seeing the ocean and riding the wave of travel is a good first step.

Central Texas Landscape in Puerto Rico

By Bianca Davis

We arrived at Guanico Dry Foresst in the morning however the heat of the ‘desert’ sun made it seem like high noon. Surrounded by small shubs, cacti, and familiar trees I felt like I was at home in the Central Texas Hill Country.
Francisco, our guide from Aventuras Puerto Rico, knowingly led the way down a rocky path noting that the rocks here were not native to the area but had been imported to create a trail of sorts. We made frequent stops to learn about the various vegitation and how they have adapted in order to thrive in such an aridd climate. The further down towards the coast the more the cool breeze from Guanico Bay could be felt giving relief from the scorching sun.
Having made our way all the way to our destination, an 850 year old Guyacan Tree, we stoped for a group photo. I was able to talk to Francisco on the walk back because there were fewer stops since he had already pointed out most of the points of interest on the trip in.
Francisco, who owns his own tour company Aventuras Puerto Rico, has been giving tours for 5 years now. However, tourism was not his original choice in career. Francisco said he used to work as an acountant, but was unhappy with his work. On a recommendation from a friend and a big leap of faith, Francisco studdied for two and a half years more after already graduating from college in order to earn his certification from the Puerto Rican Tourism board, a task he said that was not easy. Eventually he bought a van, and as time progressed he has been able to operate a successful tourism company out of Ponce. Francisco said prior to the cration of his company, all the tour guides in the south were sent from San Jaun because there were no tour guides from Ponce, he found his niche.

I took the road less traveled by

By Kali Carter

Coquis and waterfalls and slipping, oh my! El Yunque was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I liked the rivers; I liked the trees; I liked virtually everything about its calm, serene atmosphere. The tropical rainforest, located in the eastern part of Puerto Rico, is home to nearly 250 different species, and has an average rainfall of 200 inches per year. Some people consider its beauty so majestic it deserves to be called one of the new seven wonders of the world.

In a completely different atmosphere, nearly two hours away, lies another forest. This forest has no waterfalls, no rivers, and no slippery rocks. Instead, this forest has cacti, sunlight, and an average rainfall of 15 inches per year. This tropical dry forest is known as Guanica.

After getting the chance to experience El Yunque, it was only a matter of time before our group saw Guanica as well. On January 3, we made the journey from San Juan to Ponce. Our group met up with two new tour guides, Francisco and Juan, who would end up taking us around the city and its surrounding areas over the next few days. The next day, Francisco and Juan took us to the Guanica dry forest for a morning hike. Since I'm not in my best shape, I enjoyed knowing the hike would not take as long as the one in the rainforest. Even though the trails were rocky, the rays of the sun were blazing, which made the walk even more exhausting.

Francisco led the tour, showing us different types of trees, plants, cacti, and reptiles. On our hike, we saw a mahogany forest, and cacti with edible melons. To be quite honest, I was actually surprised how much life was visible in such an arid place. If I had been walking the trails by myself, I would have thought I was in the woods in Texas; however, Francisco knew exactly which trees were which, and he pointed out parts of nature we might have overlooked on our own.

Even though I knew the forest was dry, I expected it to be desolate. In fact, though, the forest is 10,000 acres inhabited by over 600 types of plants and animals. The trees were green and the plants were plush, which added much color and beauty to the landscape.

Thanks to a cool breeze off the coast of Guanica Bay, we eventually made our way through the hike and even learned something along the way. Certain places, such as El Yunque, will always stand out as naturally beautiful. Other places, such as Guanica, are beautiful below the surface. Finding the beauty is all about taking the time to search out the unknown and appreciate all of the splendor, obvious or not, nature has to offer.

Putting Religion Back In Sunday.

Ponce: Focus on Religion

Traveling from San Juan to Ponce has opened my eyes to the differences in lifestyle around the island. While all places in Puerto Rico possess the same ideas about culture and religion, there are slight variations on these traditions depending on where you go. We arrived in Ponce on a Sunday afternoon. Dr. Subervi, one of our professors based at Texas State in San Marcos, Texas, had explained a brief overview of the towns history and how they identify themselves among the rest of Puerto Rico. They are a very proud city, and according to our tour guide Papo, "they believe Ponce es Ponce, and the rest is just parking." The people of Puerto Rico are predominantly Catholic. This religious association is reflected throughout the land in its architecture, festivals, churches and business hours. Arriving on a Sunday, we were warned that not much hustle and bustle would be found. Business' were closed due to the Sabbath day, or they had early closings. It has become such a law throughout the land, that even finding something to eat can be a hunt and gather process. This dedication to the Catholic faith makes those in the states, including myself, seem mediocre and faithless. According to the religion, Sunday's are to be regarded as a day of worship, focusing only on the LORD and leaving business and material focus for the remaining 6 week days.

My journey for food and entertainment began around 5:00 that Sunday afternoon. I was hoping to find shopping, eateries and local bars to have a few drinks from. While walking around, we realized little to nothing was open. Stopping to ask a police officer where to eat, we received an "it's Sunday" with two options that turned out to also be closed. Finally, we spotted the Remada Hotel. I figured that if anywhere would be open, it would be a restaurant in a commercialized hotel. I was right and we ate in a restaurant named Lola. It was seemingly upscale for the area, but delicious and everything I wanted. I was hoping to find information from the bartender or servers there about potential nightlife in the area. My good friend and fellow student, Kali, and I were sitting at dinner and received two roses from the bartender, courtesy of two gentlemen sitting at the bar. They approached us and we began a conversation. Yovan Murillo is originally from Puerto Rico. He moved to Jacksonville, Florida and is now back living in Ponce. He works in marketing a few days a week. Talking to Yovan, I began to understand the importance of religion in Ponce and its correlation to a "dead nightlife." He gave me a recommendation for a place that might be open on a Sunday night, Hollywood Cafe, which we went to later that evening."In comparison to San Juan, Ponce is quieter, nightlife here is less of a tourist attraction. Our weekends start on Wednesday, so it is pretty quiet other nights," Yovan said. Speaking with him made me also come to the conclusion that a lot of the nightlife during the weekdays was based around family gatherings.