Expanding Culture Into Food

By: Sean Parks

Food. Food. Food. As in most Caribbean islands, cuisine is a central element of the Puerto Rican culture.  From the moment that I boarded on to the plane from Oklahoma City towards San Juan, Puerto Rico, I made a promise to myself to have an open-mind about trying authentic foods. Having some prior notion about what to expect with the foods that I would soon indulge myself with brought a true smile to my face.

My very first Puerto Rican cuisine partook in Old San Juan and included a mixture of fried plantains, steamed rice and favorable chicken.  The first bite produced a savory flavor that had me swaying in my seat at the robust tastes. My next adventure led me to a cluster of food stands in the middle Juana Díaz, where I tried more authentic dishes and was impressed with the various forms of classic Puerto Rican foods. The next few adventures, I took the advice of the locals and ate several different items in small restaurants and stands.

Trying not to settle with things that I find comforting, I branched out in the few short days to try foods that the local eat on a daily basis. Allowing myself to try new items has increased my range in assessing the value of cuisine and more importantly, Puerto Rican cuisine.

From what I have learned so far, is that food is very important to Puerto Ricans. Food brings individuals together from all parts of the island into a tight knit community.

http://gopuertorico.about.com/od/top5attractions/tp/FiveFoodsofPR.htm http://www.prboriken.com/food.htm

http://www.prwineandfood.com/

Food Finds

Day four of Puerto Rico, and as our class digs deeper into the essence of the island, one basic element of life here has risen to the forefront of conversation: the food.

I expected to fall in love with the mangos, bananas, and pineapples of the island, but with every passing meal I find something that I just can't get enough of. Today was that and more.

Rancho T, a cozy restaurant seemingly alone in the mountains of Puerto Rico, is a secret I was glad to see uncovered.

Roast pork waiting patiently on the restaurant's door front is a welcoming aroma for a hungry customer. A few steps beyond and the invitation is extended with the a mouth-watering combination of white yams, chicken thigh, rice galore, and a smatter of locals lined across the bar.

 As I sat down at the plate I had prepared, I stared a hole through one particular part of my meal. A meat product I have always exhibited a certain level of fear towards, blood sausage, sat curled around my plate of Puerto Rican goodness.

But with new culture, comes new experience, and that is best met with bravery. So there the sausage sat, and as I took my first bite all my fears melted away as the spiced pork hit my taste buds.
 

The rest of our group seemed to enjoy the meal as well, judging by the amount of words passing across the table. Rancho T, along with the rest of the trip thus far, did not fail to surprise or stun me, with unique flavors and peaceful seclusion I'm only now witnessing. Two thumbs up.

Tourists, Jibaros, and Artisans.

Tourists, Jibaros, and Artisans

By Rachel Bradley

They rise before the sun, gather the day's belongings in a compact bag, and flee the coop. It may be a short car ride, or a daunting hike in the sunrise. At last, they arrive at their location. They wander the domain to scope it out from top to bottom, corner to corner. They spot an inviting space for themselves and their belongings. They stressfully uncover the treasures in the compact case. Everything is carefully placed and replaced until it fits like a puzzle where it belongs. What do I describe you ask? Yes, it could be a tourist that curiously roams unseen sights. Yes, it could be a Puerto Rican Jibaro that wearily looks for a home like a nomad. It is a Puerto Rican artisan that anxiously waits for the souvenir buyer.

Souvenirs are the most precious gifts of the tourist as the wet, fertile land is the most precious gift of the jibaro. To artisans working for a steady salary or the extra change, their handcrafted art is their precious worth (photo: bottom left).

As we linger the lively crowded streets of the Three Kings Festival or exit a cold dark cave, there is guarantee that an artisan will be anxiously waiting your arrival. When spotted, they attack their prey. The artisans offer cheap discounts on uniquely painted, dry fig shells and finely carved wood. Either or, the art is a layered gift of culture that can be taken off the island.

This was not a common spotting for only the festival. The artisans are posted in all stories of the Puerto Rican culture. At the Camuy Caves Park, there was an elderly man, Carlos Rafael, who sold hand-painted, vibrant Taino prints on canvas and hanging candles made of fig shells. To catch his prey he blew a deep breath into a large, creamy conch shell with a pig ping center (photo: bottom right). Of course, being a tourist, I purchased a hanging canvas with the Taino symbol for the Coqui. It was my class team’s name.

Later, we arrived at the Casa Bacardi. It was a large, modern building with an open bar at first glance. Behind the bar lay the artisans hard at work. I peered to see what they had to offer, and again, it was native jibaro vegetation made into art.

Sylvia Vasquez sat still in here chair as a dog told to stay. She attracted tourists through the beauty of her worth, rather than a catcall. In front of her, lying like a perfectly pieced puzzle were jewelry pieces made of bent silver wire accented by seeds, mahogany wood, and sea glass in an array of colors.

I asked her what lit the light bulb to make these pieces so precious to tourists. She said, “You want the honest, honest, honest truth? I was in jail and they took us out some days.” She had picked up paper clip pieces of wire that veteran women had left behind at their craft tables. “To pass the time I went to worship and picked up the pieces they left and began making bracelets,” said Sylvia (photo: top right). She was not able to buy the material yet, but finally she began to buy the material and go out for a day. “Bacardi invites women come and sell their jewelry outside. We earned 85 percent of profits and charged 15 percent by jail to cover water and machine costs,” said Sylvia.

Sylvia is much like the tourist and the jibaro. She packs her bags to travel to work and carefully uses the resources around her. At the end of the day, Sylvia has grown, as have her profits.

Food for Culture

Food for Culture

On January 6 the streets of Juana Diaz are alive with people a part of the community that have a Three Kings Festival that symbolizes the end of epiphany. The festival features the three kings Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. The kings rode through the brick streets of Juana Diaz on horses covered in robes of beautiful colors and jewels. The Juana Diaz town square was covered with excited families awaiting the long waited arrival of the Three Kings. Families line the streets in anticipation to have their photo taken with the Three Kings.

As I walked through the crowded fair like aisles of food at the Juana Diaz I began to feel like I was walking through the aisles of the Texas State Fair in Dallas, TX. The Three Kings Festival is celebrated throughout the Juana Diaz town square. The aroma of fried food consumed my sense of smell. The aisles of the festival are crowded with costumed clothed children and adults searching for the freshest fried cod and fruit. The spirit within the festival is contagious. I approached a food stand covered in yellow and red-stripped fabric. I enjoyed a bowl lined in plantains and filled with lettuce, rice and chicken.

The food featured throughout the town of Juana Diaz represents the cultural history of Puerto Rico and the history behind the festivals and lives of the community. I felt that the food in Juana Diaz was all culturally unique; I experienced food and cultural experiences that are exclusive to one place, Puerto Rico.

“Mouth watering pinchos and fresh fruit”

by: Katylee Strange

Photos: Top-The fruit cup I bought at a stand in the plaza of Juana Diaz. Middle- The pincho stand in Juana Diaz "Three King Festival." Bottom- Pincho de pollo with plantains.

Today I visited the city of Juana Diaz in breathtaking Puerto Rico. Every year on January 6^th in the city of Juana Diaz is the final and largest parade of “Three King Festival.” It is where the festival started in 1884 and where the parade of the three kings ends each year. The town is filled to the brim with people who are engrossed in the open air mass or waiting in lines that spiral and loop for what seems like yards to get the authentic Puerto Rican dishes. The food vendors deep-fry and grill all types of meat and vegetable for their many different dishes. The food is served on everything from buns to skewers. The food that I tried were so mouth wateringly delicious that I will never forget the succulent barbeque flavored chicken that burst with juices as you maneuvered to eat it off the kabob or the sweet crunch of the deep fried plantains. In the future, I would travel all the way back to Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico during the festival for the pinchos de pollo. At the festival I also had the privilege of trying some hand cut fruit. The second I bit into the ripe pineapple or better known in Puerto Rico as pina. The luscious diced fruit juice trickled down my throat it was so moist. I felt like I was drinking the fruit it was so juicy. The food at the festival was like none other, fresh and flavorful that I will never forget the parade and crafts let alone the melt in your mouth authentic Puerto Rican food.

Culture on a Stick

By: Kathryn Collins

It is the first thing on my mind when I wake up in the morning. It brings zest to life and constantly provides comfort. It gives you energy and it puts you to sleep. It brings people together and fills people up. I’m sure you can guess what I am talking about by now. Yes, it is food. The cuisines of Puerto Rico fulfill all of these descriptions.

Picture the State Fair. The walkways are filled with anxious people and guilty temptations. As you walk through the crowds of people, the fried fumes flow straight to your nose and you feel your stomach grumble a begging to be filled. The Three King’s Festival resembles this with more meaning and culture. The streets of Juana Diaz are packed as you push through the people and follow your nose’s desire to the stands of festive food. The vendors are busy stacking juicy chicken on top of Puerto Rico’s classic plantains. The three-dollar trade for this stick of Pinchos de Pollo is a deal!

I sat on the curb site with a view of all the celebratory Puerto Ricans strutting by, some dressed in swaddling biblical clothing to represent Three Kings Day and others flashing bright colors. Women in towering wedges swayed their Latina hips to the music that filled the streets. With one hand gripped on each side of the stick and my nose close enough to smell the still cooking meat in the hot Juana Diaz sun, I could not help but take a bite. My teeth played tug of war with the stick as they ripped off the first bite of chicken. The zesty barbeque sauce that covered the chicken did its job in completing this shish kabob-like meal. With a blink of an eye, the stick was empty with some of the barbeque sauce still smeared on my face. The State Fair now has some stiff competition with the food stands at the Three Kings Festival.

As I ate the Pinchos de Pollo, my life encountered zest. It gave me comfort and connected me with the people of Puerto Rico. And I guarantee that it will be the first thing on my mind when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Eat, Pray, Three Kings - by Marley Harris

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

http://www.studioporto.com/diadelostresreyesmagos/

http://www.expedia.com/Puerto-Rico-Island-Hotels-Melia-Hotel.h564882.Hotel-Information?foop=0&crti=4&itty&mdpcid=21187-1.ExpediaHotelImagesGDS%7C+Hotel_Review%7C+freesearch%7C+poolB%7C+safari&itdx&rdct=1&itid&nfla=1&from=f&hashTag=picturesAndTours&flag=l&hwrq&spsh&spsi&htid=564882