Sunday, March 3, 2013

When you order fish in Nicaragua...

Today was an eye opening experience all together & in so many ways!  After breakfast, we took a quick walking tour of Jinotepe.  It took about 45 minutes total to cover the 5 block by 2 block area including everything from a casino, to an open market to the work site that we'll be working this week.  The people here are so friendly and welcoming!  After our tour of the town, we had lunch and then headed out to the little tourist area of Catarina.

The view is more spectacular in person and accompanied by wind gusts that would shame some hurricanes.  We were able to wander and enjoy ourselves in preparation of the work week ahead.  And then we had dinner...

You know how you go to certain restaurants and you KNOW the menu?  #5 is burger, fries & shake.  Well, Nicaraguan meals are traditionally served with the main dish, fried plantain (no real taste, but a very meaty starch...yummo with ketchup) rice, cheese, some type of salad (ours was beet, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, orange & banana) and a fried banana for a sweet.  So, when seeing the menu, you are given platter options:  chicken, beef, pork, fish or shrimp with different preparations on said platter.  I thought I was safe with fish & had agreed with Lynne to split with her if she'd do the same with her shrimp dish.  Great conversation, music (seriously - dueling players) & laughs ensued.  And then the meals arrived...

The people across from me (who also ordered fish) got these amazing looking platters with heaping filets of fish surrounded by the rest of the meal.  My tummy was rumbling, my mouth was watering.  And then MY meal arrived...

When they say, "fish on a platter" - they MEAN fish on a platter.  The whole  fish.  Cooked with face in tact.  I have a picture of said meal (that Lynne graciously swapped me for) that I can upload once home; but I really wish that someone had caught a picture of my face looking this potential meal in the eye.

Excited to get working tomorrow and praying for the med team as they departed from our company earlier.

Love to all back home!!

-Chan


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