Beans and Rice

It turns out that despite what the books and volunteer materials say we don’t actually just eat rice and beans here. We actually get to eat a pretty good variety of foods. I have found that as a middle class American with all that processed food, I wasn’t eating as good as our Nicaraguan host family who live off of about $150 a month. It is amazing how mystically fresh watermelon is on the table for breakfast every morning, fresh avocado every day, chicken 4 times a week, unlimited beans, 60 eggs a week (I don’t eat them all myself), fresh off the vine fruit juices, and the best darn fried plantains I’ve ever had; and they all come from the ¾ acre piece of land the seven of us are living on. Even more amazing than that is Marcio is a carpenter and Alejandra has 3 children to take care of and is involved in just about every organization in the community, so they aren’t even farmers! But the variety doesn’t stop there, they have offered us mango, papaya, (which I don’t really eat), tomales, french fries, and tomatoes and cucumbers are a staple along with potatoes and corn tortillas. We get to eat a pretty good amount of foods other than beans and rice but it is definitely a carb loaded diet. Sometimes I have pasta, refried beans, crunchy homemade tortilla chips, and potatoes for breakfast. Needless to say, we are still taking our vitamins every morning—so don’t worry Mom. The funny thing is that amongst all the variety that we are offered I can honestly say that one of my favorite things is the signature beans and rice dish called Gallo Pinto, and we get to have it daily.