June 28, 2009
Today, June 25, I scared a small child. I was visiting my Nicaraguan Grandma with my two sisters. As I walked onto the porch a small girl looked up and strained to see my face in the dark. Quickly she developed a horrified expression. She turned and ran screaming “GRINGO, GRINGO, GRINGO” (side note: gringo is a white person from the US). She ran into the kitchen and slammed the door behind her. My sisters asked to her to come out and say hi. Her response was a strong “NO”. The whole situation was rather hilarious. I guess I can understand how it can be scary seeing a white person for the first time. Or maybe I just am extra terrifying.
Monday this week I made nacatamales with my Nicaraguan mom! A nacatamale is the most famous traditional cuisine of Nicaragua. Here nacatamales are given as gifts for any special occasion. So Tuesday was Father’s Day and we made nacatamales for that occasion. Monday I took the afternoon off from work and my mom and I got to work in the kitchen. The first step is making the dough which I would call the foundation of the nacatamale. The dough is made with corn, water, flour, onions and peppers. We placed the dough in a huge pot and let is cook on the fire for about an hour (stirring it with a large stick periodically). At the same time we made a huge pot of rice. After the dough had become thick we moved it off the fire (here comes the fun part). When our rice and dough were ready it was time to start putting together the nacatamales. We laid ojas (banana leaves) on the preparation table. Then we put a large handful of dough in the center of the leaf. In the center of the dough we placed a piece of chicken. On top of all this we put rice, tomatoes, two slices of a potato, and some diced up pepper. Now here’s the hard part. We took the banana leaves and folded the nacatamale shut. If nothing ripped we would tie them shut with a string (long plant leaf). Finally, we threw the wrapped nacatamales into a large pot of water and let them cook for awhile. And after that they were ready to be eaten. So before this all when my mom told me that we were going to nacatamales, I thought for the family. It turned out we made 35 nacatamales because some were to sell!! We started making them at 1pm and didn’t finish till 6:30pm. To say the least, I am an expert nacatamale maker now. My mom is giving me the recipe and I plan on making some back in the states. Anyone want to try one?
Last night I had a pleasant, relaxing time talking with my Nicaraguan family. We got onto the topic of me leaving (in only 2 weeks, sad). It was nice to reflect with them about how much my Spanish has improved and about all the experiences we have shared. My mom asked me if I would remember them when I was back in the US. I responded “Como no (how could I not)!” The conversation with them made me think if I would ever return to Nicaragua. I really want to. I have learned so much here.
More to come,
Nat-tan
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