Street Food, American Food, and Learning to Value Drinks

Fourth week of being here, and I'm starting to set in stone a diet.  With thrice-a-week visits to the gym, along with relying on just bottled water and fruit juice, I think I'm starting to get over the Christmas bloating.  Nonetheless, there are plenty of foods here that can set you back towards big-guy status, a few of which I'll share here.

Street Food:  Arepas, sausages, "super" hamburgers, hot dogs, empanadas

They tell you before you even come here to get a Hepatitis A booster shot because of the food and/or liquids that you could consume here during your stay.  The first recommendation I would give to any traveler considering getting a quick meal off the street is to make sure that it's cooked.  I thought fresh-squeezed orange juice off the street here was a great idea until I found myself running to the bathroom a little bit more than usual over the next few days.  Granted, I could have eaten or consumed something else that upset my stomach, but I'm blaming the orange juice because everything else I had either at a restaurant or a school cafeteria during those days.

Nonetheless, I still grab something quick for dinner if I'm not looking to stretch my wallet a given night.  I had an arepa con carne the other night, pictured above, and it had to be one of the most delicious yet unhealthy things I've consumed since being here.  They take an arepa, essentially a poofy tortilla made of maize, and stuff it with cheese, a little lunch meat and shredded beef.  They then butter and salt both sides and serve it in a sleeve.  For about $1.40, I had enough to fill me for the night.  Earlier this week I also tried some beef and chicken empanadas, sold on the Calle 72 and nearby for no more than about $.50/empanada.  Usually two or three will do for me, balanced with some fruit and water.

American food:  Subway, Friday's, Papa John's

One of the biggest surprises, as I've mentioned in another blog entry, was the number of American restaurants I have found in Bogotá, as opposed to what I ever saw in Brazil either time being there.  Subway is my usual go-to on nights where I'm feeling like having a sandwich with ingredients that I can see.  They have a pretty decent deal down here, too:  for about $3.50, they offer a 6" sub of the day.  Although the variety isn't as wide, you can still make out pretty well with a good sandwich at an affordable price.  In fact, last night I had a chicken breast sandwich with provolone and all the veggies/peppers.  It ended up being pretty tasty, though I wish I could find some hot sauce or something to throw on sandwiches down here.

Earlier this semester, I've also made stops at Papa John's and Friday's, whose menus are basically the same as the U.S.  At Friday's, they don't have as much of a variety, but it's expected that Colombians don't know about the 20 kinds of cheeseburgers and dozens of appetizers that you can get at a typical Friday's in the States.  Nonetheless, my burger was pretty good there.  Papa John's cheese pizza tastes almost exactly the same, too.

Value Your Drink

I always forget about refills in other countries, as opposed to the United States.  In most American restaurants, fountain drinks (sodas, iced tea, water) are bottomless... not the case here.  You finish your 12 oz. glass of Coca-Cola here, you're coughing up another buck each time you feel you need a new one.  It's probably one reason why wait staff doesn't start people off here with drinks and bring them a half hour before the food is served.  I've found that they come with the drinks just minutes before the food comes.  Beer is generally cheaper at these restaurants than in the States, and so usually I pay the extra $.50 to get a domestic beer to go with dinner here, unless it's a food I just never mix with beer.

Another note:  while I used to rave at length about how cheap alcohol could be in Brazil, you don't necessarily find the equivalent in Colombia.  You're still coughing up $5 for a six-pack of mediocre beer in Colombian supermarkets.  Bar prices seem to be about the same as in the States, unless (obviously) you find yourself in a craft beer place, and the house brews tend to be more.  Nonetheless, I haven't been drinking nearly as much as back home in Pittsburgh, so I still have some experience to gain if I want to comment at length on beer/alcohol here.  These are just preliminary notes/perspectives.

Anyways, I'll be doing school work all weekend and maybe enjoying myself a little a night, so I'll try to post something on Monday or Tuesday if something interesting happens.  Otherwise, hope everyone has a great weekend!  See you later.