Day 10: Let’s Eat!
June 10th, 2012
Jess’s family wanted to treat me to authentic home cooked Venezuelan meal, and they wanted to invite the neighbors over as well to make one huge buffet. I didn’t mind! I was anxious to try out all the different kinds of food and taste all the exotic flavors and to get to know Jess’ family better. Her family is really close and they all take part in helping everyday chores, so I got to help in making some of the food for tonight! There’s going to be a lot of courses, so time to get cooking.
Jess’s mother told me I would help in making Arepa, which is a flat, round patty made of cornmeal or flour which can be grilled, baked, or fried and stuffed with cheese, butter, ham or meat. Sounds easy enough! I set out to grinding cooked maize flour to use for it. My arms got tired after a while, but I kept at it. Eventually, the flour was grounded enough and I could form it into small patties the size of the palm of my hand. Then I baked them! While they were baking, I got out a big plate and put food on it that you could stuff your Arepa with. Then, I got the baked Arepas out of the oven and let them cool while I helped set the table for the 8 people that were going to dine tonight.
Time to eat! So many different foods to pick from! Jess made Pasticho, which is like the Venezuelan version of lasagna. Jess’s dad cooked a dish called black roast. It’s another common dish, which consists of meat extracted from the rear part of a cow, and prepared with spices and papelon. It tastes really sweet, surprisingly. Jess’s younger brother prepared Chicha which is a thick drink made up of rice and milk, commonly enjoyed with cinnamon and ice. Strange texture, but good! My Arepa’s were perfectly made and they tasted great. I stuffed mine full of cheese and ham. Last, but not least, Jess’s mom made small snacks and the desserts! The pudín de chocolate and torta de auyama were delicious and I’ve taken a liking to her Mandocas which are Venzuelan deep-fried pretzels made from cornmeal. I eat them with melted cheese. Mmm! I wish I could eat like this everyday!
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