Many of you have wondered what I do for food here. The options are actually quite varied, much more so than I was expecting. As far as my daily diet, here are the choices.
1. Make something myself.
2. Have my household helper make me something.
3. Eat at someone else's house.
4. Eat at the hospital cafeteria (only available for lunch).
5. Eat as a "restaurant" (a local's house; you call ahead and let them know when you are coming, how many people you'll be bringing, and what time you'd like the food. Each individual has a set menu of what they make).
If I'm going with option # 1 or 2, acquiring the individual components of the meal is then the challenge. Here there are again a few options.
1. Grow it.
2. Buy it at a local store (pulperia, closest one is in the village about a mile away)
3. Buy it "in town" (La Ceiba).
The pulperias have many of the basics: eggs, boxed milk, dry beans, rice, flour, juice, lard. They sometimes have fresh produce, but usually just tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. Anything else has to be purchased in La Ceiba.
When shopping in La Ceiba, flexibility and patience are the key virtues. There are about 5 different main grocery stores people go to. If you are looking for a specific item, you may find it at only one of those places, or not at all. So you have to quickly decide what is essential to your desired recipe and what is worth driving across town to yet another store to search for. When I am in town, I'm usually with someone else who is driving, so I go wherever they are going.
Shopping here also requires planning ahead, which is not necessarily my strength. Not only do you have to plan what food you might want for the next week or two, but also try to get produce that will not spoil before you can eat it. This usually requires either buying things that are not ripe yet, or getting things that don't really go bad (like cabbage). All in all, a lot of learning experiences for me!
1. Make something myself.
2. Have my household helper make me something.
3. Eat at someone else's house.
4. Eat at the hospital cafeteria (only available for lunch).
5. Eat as a "restaurant" (a local's house; you call ahead and let them know when you are coming, how many people you'll be bringing, and what time you'd like the food. Each individual has a set menu of what they make).
If I'm going with option # 1 or 2, acquiring the individual components of the meal is then the challenge. Here there are again a few options.
1. Grow it.
2. Buy it at a local store (pulperia, closest one is in the village about a mile away)
3. Buy it "in town" (La Ceiba).
The pulperias have many of the basics: eggs, boxed milk, dry beans, rice, flour, juice, lard. They sometimes have fresh produce, but usually just tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. Anything else has to be purchased in La Ceiba.
When shopping in La Ceiba, flexibility and patience are the key virtues. There are about 5 different main grocery stores people go to. If you are looking for a specific item, you may find it at only one of those places, or not at all. So you have to quickly decide what is essential to your desired recipe and what is worth driving across town to yet another store to search for. When I am in town, I'm usually with someone else who is driving, so I go wherever they are going.
Shopping here also requires planning ahead, which is not necessarily my strength. Not only do you have to plan what food you might want for the next week or two, but also try to get produce that will not spoil before you can eat it. This usually requires either buying things that are not ripe yet, or getting things that don't really go bad (like cabbage). All in all, a lot of learning experiences for me!
