A culinary take on Nicaragua

After almost three months in Nica, no blog would be complete with some talk about the food.  The best way to sum it is up is, there is more of me coming back than when I left!

The food here is really very good.  It is very simple and fresh. The thing I noticed the most is the lack of processed foods.  If you want salsa, you make it.  If you want corn tortillas, you get if from the tortilla maker down the street - you might even watch them make it for you.  If you want a drink they make fresh lemonade, actually we would call it a lime, but it is made fresh every time you order it.  The smoothies are everywhere but vary daily based on the fresh fruit they have on hand.

You get the picture.  Of course there is processed food available, Cokes and chips are the most common, but they are not the norm.  I hope I can continue to eat this basic when I get home.

However, there are some things I miss.  While the main protein will vary with each meal, the side dishes are very limited.  They consist of pico gallo (red beans and rice), yucca, green plantains and sweet plantains.  That is about it.  There are very few green vegetables.  Green beans, asparagus, broccoli, squash, etc are hard to come by. I am ready for some good old southern cooking, that is for sure. 

Back to the good stuff.  I love me some bbq.  They do it quite well down here.  Most people cook over a wood burning grill or oven.  You don't see any smoked meats, my favorite, but if you like grilled food, you won't be disappointed in Nica.  From the big events to the street side vendors, the grilled food is excellent.

Not so different from a good ol pig roast back home 

A street vendor and some chicken

q

Roasted chicken and someone likes a well done pig's foot.  It is still cooking on the far left!


Several of you have asked about the water and all it entails.  I am happy to report that we have not been sick at all on this trip.  Well, almost.  On one adventurous day in Matagalpa, Ruth ate raw coffee berries along the hike and toped it off with some strange hot corn milk concoction from a street vendor.  That did not end well for a 24 hour period!  I chalk it up to her bravery or willful ignorance.  Even our guide asked her if she really wanted the drink.  He did not know about the dirty berries.  All in all, she is a great traveler. This one adventure just bit her in the butt (literally).

Death and Cemeteries in Nicaragua

Dateline: 1236 marbles

Some of you may know that I have a strange curiosity surrounding graveyards and cemeteries.   I like to wonder through them and look at the tombstones.  They can tell you so much about a person (or at least what those surviving the deceased thought about the person).  I have explored old plantation cemeteries with big ornate markers for the land owners and just a pile of rocks for the laborers.  I have wondered through the majestic Oakland cemetery in Atlanta and seen graves of civil war soldiers and the prominent Atlanta families at the turn of the century.  I think my attraction is more than morbid curiosity.  I really do think it tells you a lot about a society and how they perceive the great equalizer in life, death.

This leads me to the amazing cemetery in Granada and some other observations about death and the afterlife in Nicaragua.  First lets start with the cemetery in Granada.  It is huge and a historical treasure.  It is still in use today.

Granada is one of the original colonial cities in Nicaragua.  It has been one of the two major cities throughout Nica's political history.  It was a prosperous business community on the shores of Lake Nicaragua.  Accordingly, the cemetery is filled with political leaders and business leaders through the ages. There are countless ornate graves to reflect the power of the individuals buried there.

I am always intrigued by the symbology on graves.  Obviously, Nica is an overwhelmingly catholic country so there is a lot of church symbology on the tombs.  However there are a lot of other symbols that are similar to imagery used in the US.  

Of course not all of the graves are so grand.  Some do their best to show the love of the surviving family while others did their best just to list the pertinent facts.

Another great tradition is the funeral procession.  They are similar to New Orleans processions.  The casket is carried by horse drawn carriage to the cemetery. 





The procession follows.  They do this on any street needed to get to the cemetery.  This means this long procession is often on busy roads and the traffic just has to deal with it.  There is no New Orleans jazz band.  In Nica the funeral procession is usually a little more somber but not without an aire of excitement.

   

The other odd thing is the number of Funerarias you see.  Basically, these are retail stores that sell caskets.  They are scattered around town just like any other small retail operation. 

As I think about it, death is much closer to home to the average Nicaragua.  Life is harder in Nicaragua and death just seems a more natural part of life.  We in the US tend to isolate the whole process and compartmentalize it.  Not so here.  It is not morbid and of course people are sad to lose a loved one but the death process is just like any other part of living.


  

Chicken buses are the way to go!

One of the most unique parts of travel in Nicaragua is the "chicken bus". They are everywhere and the country could not work without them. 

The following is my understanding and experience of traveling on chicken buses:

A chicken bus is a public transportation bus that runs from one destination to another, Granada to Masaya for example.  They go from one city to the next, turn around and do it again and again. However, they seem to stop just about anywhere along the way to let people on and off.  The route is painted garishly on the windshield of the bus so it is clear which bus is which. 

Aside from that each bus is different.

Nicaragua is poor. Only the 1%'ers have a car. Everyone else uses the chicken buses, took-took (motorcycles retrofitted to push a two or four seat compartment), motorcycles, bikes, horses or they walk.  However, by far the average Nica uses the chicken bus to travel any significant distance.

The buses are usually old school Blue Bird (yellow) school buses from the US. 

 The other day I saw a Chatham County bus (Savannah) but could not get a picture fast enough.  Once they are worn out in the US, they ship them here for a whole new life.  It is a good thing adult Nica's are smaller than Norte Americano adults.  The seats are still set for children and are very tight and are not really wide enough for two big butt Norte Americano's.  The Nica's seem to fit ok though!

They are called chicken busses because they haul everything and I mean everything.  Locals get on them with huge bunches of plantains, 50 lb bags of produce, tires, you name it.  They are used just like a pick up truck and the locals use them to carry their wares to market.  Yes, even chickens! 

The stuff is loaded on the top of the bus.  They have been retrofitted with railing to carry stuff on the top of the bus and are strapped down for the journey.

It is my understanding that each bus route is a semi-independent operator.  This means they paint and decorate their bus any way they want to.  Each bus has three people.  The driver and two expeditors (that is what I call them). These two guys hang off the front and back doors and "facilitate" the on and off boarding process.  They are incredibly efficient.  Lots of yelling back and forth and they really do get people on and off fast.  The guys in the back also crawls up the back of the bus to get stuff ready to unload, while the bus is traveling down the road!  It is read to unload when the bus stops!

The buses are packed and I mean packed.  I have never been on when when every seat is not full and the isles are two people deep.  However, there is always room for more people at each stop.  

The amazing part is the collection system.  As a reformed CFO this amazes me.  You don't pay when you get on.  Remember the facilitators? Their primary job is to get you on and off, fast.  At some point in the trip they walk around and collect the fare.  People are getting on and off all the time, but they do the fare collection at seemingly random intervals.  The fares are incredibly cheap, a 50 cent tot a couple of bucks at the most to travel from one city to another.  There are no tickets and they just weave their way through the packed bus collecting the fares.  They have huge wads of cash.  Somehow they seem to remember who they collected from on each pass through.  It is an internal control nightmare but it is what it is.

My only regret is that we have too much luggage to use them extensively.  If you have time they are incredible cheap ways to get around the country.  I found them to be safe and even fun.  Of  course you have to be self aware but the locals seem to find us just as curious as we find their customs.  That is what it is all about.

Nica Ingenuity #2

One thing that is amazing when you visit a third world country is the creativity of the people since they have little if any money to spend on items other than food and shelter. Here in Nica you do not see farms fenced with field fencing like -- hog wire, goat/ sheep wire and especially not horse wire. All of those field fencing rolls would be impossible to use without a tractor. Not to mention the cost of the wire being so much more that a small roll of barbed wire. In addition to that wood is very expensive here. Any wood they collect they use for their oven since cooking is still mainly done by wood stoves and kiln type ovens. For that reason they use a tree lined fence where possible and supplement in spaces needed with small vertically cut tree trunks or limbs. No metal T posts in this country that I have seen. Further more since wood is so expensive your privacy fence for your home will consist of any material you have available -- metal, plastic, even an old box spring from a bed.  Lighting -- wow -- we have seen lots of creative light fixture ideas. I will post more in my " artsy" Nica blog series. Photo 1-- what do you do when Barbed wire is your only fencing option??? Plus you can only afford to put up 3 strands and no more -- so how do you keep your livestock inside your fence??? You put a stick upside down triangle on their necks. They can not stick their head through the fence and wiggle their way through. You will see this on Pelebuey ( a type of sheep that can live here), any goats you see ( which are very very few because of the rainy season they do not survive well here), pigs ( which are all over), and even the cattle. The only animal I have not seen one on is a horse. Photo 2 and 3 -- these are two photos of the way to use your box springs. You can turn them horizontally and make a gate or just use it with a solid barrier for your privacy fence. I love it!! I think it makes a really neat looking gate with lots of dimension. I may have to run to Robinson Salvage in LaGrange and make a gate for the art farm. Photo 4 -- these are the light fixtures from an awesome surf and turf restaurant we went to on the Island of Ometepe. The light fixtures are 5 gallon plastic buckets. Haha. Awesome-- but boy would they be bug catchers. So I will pass on reusing this idea.  Happy day. Love Ruth

Brand imaging at its very best!

Dateline: 1239 marbles

This post is for my friends at Sparks Grove.  The is about he amazing power of branding and imaging.  I have learned something about this in Nicaragua.

The FSLN is the political party of the Sandinistas.  It is lead by Daniel Ortega, or Daniel as he is know and promoted throughout Nicaragua.  This post will not address his politics, rather the incredible branding around his party and himself.

One thing to keep in mind is that Nicaragua remains a poor and largely illiterate country.  While they have made significant strides in literacy for the children, the rural adults remain illiterate or at least largely illiterate.  This creates a unique reality regarding how to communicate to this audience. 

The colors of the FSLN are black and red.  You see these colors everywhere and I mean everywhere.  The simple red and black strips are painted on everything.  From rocks to bus stops to lampposts.  If paint will adhere to it, it is covered in a red and black stripe.

Another key symbol is Sandino, the revolutionary leader from the early 1900's who lead a revolt to kick out the US Marines who occupied the country.  The Sandinistas take their name from him.  His symbol is ubiquitous for revolution and independence.  Its simple form can be seen everywhere as well.

Perhaps the best form of communication is the Daniel 2 symbol.  It associates the paternal Daniel and the party's election number.  Remember, much of the population is illiterate so the simple name and number is driven into everyone's collective memory.  Quite an advantage to already know your ballot number years and years in advance!

You gotta hand it to Daniel.  He is a survivor.  His brand messaging could rival that of the world's very best!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repurposing Blog 1

The ingenuity of the Nicaraguan people never fails to amaze me.

As we have traveled around the country there are always within view items that are repurposed (meaning -- used for things other than what they were intended for).

My favorite repurposing ideas will be featured in my next several posts.

Photo 1 -- this is the rail holder on a farm -- an old fan belt from a car

 

Photo 2 -- now an old fan belt is being used to hold the gate closed -- great idea -- much easier to grab than a piece of barbed wire which would be the norm.

 

Photo 3 -- 1/2 of a large truck tire as a feed trough.

 

Photo 4 -- these are two supper sweet boys that were so proud to give Kirk and I a tour of their farm. This is their work shed where they keep a ton of to be repurpose items. I love the oldest brothers boots -- they were definitely way too big but he was happy to have them.

 

As we have traveled around I keep wishing I had not ever thrown some things away. Now I know other uses for them that are kind of cool.

Love Ruth

Farm Blog 3 - Ruth

Hello Animal lovers-- Nica is the place for you!!!

What do I love about Nica???? I love the fact that your animals are allowed in the kitchen.

I have my cat and dog in my kitchen, but here in Nica. You can have your chickens, pet birds, and pigs too!!! Just add my horse and I would probably actually like to be in the kitchen and maybe I would cook. Haha!!!!



The kitchen at the cattle ranch where we worked cattle
 

Our picnic lunch with friends on the top
of the mountain in Matagalpa

Our dining room along the Rio San Juan

 

One of the farm pigs (dinner maybe?) roaming under the
 sink where you wash up for the meal - I love it!



Now the best part about Nica is the people are not only SUPER friendly, they are very

clean. Every day they wash their dirt floor with water and then keep it swept all day long. You can not imagine how clean the dirt really is until you see it in person.

This is the last of my farm posts. Next I will focus on the ingenuity of the people.

Love Ruth.

It is not just a cup of coffee

Dateline:1239 marbles

I will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.  Last week we were in the sunny Caribbean and this week we are in Selva Negro ( www.selvanegra.com ) just outside Matagalpa.  Selva Negro is a very unique coffee and organic farm in the mountains of northern Nicaragua.  It is in a cloud forest and is beautiful. What makes it truly unique is it was founded by a German family over 150 years ago.  To this day it looks like an alpine village in the cloud forest of Nicaragua.  It is very odd to say the least.

The life blood of the property is its coffee farm.  They take great pride in growing true organic coffee in a sustainable way.  They are the principal coffee supplier to Whole Foods.  Their coffee is that good and well known.  It is an incredibly difficult and labor intensive crop and to do it right is even harder.



hand picking the coffee berry

Like I said earlier, Selva Negra is committed to growing sustainable and organic coffee.  This means in part, that they are restoring the tree cover in the cloud forest and growing the coffee in the shade.  The more canopy, the bigger the cloud forest.  This is a win-win because the cloud forest generates much of the water needed by everyone.  Of course, this is less efficient than using chemicals and fertilizer but it better for the environment.

The processing plant is impressive.  The coffee berries are washed and the water is captured and filtered through a 30+ meter well and then recaptured and used to water the pastures for the cows.  [They make the best european cheese in Nicaragua.]  This prevents the acidic water from getting into the river systems.


The freshly picked berries poured into the processor
 to remove the pulp to get to the coffee bean

The coffee husks are fermented into compost, the primary fertilizer.  The gasses from the compost are captured and used in the kitchens for the workers.  That brings me to the people side of the operation.

First, Selva Negra is the current role model for an eco-sustainable operation.  They take so much pride that they offer tours of their operation.  With that said, the migrant pickers have a rough life.

Coffee is grown on the side of the mountains.  When I say side I mean it is almost cliff.  The land is very steep and can be hard to navigate.  That is the first challenge.  The second challenge is it is entirely manual.  From picking the berries to carrying them out it is all manual.  Needless to say it is hard work and they need a lot of people to harvest the crop.

This is a dorm - the upstairs is  for single men
 and the downstairs are for families

Selva Negra has several dormitories for the migrant workers.  The picking season is approximately 4 months and they need many hundreds of workers to pick the berries.  So where do they stay? In the dorms.  There are dorms for single men, families and single women.  The singles live in what look like camp cabins.  Lots of beds in a common room.  The families stay in little dorms that would make a submariner claustrophobic.  Wow, I would go nuts in one night.  When the doors are shut there is no window.  I could not imagine what it is like with a mom dad and kids in the little room.  However, they genuinely seem appreciative for what they are provided.

A family dorm room - see the little baby
 sleeping in the bunk

Keep in mind this is probably as good as it gets for a coffee picker.  Selva Negra provides a clinic, school and a commissary for the workers to buy necessities.   This might be the best place in the world to pick coffee and yet, they live in conditions you would not consider humane.

I have no idea where all the money goes from the berry to the grande soy milk cafe latte but it is not going to the migrant worker.  I will never look at my cup of coffee the same.

 

 

Our Friends and Their Boat

We are staying at a very nice resort on Little Corn Island.  We figured a few days of pampering and unlimited quantities of hot water were just what we needed.  One of the amenities at the resort is to take a wooden sailboat to the outer reef for some really good snorkeling.  While the snorkeling was outstanding it paled in comparison to the boat and its crew.

 

 

First a little background.  The Caribbean coast of Nicaragua is vastly different than the rest of the country. It is very isolated from the power structure which is all on the western side of the country.  Add to that the inhabitants are a mix of Caribbean blacks ( from the slave trading days), Miskito Indians and Nicas who were looking to escape.  The native language is usually English, then Creole, then Spanish then Miskito. It is crazy.  Imagine, combining Jamaican English, with Gullah, with Spanish with Navajo.  Suffice it to say, communicating is a real challenge.

 

So back to the boat.  This sailboat is a typical fishing boat of the Miskito Indians.  It was hand made by our crew.  It is incredibly primitive.  There is no keel, just a long heavy plank that is moved from side to, side to provide a counter weight.  When needed, someone climbs out on the end to provide more weight! 

 

 

Our little crew made this themselves and sailed it on a two day journey to Little Corn Island.  This is a first for their community.  They are so proud.  I mean really proud. They told us all about it in a gumbo mixture of languages and dialects.  Ruth was really taken away and charmed by the guys.  They are like kids from Peter Pan.  So much so she wanted to take another trip on the boat just to take pictures, as we forgot our cameras on the snorkeling trip.

 

 

That afternoon she decided to paint a small watercolor of their boat.  It was quite simple but she did a really good job capturing the colors of the sea and the spirit of the little boat.  She was careful to make sure the name and logo of the boat were portrayed correctly.

After the second ride she gave the little painting to the "captain".  Keep in mind the entire crew is comprised of 5 guys in their twenties who had never left their little village (country as they called it).  The captain said thank you and that was that.  Later that afternoon, we were talking about the boat and Ruth said she hope the guys liked the painting.  I think she was a little embarrassed of it because it was "just a simple little watercolor".

Fast forward to dinner.  As we entered the restaurant the general manager was quick to pull Ruth aside to say the boys were ecstatic about the "painting" she did for them.  She had never seen them so excited.  They were begging her for a frame, any frame to put their painting in.  She said it was precious to see the guys so excited.  They even told her to remove the charge for the boat ride for payment for the painting.  That was a big deal since we were the only paying ride for that day!

I say all this because it really is the small acts of kindness that really connect human beings.  These boys have nothing, other than their precious boat and their friendship.  Ruth was sensitive enough to see and feel their pride, that she was touched by it.  She went the next step and acted on it.

While the boys have their painting, we will forever have the memory of that day with some Miskito boys who shared their boat with us for an afternoon.