Random thoughts on food and the rainy season

I've been really wearing out this week, but I realize I haven't posted any goings-on for several days, so I thought I would try and get something up.

I think I'm having a low energy week and this place takes quite a bit of energy to deal with the language and walking around (see rant on cobblestones earlier) and just being out of your comfort zone.

The food has been awesome. E has had some problems with his digestion but I seem to be perking along in that department just fine. We've found a restaurant that serves excellent local food very near the school and have been there twice. It's called Taquiza and it's kind of a mom's home cooking kinda place and Mom runs a tight ship. The bathrooms are srupulously clean and she has all these rules posted about when she will and won't serve beer and who she will serve it to. For instance, no beer after 11pm and no beer if you are in a school uniform.

The 1st time we went I had a marvelous veggie dish of chopped green beans and carrots with crispy pieces of tortilla in a really, really tasty green sauce with a bit of white cheese sprinkled over it. The next time I had basically the same dish, except instead of the veggies, it had chicken in it. We're probably gonna hit that place once or twice a week while I'm here.

Last night we went Peruvian and I had a rice and black bean cake stuffed with shrimp and more shrimp and sauce poured over it. E and I then split a chocolate thing that was incredible.

One thing that E and I have both commented on and like is the fact that you get reasonable portions served and not enough food to feed a family of six. You can have a meal and not be so stuffed you can't move or feel miserable.

More on food later, I'm sure.

The rainy season started Sunday. That means that the day starts out lovely and sometime in the afternoon it starts to pour down rain. It pours for a while, then it stops, the sun may or may not come out, then it rains some more later. After it gets dark, it gets a bit cool but not too bad. There is nothing over our room except the wood ceiling and the roof tiles, so you can really hear the rain when it pours hard. It was very nice falling asleep to it last night. Also, the electricity has gotten quite lumpy now that it's raining so much. It has blinked off and on several times while we've been here and yesterday afternoon it was off for about 2 hours. It really plays havoc with all the electronics.

Well, I'm really tired so I'm closing this for now. Hope to get a power nap in before dinner.

Your correspondent in Antigua - Mel