Fruta Frezca

So, I’ve been in Sogamoso for almost a month now and I’m settling in pretty well even though things are very different here. For instance, they have a siesta from 12:00-2:00 pm. I have become a complete fan of this idea and will be vehemently lobbying for this to become a law when I get back to SC. Here, the day begins at 7am and I’m completely worn out by 12. This is all perfectly grand and dandy because I get to take a nap during the middle of the day! The most wonderful thing about this is that there is no one here to judge me for taking a nap!! They are all asleep too! The concept of the siesta is absolutely wonderful no matter what my mom says!

But, if I decide not to nap during the siesta I could walk down to one of the many locally owned restaurants in the center of the town and have lunch. In the US, lunch is pretty light; maybe a sandwich and a bag of chips with a soda. Not here. I’ve become a fan of the churrasco. Churrasco is a roasted meat that is typically served with a chimichurri sauce. I couldn’t begin to tell you what chimichurri is made out of, but it’s so good it makes me want to slap my mama (not really mom, I love you very much). Another reason I like the churrasco so much is because I know what it is. I was fortunate enough to find out what mute (pronounced moo-tay) was before I ate it, and let’s just say I’m not a very big fan of tripe.

So, the churrasco is this big slab of meat, kind of like a steak but soooo much more delicious, and it’s served with a pretty large portion or rice, some French fries, a decent sized salad and something sweet like jello or a cookie for desert. All of that is just for lunch. Dinner is smaller here because lunch is so big, but that’s a good thing because after such a big lunch you aren’t really too hungry for dinner.

One other thing I’ve come to appreciate here is the abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. The best way I can describe it is… You know how in SC around June or July we have a plethora of fresh veggies? Well, it’s like that every day here, except there is no sweltering heat or suffocating humidity. I never knew that so many fruits that I’ve never heard even existed (yes, my mind can be pretty small at times). There’s this fruit called Lulu that kind of looks like a tomato. It’s only used for its juice, but it’s really sweet and tangy. It takes some getting used to, but now I know I’ll miss it when I return to the US because we don’t have Lulu there.

The availability of fresh fruit makes it irresistibly convenient to get whatever you want and wherever you want at a decent price. I bought a pound of grapes (which is uvas in Spanish for the inquiring minds) for about one thousand pesos. One thousand pesos sounds like a lot but it’s only about 0.50. That’s not the sale price either. I’ve attached a link to a YouTube video of a typical Colombian market (just click on the title Fruta Frezca). I’ve to been a few smaller markets, but they pretty much look the same. I hope you are amazed with all the different fruits and vegetables you will see like I was. God couldn’t have picked a better place to send me because I love fruit! I’m so blessed that I was chosen to be here!