PASSIONATE RATIONS

My flight deadline dictated my last meal in Miami.

My host had suggested we try a Peruvian place on the way to the airport, but the wait there was twenty minutes—too long given today’s travel environment (get there early and pass time in the security line).  So, we ended up at a place he described as somewhere he would never take out-of-town guests because of its distinct lack of appointments.  This made me very happy.  I like to eat at real local venues.  You often find the best food in the humblest places.

Antigua Guatemala is a neighborhood restaurant serving the Miami Guatemalan community.  While I can understand much and speak a little in Spanish, I was thankful my host was fluent because, indeed, we had entered Old Guatamala.

We determined to order a selection of items and partook of a sampler plate which featured a large beef taquito, a pork-filled (?) tamale, churrasca (a thin cut of grilled steak, with seasoning), rice, beans, and something called an “enchilada,” but which came naked (i.e. without sauce).  A type of flat bread accompanied the meal, thicker than your usual tortilla.

The foregoing all bore some resemblance to Latin-themed foods with which I am familiar, but one item on the plate I had never before seen.  Called “pacaya” it is lightly breaded and fried palm flower.  The edible portion consists of long yellow fronds and it makes a dramatic addition to the plate.  It was very mild in flavor and slightly crunchy.  It reminded me a bit of corn for reasons I cannot articulate.  It did not prove to be my favorite food ever, but it was interesting and I was excited to try something new.

Of the other food, I was particularly enamored of the preparation for the beans.  They were much soupier than the refried beans I have known.  They were flavorful and proved a fabulous dip for the flatbread and accompaniment to the other dishes.  Of those, they all were very good (resulting in me eating far too much).  The tastiest was the churrasca.

Happy memories of the meal accompanied me to the airport.  I felt sated all the way home.

Didn’t I arrive in Miami a vegetarian?  The city has changed me.

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VEGETARIAN ADVENTURE, DAY 54:  Obviously, Miami was my vegetarian Waterloo.  However, I have returned to vegetarianism “back home.”  I think I’m going to have to call myself an “At-Home Vegetarian” or a “Traveling Omnivore,” since my love of trying the foods of the places I visit, meat and all, is so compelling.  If you have a good descriptor, please comment.  With a trip to Germany coming up in April, I can already taste the bratwurst….