Every night after work I walked down the same street to go home- Calle Santander. On Calle Santander, there are many tourist restaurants, bakeries, cafes, travel agencies, and street vendors. On this street, you find the tourists who group together wearing their bohemian style pants, sandals, and a tank top. It's so annoying to witness sometimes as people just appear so clueless. Focusing on the important part, the Food. You can find some great vegan pure cacao chocolate, great coffee, good vegetarian dishes, fresh juices, and fresh cakes and muffins. The local places had some simple foods that tasted great: a simple Margherita pizza cooked in the health food shop, a Chocolate chip muffin, Banana bread-which I bought for my hotel friends, tofu eggplant sandwich, fresh watermelon juice, and great local style breakfasts. The local breakfasts include rice, beans, tortilla, huevos rancheros, avocado, and fresh squeezed orange juice.
The traditional food includes pupusas, tamales, roasted or fried chicken with papas fritas, the avocado special soup, tostadas with salsa and avocado, and roasted corn. It is quite common to be eating a tortilla, beans, and rice with your meal whether it is meat or fish.
While it is not advised to eat off the street, there are definitely some exceptions for me. The first one is Ceviche, which i just shrimp, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and fresh lime juice. Also, corn off the streets is fine. Eating at a street vendor with prepared foods is at your own risk, but I tried out one lady and then kept going to her everyday. She had some seriously amazing black beans(which in Guatemala they mash them up and make it like a soup rather than just serve the whole bean). She had a fried plantain that taste like heaven, beet salad, hot tomato salsa, avocado salad, and fresh baked bread from a local panaderia. It was nice having some bread instead of always eating tortillas. She became my friend as I would stop by and sit and eat with her every other day. She had been running the same food cart for 35 years, unmarried, no children, and running her father's business. Her sisters are married with children and she is the one who stepped up after her father died. She took responsibility and stayed in the same area near their old home.
My other friend, Jacinto, who makes pupusas was another vendor who was so proud of his food. His pupusas came with cheese and beans or chicken. He gave me advice on volcano climbing in rainy season-no bueno. He said that Santiago is the nicest city surrounding the Lake and it's filled with artists. For me, pupusas are like quesadillas, but when you taste them the texture is a bit different and the beans create a different flavor. The spinach and cheese one was amazing with some of the special homemade giardanara. It was amazing flavor at one time.
The traditional food includes pupusas, tamales, roasted or fried chicken with papas fritas, the avocado special soup, tostadas with salsa and avocado, and roasted corn. It is quite common to be eating a tortilla, beans, and rice with your meal whether it is meat or fish.
While it is not advised to eat off the street, there are definitely some exceptions for me. The first one is Ceviche, which i just shrimp, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and fresh lime juice. Also, corn off the streets is fine. Eating at a street vendor with prepared foods is at your own risk, but I tried out one lady and then kept going to her everyday. She had some seriously amazing black beans(which in Guatemala they mash them up and make it like a soup rather than just serve the whole bean). She had a fried plantain that taste like heaven, beet salad, hot tomato salsa, avocado salad, and fresh baked bread from a local panaderia. It was nice having some bread instead of always eating tortillas. She became my friend as I would stop by and sit and eat with her every other day. She had been running the same food cart for 35 years, unmarried, no children, and running her father's business. Her sisters are married with children and she is the one who stepped up after her father died. She took responsibility and stayed in the same area near their old home.
My other friend, Jacinto, who makes pupusas was another vendor who was so proud of his food. His pupusas came with cheese and beans or chicken. He gave me advice on volcano climbing in rainy season-no bueno. He said that Santiago is the nicest city surrounding the Lake and it's filled with artists. For me, pupusas are like quesadillas, but when you taste them the texture is a bit different and the beans create a different flavor. The spinach and cheese one was amazing with some of the special homemade giardanara. It was amazing flavor at one time.
PLEASE NOTE: FOOD PICTURES DO NOT USUALLY MAKE IT TO THE CAMERA BECAUSE I GET EXCITED AND EAT IT BEFORE THE FLASH:)
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