Foods Eaten in My First 3 Months-2/23/2014

2/23/2014
Family,
Many of you are probably wondering what on earth I eat here, how do I survive, what do I normally eat? Please don't die when I tell you.

The standard meat: Chicken. The standard side: beans & rice. Put it all together and you have a normal meal. Almost always is there some form of chicken & rice. And a lot of times there are beans. The rice is almost always white rice, not a lot done to it, but every once in a while it's way different. Learn to love rice. I have learned to love it because you get a ton of it. Now with beans, they're almost always black beans and most of the time they are just your normal side, but sometimes they're in your rice. Once I had bean soup, it was kind of weird.

Chicken. Brother #3 this is your place. I've eaten so much chicken I'm growing feathers. I've seen it prepared many different ways. Sometimes it's chopped up with rice & plantains, cooked and served bones and all, lightly breaded, like what a normal chicken breast without bones looks like, etc. If the person is Peruvian (and sometimes others) expect plantains - they're a big banana that is super sweet, the green plantains are poisonous if not cooked. I don't really care for plantains but I'll eat them.

Peruvian food: Papa a la Huancaína

Some other things I really like... Yuca, it's a root, normally served in Peruvian food. It kind of looks like a giant french fry, tastes like one too but it's even better. They fry them and you dip it in different salsas (sauces). I could eat it for days. It's also found in soups and very good too.  Papa de la Huancaína, it's a baked potato with this sauce that is poured over it. The coloration is similar to fry sauce and it has little red dots in it.

Other foods I've liked...ribs, stir fry, hamburger patty, tacos de carne asada, tamales, and various salads. Oh also talapia, not too bad.

   

[Above left: Making tamales with a Sister from the ward-Saturday 2/8/2014; 

Above right: Eating the tamales on Sunday 2/9/2014]

Pastas. There are a lot of different noodles and sauces I've had. Some red sauce, green sauce, meatballs, meaty, thin noodles, long noodles, this noodles, short noodles. I'm liking and getting used to it.

Soups. Soups are weird here, but I'm getting used to it. You know in California the thickest soup is a clam chosder or a chunky beef stew. Here, there will be a slab of meat in there, full yacas, whole carrots, etc. Basically take your dinner plate and put it in a broth. They'll have a corn on the cob (or half) in there. You have to use your hands a lot and drink up the broth.

Braden comere tacos al pastor y de carne asada-Saturday 2/22/2014

Some of the weirder things I've eaten. Kimchi (kimchee), ask Sister Warr, it's the Korean pickled cabbage with the powerful smell. I had a little, not too bad, I would eat it again. Has a nice kick at the end. Tacos de lengua, tongue tacos. Braden has eaten tongue, it was very good, I liked it a lot and would eat many more times. Meat is a little more chewy.


Korean dessert, it was shaved ice mixed with red beans, a little sweet, very interesting. The reason for the Korean food was that we went to our roomates to a Korean lady's home for lunch. Also there was a beef/steak prepared with rice and steamed veggies you put on top of a giant lettuce leaf and ate. There was this super good pepper that tasted like a bell pepper.

Lunch on Sunday 2/23/2014

Restaurants. Been to Subway 3 times, got the Subway melt, grilled chicken, turkey & black forest ham. Usually get lots of other toppings. Subway is good. I'm appreciating sandwiches. At the apartement I sometimes will make a turkey sandwich toasted with cheese and sometimes lettuce. Taco bell, got the taco meal deal, it was good. Sardi's super good Peruvian chicken place. Oh sorry Brother #1, literally the closest restaurant which is a 5-7 minute walk is Outback Steakhouse, haven't been there because it's expensive but think of you when I see it. Cafe rio - very similar to Costa Vida, Utah worships it, two weekends in a row they had $1 burritos (instead of normally around $8). Obviously there are more places I've been to but I tried to mention some different ones. Oh there's a Noodles and Company here, I had the Whole Grain L...something [Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine] with parmesan chicken, it was amazing.

Whole Grain Tuscan Linguine from Noodles and Company

Anyways that is the tip of the iceberg of what I've been eating. Don't die from shock.

Love, Elder Braden John Dahl
[Note: Mom is in total shock!!!!]
3/3/2014
Family,
Part 2 of things I've eaten. So since I wrote you my last list of things I've eaten, more food and drink has come to mind and I've now eaten more things. I've eaten completos, which are a Chilean hot dog. It's done in thick bread and has a hot dog with cheese, tomatoes, and guacamole on it.

I've also had cashew juice (from the cashew fruit, not nut), it smells awful but the taste really isn't that bad. I've also had chimichangas, which are alright, not my favorite but pretty good.

I've also had sopes which are a tortilla base and it kind of looks like a pizza. It's a small tortilla with beans, cheese, herbs and some other things. It tastes super good.

I've also had a bowtie pasta with a slamon sauce and a little bit of salmon bits in it. I'm still not the biggest seafood fan but it was alright. I've had some pork sandwiches with mayo now and bell peppers in vinegar and that was super good.

Lunch - Saturday 3/8/2014

I love you all.
Love, Elder Braden John Dahl