West Chester Dish

It’s about 2 am, and in three hours I’m leaving good ole’ West Chester for a 10-day trip to warm and sunny Belize. My college roommate is stationed there for the Peace Corps and her two-year contract is done in a few months, so it’s now or never that I visit her.

I considered going alone, but was warned that it wouldn’t be really safe for a single gal to venture alone through the streets of Belize. It was advised that I should bring a male friend along, if possible. So, I put out the offer. No bites…except one. My high school physics partner.

We decided on a date and booked our tickets. Then we started planning. By “planning” I mean I bought a tour book. Anytime I travel I use the Let’s Go series. I’m used to how they read, so I end up reading the most about where I am visiting on the plane, train or bus en route. I make sure to scan the important sections before I leave, like to find out what diseases I could get, what documentation I need and, of course, the food situation. Here’s what I know so far about the food in Belize…

(From Let’s Go Central America) “There are as many types of food in Belize as there are ethnic groups. The country’s residents eat a lot of rice and beans, as well as beans and rice. (Yes, there is a difference: beans and rice consists of the two mixed and cooked together; rice and beans are separate.) Garifuna and Creole dishes combine seafood with fruits, such as cassava, plantain, coconut and green bananas, along with a dash of hot sauce. Escabeche is a potent Maya onion soup. A garnache, similar to a Mexican tostada, is a fried tortilla covered with beans, cheese and vegetables; the more distinctive salbute is a fried-puff tortilla covered with chicken, fish, tomatoes or cabbage; a panade is a folded tortilla filled with fish (usually shark).

For breakfast, fry jacks are similar to the sweet Mexican fried-dough sopapillas; Johnny cakes are closer to the American pancake. Lobster is available in season, and “whole fresh fish” is available year round, but be prepared to dissect a fully intact specimen. Fruit juice competes with Belikin Beer as the most popular beverage in Belize; Belikin is light, smooth, and goes with just about everything. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day; dinner is sometimes referred to as “tea.”

Seriously, after reading that…what else do I need to know?

Ok…I have to get back to packing. I am making sure I have lots of comfy clothes to wear for hiking and walking off all the good eats. However, I will be leaving one very important thing behind: my trusty laptop. I have become so attached to my laptop that I am afraid I will regret it as soon as I walk out the door, but I need a real vacation…plus, Internet cafes are everywhere. I will post as I am able.

The Final Dish: I will be in touch. Wish me luck…in packing that is. The rest should be a piece of cake…mmm Johnny cake.