Puerto Rico, Part II

Part of the allure of travelling to a new place is becoming a temporary local, and obviously the fastest ticket to native-dom is to eat the local food.  In PR, there are many options, but you have to actively search for it. Since it is a US territory, the same chain-restaurant-multiplex-purgatory is sadly just as prolific as it is in the greater 50.  Once you get away from the Chester's Chicken, Chili's, McDonald's and the like, there are plenty of culinary treasures to be found. 

On our second day, we found ourselves in the sleepy beach town of Fajardo with lots of sunshine and a huge appetite.  Not wanting to waste a meal on something less than extraordinary, I sought out local expertise and approached a little old man on the street to get a suggestion.  Mrs. Turnier, my high school Spanish teacher, would have been proud.  I was able to communicate our desire for comida criolla (local cuisine) and follow his directions to every travelling foodie's dream.... a crusty hole-in-the-wall.  We walk in to find only a few options on the hand-written menu, many of which I couldn't translate (sorry, Senora Turnier).  Moments later we have baked chicken, habichuelas (red beans) and a huge pile of white rice in front of us. 

There is a small, special part of my soul that is nourished by nothing other than refined carbohydrates, so a plate with no less than 3 cups of sticky, chewy rice was basically nirvana.  The other part of my soul that loves a bargain was pretty happy too.  $5.79 for lunch, which included a drink!  The beans were surprisingly flavorful, and the chicken was tender and juicy.  Yes, this is a heavy lunch, but it made two hungry beach-goers very happy.  And very full.  So much so that we all but skipped dinner.  Alas!

Won't you stay tuned for Part III?