"Colombia. Food capital. Fun as hell.'

So Thursday night I got back from a week in Colombia. (Yes, it's spelled with two 'o's.) I had a spectacular time. I went in with no expectations and I was simply blown away. Makes me think I should try going into more situations with that mindset. It's definitely one of the poorest countries I've been to and yet the people have a zest for life I don't see very often.

As we were driving through the shantytowns in Barranquilla I thought, "I feel lucky to be able to see places like these because it makes me appreciative of where I get to go home to." It's sad that I have to see that kind of poverty before I realize the privileged life I lead in comparison. However it also makes me think that in this age of entitlement in which we live, my peers could stand to benefit from the wake up call only that kind of reality check could bring. These people live on cents per day. Cents. When I say shantytowns, I mean that I saw structures that didn't even have four walls. They didn't appear to all have indoor plumbing and electricity. Even in Cartagena there were vendors who rented cell-phones on the street for people to use as if they were telephone booths. But I don't want to dwell on the poverty. I'd like to move on to the highlights...

Cartagena's Old Town is probably one of the most magical places I've been to. The Spanish influence is apparent. It's a UNESCO world heritage site so many of the buildings are well preserved. The vibe is a cross between the French Quarter of New Orleans and Sevilla, Spain. One of the most striking things is how colorful the buildings are ranging from Greek Island blue to mango orange. The narrow (yet clean) streets are littered with street vendors, small taxis, and shops. Walking aimlessly, we encountered a multitude of romantic squares where locals congregated near restaurant patrons dining in the warm breeze. If I had to describe the Old Town in one word, I'd say it's romantic. Unbelievably so.



Coincidentally we also traveled in the shadow of Anthony Bourdain. We came across La Cevicheria, a restaurant where he dines in the episode where he visits Colombia where we wiled away an afternoon. Tierrabomba, an island he visits for serious 'local' food where the time from ocean to plate is whittled down to minutes and not hours and days. We happened upon a number of other spots recognized from the episode. In his words, "Colombia. Food capital. Fun as hell.'

Papaya. Papaya. Papaya.

I love it. I've never had papaya (and mango) as sweet. I'd had never cut a papaya until this trip and I know I'll be cutting many more.

Coconut rice. Coconut rice. Coconut rice.



Have you heard of a better (yet more simple) combination of flavor?

Patacon.

I think I've had enough but also delicious.

The pearl, the hidden gem, the masterpiece of our 7 days...Isla del Pirata (pictured below). We felt like we were our own private island. It wasn't luxurious. But as luck would have it, our timing was perfect. We were there for 3 days/2 nights and there were only a handful of other guests aside from us. We were spoiled with 3 days of perfect weather, 3 delicious meals per day, and cocktails to boot. And it was cheap! Did I say it was cheap? It's cheap!



Also, it's where I saw my first "22° halo" (a circular rainbow around the sun)! Unbelieveable.



Props to Luis for the halo image.

I could go on and on.

But seriously, the people are friendly and incredibly eager to show you the best of their country. They are well aware of the reputation Colombia has in the world and in my mind they're doing their best to change that rep. Check it ouuuuuut. Don't drink haterade without good cause.

Best meal of my life?

I'm not sure. Last night Dubya and I dined at Momofuku Ko, for the uninitiated or blissfully ignorant, it's David Chang's latest dining mecca except without a ssam or noodle (unless you count a pasta shell) in sight. Getting the reservation is the hardest part but completely worth the effort. Dubya and I had been trying for months before he serendipitously lucked out last week. We made a pact that if either of us 'made it' we'd bring the other.

Those who know me know I'm not a huge fan of seafood. I like to blame my mother for serving me lots of ugly looking fish when i was a kid and saying, 'eat it, it's brain food!' But by now I think it's just a personal vendetta of Barb vs. edible sea creatures. Honestly I just don't think I like the texture and taste. Ah mom, what else can I blame you for?

HOWEVER, I was paying $100 for a chef's tasting menu and you better believe I ate every last bit of everything short of the plate(s) and wooden chopsticks. Anyway Dubya pointed out to me that this was going to be a once in a blue moon kinda thing so we should just go all out and get the drink pairing as well. I said, 'what the hell?' I'm in for $100 why not $150? It would have otherwise gone to a pair of jeans i would've eventually 'outgrown,' instead i splurged on a meal that would surely help me outgrow all my clothes. You can choose to spend either $50, $85, or $100 on the pairings and I can say the $50 was WELL worth it. Drinks ranged from sake to beer to a white wine made in the style of a red out of sauvignon blanc grapes. I NEED to find out the label of that one.

I'm not writing to give a detailed review of each course. I actually don't even know how many there were, speculation leads to a number between 10-12. My favorite dishes were the deep fried short ribs, the last dessert course which involved corn flakes, milk and something that tasted like Toblerone (the chocolate of my fatty mcfatty fat childhood), the dish containing split pea soup and items from the great states of Georgia and Louisiana, and the poached egg situation. I was obviously NOT taking copious notes about my food like the dude on my left who I bet was a food blogger/writer of some sort. He was definitely trying to sweet talk the lone lady chef into divulging details she probably didn't care to divulge.

The whole experience was spectacular. I was transfixed watching the 3 chefs meticulously assemble each dish in front of me while the 'two hot women' (Dubya's words, not mine) hustled behind us to bus the dishes, serve and explain each drink, and be generally pleasant. I think the staff were engineered to say, 'good luck,' to anyone who discussed the 'next time' they get a reservation there because i heard it more than once from a 2/6 staff present. haha. not in a mocking way, just simply 'good luck.' In any case, the food was delicious, all of it. I even liked the halibut, the crawfish in the pea soup, supposedly there was some foie gras in one dish but the lychees masked all that flavor for me, the fluke now seems unmemorable compared to my favorites but i'd be hard-pressed to come up with one dish i didn't like. I even liked the butter knives that had contrasting angled handles so that they rested on the cutting edge of the blade. How cool?

My one disappointment? Espresso out of a pod! Everything was so painstakingly prepared and to end with espresso from a pod? Boo. I kid. I have a pod espresso doohickey at home and it makes very tasty coffee for lazy people.

I've realized lately how 'into' food i've become in the last two years but why not? Good food is one of the great pleasures of life and it's harder to come by than you think, especially if you've had great meals like this...everything else just pales in comparison. How many fond memories do you have that are attached to a meal? Plus, you're putting it into your body why not make sure it's the good stuff?

Reflections

The first day back from a great trip is always rough, probably one of the things I dislike the most about traveling while gainfully employed. Australia was different, didn't have the pressures of work to come back to. But today everything was kosher for Passover.

On hindsight, the trip was amazing and unlike anything I've ever done. To have a good friend taking you around their country, making every effort to show you the best...I've never really had that. Granted I could have also done with a bit more time to just stroll around but I can always do that next time.

The depth of Japanese cuisine shocked me. The depth of Japanese cuisine beyond seafood completely knocked my off my size 10.5/11 feet. Unreal. The things they do with the most basic ingredients such as tofu, rice and edamame I couldn't imagine they could be so full of flavor. So much so that I feel the need to figure out how to make some of these things at home.

Beyond the food, the people are so nice and polite, though I feel we got a bit of special treatment as gaijins. One thing that scared me a bit was the density of the crowds during the busy hours. I never met a city that could compete with New York in that way but Tokyo definitely wins. The will motor over anything that doesn't move fast enough, even the elderly are the same! ha.

I can't wait to go back again and explore the rest of the country. Though the sheer expanse of Tokyo itself is daunting. It's such a big city. BIG.