What Do We Eat?

People often ask about the food in El Salvador.  It is a little hard to describe and has its own style.  It it absolutely not like "Mexican" food we would get in the states.  Though we stayed at the Mamapan Hotel all week, we never had the same meal twice, not even for breakfast.  Most of the food was very good.  We had food at 4 places during the week:  the Hotel, the work site, a restaurant in San Salvador, and the beach resort on the Pacific coast.  We often went out for ice cream across the street from the Hotel.

We were instructed from the beginning to not drink the local water.  We always had bottled water provided, even for brushing teeth.  Francis and Habitat only take us where the water and drinks are safe for us visitors.

A salad at a restaurant in San Salvador, the capitol city.

 A sandwich on wheat bread and salad in San Salvador.

 A sandwich on crusty bread plus a salad in San Salvador.

A Hotel breakfast of fried potatoes, steamed vegetables, and tortilla.  The cornmeal tortilla, if stuffed with cheese, refried beans, pork, or beef becomes a pupusa, a nationally famous food item.

 Ice cream served at the Hotel.  Francis's mother, Francisca, made the cookie at her bakery business down the street.  Francis added some strawberry topping.

 A breakfast dish at the Hotel.  That's a fried egg, some beans, and a corn fritter, plus some sour cream in the small dish, and a piece of cheese.

 Jackie, the homeowner to be, serves papaya, banana, and pineapple as a break snack during the work day a the build site.

 This hotel meal includes honey, a jam, toast, plus banana, cantaloupe, papaya, and watermelon.  We were also served fried plantains a few times.

 A work site meal of flavored rice, steamed veggies, and chicken.  It looks plain, but was flavorful, served hot, and very welcome.  Often, the women at the Co-Op prepare and deliver the noontime work site meal.

 A Hotel breakfast plate of a cheese omelette, sausage, corn fritter, refried beans, cheese, and sour cream.  Bread was always served at breakfast and dinner.  AJ always made a sandwich out of everything.  Everything.

 When you order a pina colada at the beach resort, you get what you asked for.