Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Panamanian Dinner

Time to eat an authentic Panamanian dinner with Hablaya students and staff at Hostel Mamallena. Wherever my travels take me, I always look forward to trying the local cuisine, as long as I know what the ingredients are. And no, it’s not just about rice and beans here. But yes, we did have rice, and it was mixed with “guandĂș" (a typical Panamanian bean.)
We also had organic chicken in red sauce and ripe plantains. Beyond the dinner was the great environment created for Hablaya Students. A chance to meet other students, sit back and learn about the Panamanian culture.
Well here’s something interesting for you. The chicken we ate was raised on the patio of our chef, and she took the chicken in her own hands and prepared it from there… I won’t go into much more detail. As crazy as this sounds to some people, consider this. I would rather eat this chicken that is free of hormones, antibiotics and packaging. It really doesn’t get any more natural. So while I flinched at the first bite, I put in perspective. I had another bite and realized it tasted like chicken, because it was nothing but chicken. Way to keep it simple Panama!

2 comments:

  1. My house mom AlĂ­ Gonzalez was the chef! I was actually at home with her while she was cooking the meal! She is such an amazing Panamanian cook and her meals were always amazing! I was so fortunate to live with her!

    So, here is a little secret, it is called gallina del patio, which literally means Backyard Chicken, but she didnt actually raise it (we didnt even have chickens at our house ha ha). She did however buy it from someone that raises it as a "backyard chicken" and it is completely organic.

    I will have to translate this message to her and let her know how much you loved it; it will make her so happy!

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  2. Please do! Thanks for the correction! I really thought she raised the chicken. Still, delicious.

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