What have PBHers experiences been when they reveal their culinary talents/interests to Colombian friends?

adrimm (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 15, 2009, 13:53:

Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jun 15, 2009, 14:16:

I was fortunate to marry into a family that held home-cooking in high esteem and where every lunch was prepared with utmost care and consideration, using only the very freshest ingredients and abundance of vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs. I was often encouraged to cook something originated from my own country but I had hard time finding ingredients to my culinary endeavours. My pork loin stuffed with prunes served in prune sauce was rinsed under running water to get rid of the sweet fruit taste and returned to the oven with the proper seasoning of lots of salt, pepper, cummin, thyme, salvia, rosemary, onions and tomato.

My rabbit stewed with bacon and mushrooms in red wine was much appreciated since I said it was an original French recipe that was called in Spanish Liebre a La Buena Mujer in my Spanish cookbook.

Overall, our friends appreciated my cooking skills much higher than the family.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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theflatline says on Jun 15, 2009, 14:28:

I hope so, while Colombian has some tasty dishes, they are few and far between. A kitchen in Colombia is a stove with three burners, a blender, and a pressure cooker.

I grew up in South Louisiana which is combination of french, italian, and spanish and my family always placed a great deal of interest and pride in cooking traditional french and italian food, with the remnants of spanish cuisine as well.

Part of it was the preparation, the conversation, and it was an event, not just something to fill your stomach.

My Colombian grandmother is an amazing cook, and when I first moved there I thought everyone could cook like her. But then I found out otherwise. My grandfather was the Panamian consulate and my grandmother was friends with the others counsels wives and they all taught each other how to cook their country's food.

Besides Ajiaco, atoyado, and a few other dishes. I think Colombias best plates are carne asado with beet and green salad, a hald of avocado, and then a plate of fresh food for desert.

Legaleez for Complete Morons - A book for gringos in Colombia for who think they understand the nature of the law in a country where they cannot speak the language.

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Bill Turley (Moderator) (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 15, 2009, 14:32:

theflatline says on Jun 15, 2009, 14:36:

I like how Colombians kill a turkey or a chicken. Give it mash with Aguardiente to calm it down, and then wack it.

I had a student whos family was in the cattle business, and the dad loved the states and knew I missed food, would send me a load of t-bones every few months.

Legaleez for Complete Morons - A book for gringos in Colombia for who think they understand the nature of the law in a country where they cannot speak the language.

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Pappassito (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 15, 2009, 15:30:

gringomorgan says on Jun 15, 2009, 16:19:

My ugly American side is definetly BBQ.My father-n-law loves it as well.Every time I come to visit he always ask for Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce.I showed my wifes family how to cook BBQ pork ribs.Unfortunately now everytime I come to Cartagena they expect me to cook for them and frankly I hate cooking when it's so damn hot.I mean surface of the sun hot.

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adrimm (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 15, 2009, 16:26:

excavator59 says on Jun 15, 2009, 17:22:

Hi I enjoy cooking & have introduced many different dishes to my Colombian friends namely Curry which has to made a little mild since not many like it muy picante!
Also I make better Arroz Chino the crap what they sell here is unbelievable most times it says Restaurante Chino but most is COLOMBIAN Food etc.
I made a Turkey at Christmas with Yorkshire Puddings ,Roast Potatoes ,Stuffing and Gravy the Cranberry Sauce is difficult but I asked my friend to bring some from England.The Colombians really enjoy this.
Another thing they like is the English Breakfast or as near as I can make it,it's hard to get Bacon with more meat most of it is pure fat like streaky Bacon,how I'd love some Back bacon,creamed Mushrooms they love.
I have introduced Eggy bread to them or Gypsy toast ,French toast call it what you will,Eggs(2) salt,black pepper,milk I also add mixed herbs ,bit of cumin some sal de ajo then dip sliced brad in it & fry in margerine(better taste ) but somingthing like Rama not La Fina,I cooked this once for 45 Colombians from the Alcaldia in Pereira but added sliced Ham ,sliced Mozzerella Cheese then a slice of Tomato & another slice of the coated bread it went down great.
I then proceded to cook a San Cocho for the same people they did'nt think an English guy could cook it but they kept coming back for more Caldo
One thing I find here everyone boils the shite out of Pasta so I have to tell them to cook it Al dente,also why do they serve Rice & Pasta together both are Carbohydrates .
Another thing they love is my Albondigas Italiano or Español why is Minced/Ground Beef quite expensive here in England it's cheap-ish .
Have fun cooking I do!

Life is like a Pubic Hair on a Toilet Seat (Sooner or Later you get Pissed Off)

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billyb says on Jun 15, 2009, 17:37:

"one of the cousins who was part of the meal "

How was the cousin prepared?

"All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so I never go there" Unkown (at least to me) wise man.

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adrimm (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 15, 2009, 17:55:

excavator59 says on Jun 15, 2009, 17:57:

Ha-ha didn't see that relleno perhaps but they eat every part of the pig & cow even the moo & oink so who knows?

Life is like a Pubic Hair on a Toilet Seat (Sooner or Later you get Pissed Off)

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NCBachelor says on Jun 15, 2009, 18:55:

Gringomorgan wrote " always ask for Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce"

That is the best BBQ sauce I have found (I live in Charlotte NC, so I don't know if it's distributed more in the south). But I took some of that to my friends in Germany and Ukraine and thereafter I always had to bring several bottles with me whenever I travelled there. I think REAL BBQ is a US export that could change world politics if we got it out there enough.

In reading through this thread, I assume that I am not the only one who might characterize most Colombian food as "bland". I am working on my GF to try new things, but things that she says are "muy picante", don't even move the "spice meter" for most Americans.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence... Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race” Calvin Coolidge

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kramer says on Jun 15, 2009, 19:05:

Why is it that cooking is not a more integral part of Colombian culture? I am very curious.

I loved Colombia but I have to admit that one of my disappointments was the food. It was not bad, at all, like the Philippines, but not a great, varied, or spicy cuisine like Mexican, Thai, Indian, etc. I thought maybe it had to do with rugged terrain, which effectively kept regions separate, and so food was less varied (this is one reason island food tends not be as varied or good as mainland food in flat countries, harder to get ingredients and less variety).

I hung out a lot with an expat friend in Medellín, and he actually did most of the cooking for the family. And brought his own Mexican spices and ingredients on trips down from the USA.

Kramer

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Sam Salmon says on Jun 15, 2009, 21:41:

"Why is it that cooking is not a more integral part of Colombian culture? I am very curious."
=================================

So as to prove they were above menial tasks the Spanish had servants to prepare 'whatever', and that attitude lives on today.

Cooking is something for social inferiors and food isn't something that enhances life just reinforces what already is-thus the lack of improvisation.

Also the reason Mexico and Peru have such a rich and varied cuisine is because of the strong Indigenous influence-crossed with many others.

Colombia has the raw ingredients but so does Costa Rica-a place that's even blander believe it or not.

' a la orden!'

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adrimm (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 16, 2009, 07:26:

Desideria (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Jun 16, 2009, 07:35:

You mean that Colombian ladies won't be able to brag about the culinary skills of their kitchen slaves any longer when visiting their friends? "Ohhh. Doña Agustina, the girl I grought from Chocó to cook cannot even boil water!!!" "My Rigoberta is a marvellous cook, you know sasón de negra!" "Indian girls are worthless in the kitchen, up there in the paramos it's only potatoes and frailejon that grows. You get to teach them everything!"

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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diobahn says on Jun 16, 2009, 08:22:

In my part of south Louisiana it's the time of year for seafood boils, oysters on the half shell, red snapper on the grill, gumbo with potato salad, cochon du lait done in a cajun microwave. Just imagine fixing any of those in Colombia, much less convincing Colombians that it's Good Eats.......................

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dwmte7 says on Jun 16, 2009, 13:11:

I KNEW there were some more 'coon asses' here. let's cook sumpin!

colombian cuisine....that's an oxymoron. it's certainly healthy and fresh, and bland it is, tasty...........it's not too much so.

my wife LOVES to cook and spends hours in her kitchen.....however, it's san cocho, frijoles, beef stew (rarely) platano...what am i listing it for...every last one of you knows it by heart. colombian food. and she'll cook for me anytime i want (almost anything) it's just that she's lacking in the variety that fills most pallets around the world. she's anything but adventurous. me? i love cooking, and whether i'm good or not, is not the issue. i like adventure in the kitchen like it do in the bed....something new every day....different. but since my beloved wife doesn't like others in her kitchen and she'll cook for me at any hour, i just stay out and (don't tell her) suffer a lot. how many times a week can you eat arroz con pollo or san cocho or frijoles in a week.....i'll tell you...around 21 time.

she's writing a book on nutrition right now....wish to hell that would spread out into how that nutrition is translated from garden to mouth. but what can i say. if i complain, that makes me one real big prick. soooooooo, what to do?

d

patriarch

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niolasarboleda says on Jun 16, 2009, 21:35:

Wow, excavator, that brought back memories! You made me homesick and glad I'm not in Colombia eating '40 minutes and it's done' pasta in one post. I'd almost forgotten about the 'Almuerzo Corriente', too. Pasta, potatoes and yucca - the three key food groups.

1. Colombian food isn't up to much. There are great dishes - bandeja paisa: carne a la llanera, mamona etc.; lechona; ajiaco; patacón, but it's just not enough to call it a food culture. You could say the same about England (roast beef & YP, lamb and mint sauce, roast pork, crackling and apple sauce - and of course fish and chips. I'm not considering curry British for the purpose of this post).

2. In general (I know one exception) Colombians can't cook. I think it's due to several of the observations already posted. England's saving graces on this front are colonialism and proximity to (the rest of) Europe - we have great cooks.

3. Arepas were invented by someone too lazy to make bread. They are essentially fried dough. I think the conversation went like this

Juan(a) 'Hagamos un pan'
Manuel(a) 'Pero eso se demora por lo menos una hora. No tenemos aptitud pa' esas vainas, y menos el deseo de mejorarnos. ¿Qué tal si mezclamos agua con harina y la ponemos a freir en la plancha?'
Juan(a) 'Listo'

The Internet. Strengthening the case against free speech every day.

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larryrn says on Jun 17, 2009, 07:39:

I brought a bunch of stuff from the US like Publix rice in the box (flavored rice), Mac and Cheese, Scalloped potatoes, etc and made a bunch of the high sodium stuff at a party and it was all gone before the Colombian foods. I was really suprised but everyone still comments about "my cooking". Larry

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dwmte7 says on Jun 17, 2009, 15:17:

in short, their response is basically, "what's for dinner?" did any of you ever see a colombian turn down a meal? me, never.

patriarch

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lpdiver says on Jun 17, 2009, 17:13:

Douglas, Douglas, Douglas...build yourself an outdoor kitchen. YOUR kitchen.

As to how do they respond to my cooking. We were going to have a quiet small birthday party for my daughter a few weeks back and it mushroomed into thirty or forty people. All this for a four year old mind you.

Then last week it was announced that "we" meaning the latin group needed to have a party and that it NEEDED to be at MY house. Fine by me.

I think I'll smoke a ham over a brisket over a turkey.

I got my own beer, rum, and aguardiente ready. They will bring the rest.

"Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez"

I'll be thinking about y'all.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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dwmte7 says on Jun 18, 2009, 04:44:

they ate you out of house and home and emptied the liquor cabinet. si o no? my hope is that the little ones enjoyed the party...after all, it was for them.

patriarch

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La_Huella says on Jun 18, 2009, 14:43:

Everybody I've cooked for in Colombia has liked my cooking, except for my wife. Go figure.

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lpdiver says on Jun 18, 2009, 19:17:

Actually Douglas that/we are a pretty good bunch and it is typically that everyone brings a dish with the host cooking the main dish/meat. My only aggravation was that we started with the intention of a small party and word just travelled. I don't mind them eating or drinking all I have.

I do tire of cleaning up in preparation for and after though. Oh well...will be doing it again Saturday!!! It is our father's day celebration. I'll be smoking everything from fresh road kill to brisket and ham to salmon.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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dwmte7 says on Jun 19, 2009, 03:53:

where did you say you lived..............i'm 21 yrs tired of sancocho. no matter it's cooked with love!

patriarch

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lpdiver says on Jun 22, 2009, 09:37:

Holy crap! I smoked a whole brisket and a whole ham. I was soooo looking forward to left overs.My wife exclaimed in horror at the sight of the charcoal black meat I brought in and presented to her. I told her no touch it...it is soft and moist. Man it was a good party with representation from Venezuela, Colombia, Canada, Estados Unidos, Mexico and Peru.

Yeah I'm not a huge soup fan either.

We are on da bayou in Louisiana between Nuevo Orleans and Redstick.

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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GregYohn says on Jun 22, 2009, 15:09:

Hola!

I show my cooking abilities the best on the grill! Baby beef with lime, garlic, onion, and soy sauce marinate is a big winner! Grilled whole tomatoes and slided pineapple is a real treat using olive oil! At our parties in Cali, my wife finds me on the grill. I consider it is good that if I can not speak so well in Spanish to the guests, they can enjoy the food I know how to cook! At our baby shower, I cooked about 60 baby cheeseburgers using a recipe I had just seen the other day on TV in Cali using ground beef, choritzo, and onions. We got small rolls and made our baby cheeseburgers 2 inch/5 cm wide in keeping with the theme of the party!

I showed off improvising with my pineapple coctail. WOW, strong and tasty! We carved out 2 pineapples which we later used to serve the drinks in. It had mangoes, papaya, orange juice, lime, bananas, and grapefruit. We used 1 Liter of Rum, Aguardiente instead of Gin, and then used red wine, instead of grape juice!

Another time I made mojitos using mint tea, instead of fresh mint leaves. The limes, concentrated mint tea, rum, with sugar and carbonated water were very nice. The drink had a well balanced taste of all the ingriedients. It was my 1st time making them too!

I do not save food for late people, since if you show up on time, you eat, otherwise there is no food and no leftovers to take home usually! That is my negative attribute when cooking!

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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adrimm (Moderator) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Jun 22, 2009, 20:14:

GregYohn says on Jun 23, 2009, 12:15:

Oh yeah!

The Pina cocktail was my first chance I met my wife's family! I sure looked like a GOOD American! My future wife worked with me in the kitchen! It was almost comical, with a guy barely able to speak Spanish directing the mixing of the Spanish tropical drinks. My mojito drink was made at a friend's house after I grilled the baby beef on their never used built in charcoal grill! In both cases, I especially liked that I took local fruits and used the alcohol available locally there!

It was funny when I visited my wife's cousin's place the first time! She asked if I wanted a beer. I responded cerveza con limon y sal, por favor. Well, since it was a local thing I had learned only there in Cali, I figured I would ask for the best! We got out a few limes and then they were juiced up with salt on the rim of the glass before adding the beer. FUN!

12VOIP.com gives free calls to Colombia.Greg

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