Pretty Plants

 Medellín is known as "the city of eternal spring," so there are are beautiful blooms everywhere . . .
































 



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Colombian Food (updated again)

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 I was a bit unkind about Colombian food in previous posts, but that's partially because I didn't make much of an effort.  This time around, I'll pay better attention to the best of Colombian cuisine. #1. My first oblea! It's pretty simple, two crispy wafers spread with the fillings of your choice.  I had mora (blackberry), very traditional, plus cream and cheese. This was very good, the cheese balancing the sweetness of the blackberry, and the crispy wafers a nice contrast to the (very) oozy fillings. $1.50. #2. An "arepa" is just a fried round of cornmeal dough, often treated as a sandwich, so the fillings make it good or bad. The place is named "Areppology," which should be short for "Arepa apology," but read on . . . I ordered chicharrón (deep-fried pork) and salsa. Oh dear.  The pork meat was nice, but the (thick) skin was completely undercooked, like rubber and completely inedible, so I ended up spitting out half of the filling.  Also...
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More About Colombian Food

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 #1. Avena! I've often wondered what was in these tubs, that you see pretty frequently.  It's a very traditional (the 100% Paisa basically means "local") Colombian drink made from oats, milk, cinnamon and cloves.  Very thick and sweet, and it resembles nothing more than melted ice cream!  It hits my sweetness tolerance but will definitely have this again on a hot day when I'm too lazy to eat. #2.  Most mornings I have a coffee (1/2 "tinto" black and 1/2 "leche" milk) with a buñuelo, a delicious deep-fried ball of sweet/salty/cheesy goodness.  Unique to Colombia, although I did find them in  a Colombian bakery in Buenos Aires. Literally less than 20 m away, on the corner, is the reposteria (fancy bakery), but open to the street.  Open 24h so I can get my morning coffee, a doughnut or empanada at any time! #3:  Mondongo (tripe stew).  Another Colombian favorite.  And reputedly the best version is served at a restaurant named "Mondongo...
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Colombian Restaurant Etiquette

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Of course there are high-end restaurants in Medellín, especially in touristy parts like el Poblado where you will pay $25 (!!!), and get American-style service, by which I mean someone greets you as soon as you arrive, they take you to your table, you're presented with a printed menu, they take your order, and when you're done, will present you with the bill and you pay at your table. American-style. But if you're in el Poblado, you may as well be in Miami Beach.  That's not the real Colombian restaurant experience. Between high-end and lower is the middle tier, take any seat you'd like. You might feel like you're being ignored, but cool your jets, they'll get to you.  This is middle ground.  Often the restaurants are very nicely decorated, but the food will be less high-end, and you can either order a la carte from the menu or often there will be a "menú del día" (prix fixe meal, don't confuse that with a menu "carta").  The menú del...
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