One of the funniest moments of our Stint year in Mérida, Venezuela happened shortly after our arrival in country. The adventure came about when we decided to change things up a bit and throw some fish into our diet, which mostly consisted of chicken and ground beef. So two of our team members who didn’t speak all that much Spanish headed to the supermarket to buy some fish filets.
When the fish began putting off an odd smell from the oven we started questioning what type of fish we were about to experience. The arrival of a student supposedly schooled in cooking fish calmed our worries and we once again happily awaited our fishy supper. Upon approval by the student we sat down for what we hoped would be a tasty and different meal. It was different all right. The student and our team leader were the first to bravely try the fish. They seemed to like it and kept eating. After a moment however the student piped up that his tongue was numb, and our team leader that his throat was feeling funny as well.
Finally, after examining his serving of fish more thoroughly the student came to a brilliant conclusion. We weren’t eating fish, we were eating Sting Ray! Not only were we attempting to eat Sting Ray, we were attempting to eat undercooked Sting Ray (which by the way, is not a recommended recipe). Thankfully we had enough other parts of the meal and leftovers to leave the whole team more or less satisfied. However, the horribly odd smell did not leave our apartment for several weeks!
Venezuelan hot dogs (perros calientes) are quite an experience...They start with a bun and an incredibly tiny hot dog. Then you add onion, french fries, sometimes things like tomato, cheese, ham, corn... there are so many possibilities! What really makes the hot dog though is the approximate gallon of mayonnaise and ketchup required!
Mmmmm..... QUE RICO!!!!!
