san juan
(mostly)
my pre-ramble
Here i am, two days before my trip, listening to Life on Mars? when Bowie recorded it live at the Music Hall, Boston (10.1.1972). God, i love this song. Still gives me chills, especially at (cue) “sailors / fighting in the dance hall / oh man, look at those cavemen go”. The lyrics are enigmatic (“to my mother, my dogs, and clown”) at best and at minimum
day 1
Am i the only one sweating bullets? I’ve only been out for half an hour and the bottom of my hair is already drenched
Hazelnut ice cream- kinda dry? Idk
Banana- oh my god so good
Guava- oh my god so good
Pistachio- very pistachio very almond very nutty (jake you know what comes next)
Where tf are all these roosters coming from / don't go to t-mobile district / cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger, no pepsi... yuca fries
la alcapurria quemá
left to right:
side of fried yuca
codfish (bacalao) alcapurria
chorizo and mozzarella pastelillo
day 2
The heat didn’t get any better
Old town is a lot like European cities and nola especially
Orange limber is like a nola water ice
I’m finally eating vegetables today ! More than just a burger topping
So many damn roosters
La Perla was such an interesting little excursion. It was very much described as a community where everyone really did seem to know each other. I really appreciated how they didn’t turn it into poverty porn and they did really try to highlight the good parts of the neighborhood
Deaverdura: No menu but pulled pork and yellow rice- pork was dry (and not much of it was “pulled”) but man that rice was so good, i could’ve just had that all by itself.
So that orange sauce i’ve been seeing everywhere that tastes so damn good, i asked a waiter what it is, and guess what? It’s just mayo and ketchup :/ with a BIT of garlic. :/
Mofongo, plantains, yuca, seafood, chicken, steak, fried things, rice, coconut, guava, cilantro
limbers del viejo san juan
china/fresa (orange/strawberry) limber
($1)
day 3
What are the similarities and differences of blackness in the US vs PR?
How much of one culture is apparent in the other?
The BEST meal i’ve had during this trip was today- Frutera Flores. Literally just off the road, amazing food. Chicken thighs with yellow rice (arroz guisado - pork mixed into it), three meat (pork, beef, chicken) + cheese empanada, cherry juice (OH my god) all for just $21. First bite of that empanada, so flaky. I sighed (in relief). I was satisfied. And knocked the fuck out on the ride back to San Juan. It was the only meal I had that day because that combined with the rainforest was enough to put me to bed at 9.
(again, no menu. I’m starting to see a pattern.)
frutera flores
three meat (pork, chicken, beef) + cheese pasteltillo
&
garlic chicken thigh with yellow rice (pork mixed in)
&
cherry juice
day 4
Yeah if it’s so fucking hot out then I’m not a beach person. I can lay out on the beach if it’s like lukewarm out then and if the sun isn’t in my eyes then I can read and not notice time go by.
Wow, I’m really good at snorkeling
Had my first actual healthy meal on this trip today- pistachio smoothie (on god, the best smoothie I’ve ever had and we’re gonna ignore the fact that it was $12), avocado chicken wrap (wrap itself was crispy), guava oat bar
I cancelled my reservation for Celeste bc I’m gonna save my money and high end dining experience solo for when I’m in Montreal, since that trip is solely for the food anyways
Man, I’m so tired. Can’t stop yawning
I don’t have a car so i haven’t been able to go to as much of the city as I would’ve liked, so I was pretty much limited to San Juan with my legs and whatever Ubers I was willing to spend money on
salüt: healthy kitchen
left to right:
pistachio dream protein smoothie
chicken avocado guacamole tortilla cone
guava oat bar
day 5
They call everyone mama or papa or mi amor
They love their music
So much endearment for people and the things and concepts they hold dear
Chorizo sandwich had so much personality and traditional flavor applied.
shout out to chef ruben guzman- you seem like a great guy. good luck in the future. with that sandwich, i really hope you'll go far.
arenas bar & grill
left to right:
bacalao bites
for the life of me i cannot remember what this was called but i do remember it was filled with crab. someone please help me out
day 6
Damn good beans- the highlight of that plate
Fresh squeezed orange juice with the machine ofc I had to get it
I didn’t expect to eat a full meal that early in the day but oops
café manolín
shrimp a la criolla, came with rice + beans + plantains
