Yet more non-blogging

I realize I've been engaging yet again in non-blogging. This time I have a good reason. My wife and I were in Puerto Rico, enjoying a little sun. The main determination I was able to make based on the trip is that I enjoy being outside.

We loved Puerto Rico, and enjoyed most of the food. Still, there were a few surprises about the food.

1. Boy, is it heavy. Or, at least, can it be heavy - I assumed that given that the place is an island, people would prefer fishes, grilled simply, sprinkled liberally with some of the truly astonishing local limes. In reality, for some reason, the locals appear to enjoy frying everything, and obscuring some of the most wonderful fish I've ever eaten in strangely clunky sauces. Still, if one gets the opportunity to eat fish in Joyuda, clunky sauces or not, one should take it immediately.

1a. Why on earth would you not drown an otherwise incredible conch salad in glorious citrus? I am deeply puzzled.

2. Traditional Puerto Rican cooks have apparently never met a vegetable they don't want to overcook. Unless they fry it (see, plantains).

3. Mofongo, the fried plantain dish that is a staple of Puerto Rico and (apparently) the Dominican, is really heavy. And yet still delicious.

4. There are a surprising number of stews for such a warm country (including a fantastic one involving rice and lobsters).

5. Puerto Rican food is either not spicy, or Puerto Ricans are terrified of over-spicing the food for the silly Americans. If the latter, please stop.

6. Puerto Ricans, judging from the entire aisle in the Econo supermarket filled with various iterations of frozen fried chicken, and the fact that Church's fried chicken appeared to outnumber McDonald's, really, really love fried chicken. Again, not at all what I expected.

7. I love tostones.

8. Puerto Rican pineapple is only ok (as opposed to Hawaiian pineapple, which tastes like another fruit entirely). But Puerto Rican coconuts and canteloupes? Another story entirely. Wow.