Ok - I feel a little weird writing about dining experiences in Caracas because my (truly) fabulous sister-in-law Erin is the Goddess of all things Food (and BTW has a blog about it - http://euonym-me.blogspot.com).
We have been to a few restaurants in Caracas, and, are getting used to the local customs. One of the very first things that I noticed was there was the lack of a children's menu at any restaurant we went to. That made me wonder, until I looked around, and realized there were no children at the restaurant. Except mine. There really weren't many people at the restaurant either, and it was 6:30 pm. This became a theme of almost every restaurant we have been to here.
Hmmm. Where are all the hungry children?
I did some investigation and found out that Venezuela basically has two social classes - those with money, usually lots and lots of money - who can afford to go to restaurants, and those without money - who stay home. A wealthy Venazlano with children has a live-in-nanny by default. Childcare is always available and never an issue. Our family lives on gringo time and we rarely eat dinner after 6:30 pm. Most Venezlano children are fed about the same time (by the nanny) and are put to bed at the usual time (by the nanny). Their parents, however, don't dine until at least 9pm and dinners can stretch well into the wee hours of the morning.
I have also learned to be patient when dining in Caracas. Everything takes much longer than you anticipated, especially for an American. Lunches routinely take 2 hours. Dinner is much longer. No one is in a hurry. Not the patrons, not the waiters, and certainly not the kitchen.
When you walk into a restaurant, you are greeted by a host or hostess who asks you if you would like fumar o no fumar. No fumar (smoking) please. You are seated immediately and asked for your drink of choice.
It is a dead giveaway that you are American when you ask for wine (one of the first Spanish phrases I learned - vino "vee-no"). True Venezlanos drink whiskey (pronounced whee-key).
At lunch or dinner, large bottles of Johnny Walker adorn the tables of most locals. Whiskey is served neat or over ice. Even the women drink it. Most restaurants also have a shrine in prominent display of Johnny Walker bottles that were never finished, each adorned with the card or name of the owner scrawled on a napkin and taped to the side of the bottle - awaiting the owner's return.
Your waiter will wait until you completely finish your first drink before attempting to approach your table again - and then, it is to ask you if you would like another drink. We have always had to tell the waiter we were ready to order - that is, if we could find him. It seems that the locals value their privacy.
Waiters do not wait near the table ready to be of service if needed - they congregate far away from the patrons and pass through the dining area every 30 minutes or so. Once we order, the food can take 25 - 45 mintues to arrive - even at lunch.
The food in Caracas is fabulous and worth the wait. The city is multi-ethnic has an extraordinary range of cuisines to offer. There are spanish, french, italian, mediterranean, japanese, and chinese resturants everywhere. The local specialities are mostly meat, meat and more meat with a few arepas thrown in.
An arepa is a bread made from corn that is unleavened, flat and round. It can be grilled, baked or fried. In Venezuela it is a stable to most meals, or can be sliced and filled with eggs and cheese for breakfast or sliced meat for lunch. It pushes the limit of sandwich construction as a stand-in for bread, but is a local favorite.
If you want a quick lunch (about an hour) there are plenty of Panaderias (bakeries) where you can order sandwiches on fresh baked bread or croissants. There are also stands and carts for quick meals (but I will not go near those).
All good things come to those who wait.
Buen Provencho!
No comments:
Post a Comment