Free Spanish Lesson #18 – Dinner in Latin America

There are big cultural difference between the attitude towards mealtime and food in Latin America and the attitude in the United States.

Food is a huge part of life in Latin America. It’s not just food that is so important but the ritual of eating and sharing food with others that has deeper meaning.

Before I get too deep into mealtime, let me say that the food in Latin America might not be exactly what we picture it to be, especially in South America where most people have never heard of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other typical “Mexican or American” dishes.

I lived for a while in South America and had the opportunity to eat many different types of food. I ate a lot of beans, rice, and fish, but I also had such exotic foods as guinea pig, cow stomach, pig’s feet, and many other unrecognizable meats that I didn’t dare ask what they really were.

Now back to the perception towards mealtime. In many smaller pueblos (lower income areas), people don’t have enough money to purchase pre-prepared, processed, or even canned foods. Many women make everything from scratch and spend hours in the kitchen every day providing meals for their families.

I had the chance to live in Latin America for two years and every meal I had was prepared by a native Spanish speaking woman. When they would prepare food, they weren’t just preparing a meal but an actual part of them, to give to us. As a result, it was always expected that we eat every bit of our food or they would get offended.

After just about every meal, they would ask if I wanted more. If I said, “No thanks, I’m full”, they would get offended and act like I was rejecting them and their family.

I quickly learned to respond, “Yes, I’d like just a little bit more since I am almost full”. They would then beam with joy and come back, most of the time, with an even bigger serving than before. Needless to say, mealtime often took a lot longer than expected.

Now that you have an idea about the importance of food in Latin America, here is an experience that happened to me. I was living in a city called Vista Alegre and every evening I would eat with the Silva family. I became good friends with the Silvas and Mrs. Silva became like a second mother to me.

One night Mrs. Silva made us pig’s feet. As always, she beamed as she presented us with the food. This time, she left our food and went into a different room while we ate with her children.

This was the first time I had ever eaten pigs feet and they looked a little bit like mushy gelatin. I put a fork full in my mouth and tried to swallow but couldn’t. The texture was a little bit too slimy and I gagged as I tried to swallow it.

I felt horrible because I had been able to eat all of the culturally different foods up to that point. I then took a bite of bread, took another bite of the pigs feet and tried to chase it down with water. Again I gagged. I tried a couple of different techniques to swallow the pig’s feet but without success; I then began to worry. I physically could not eat the pig’s feet, but at the same time, I could not offend Mrs. Silva.

I sat in this dilemma for quite some time until I devised what seemed to be an ingenious plan. I put the pigs feet inside of my rolls, rolled them up in a napkin and then planned to take them back to my apartment to secretly dispose of them. I made the children think I was going to take them back to my apartment to eat later as a snack.

Everything seemed to be going well and I had the packages neatly tucked away into a bag. Then Mrs. Silva returned and one of the children instantly, in a tattle-tale sort of voice said, “Mom, he put the pigs feet in a napkin and is going to throw them away outside.”

I was devastated! Mrs. Silva was instantly hurt and offended that I was going to do this with my food. I tried to explain that I was going to take them back to my apartment, but the more I explained, the worse it became. Finally, I left after saying “sorry” (“lo siento“) about twenty times and Mrs. Silva looking like she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

The bad part was that I had to go to her home every morning and evening for the next two months to have breakfast and dinner there. It took me about two months of apologizing to finally get on her good side again.

As you can see, food and mealtime in Latin America is an important part of life. If someone invites you to dinner at their home in Latin America, here is what I suggest. If you have a strong stomach, go for it, you will enjoy the experience and be culturally enriched. If you don’t have a strong stomach, tell them that you would love to but won’t be able to make it.

¡Qué le vaya bien! (May everything go well for you!)

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Written by Dave Clark with Try a Free Spanish Lessons

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Andrew Makarik

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Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.