When you just can't get enough chicken...

From when I got here on Sunday evening (it is now Wednesday) all the meals, with the exception of

Mondongo

 one, have been the same - Chicken and Rice. A piece of chicken, either fried or roasted served with boiled rice which sometimes has some corn through it. While it is certainly fine as food goes, and is definitely a lot more than many people have, it is, I'm afraid, a bit repetitive. But that's only for me. To the Panamanian palate - and indeed, throughout Central and South America - it is considered to be a very good meal and is one that they enjoy very much.

Even in the very North American style shopping malls that have the usual food courts it is very noticeable that the Panamanians have little interest in the burgers and chips or the chinese food - they will, prevalently, opt for chicken and rice here too. There is a Panamanian fast food chain called Mr. Pollo (Mr. Chicken) that definitely has longer queues than McDonald's or anything else like that.

There is some variety even within the paramaters of chicken and rice. Sometimes it is as described above while at other times the chicken is chopped up and mixed in with the rice. This actually a different dish and is called Rice with Chicken.

Panama, unlike many American countries, is known for the variety of meat in its diet. In the seminary, however, where they are on a very tight budget, chicken is the default dish.

Boiled Plantain

Rice is never absent from the main meals. Yesterday evening there was as special gathering of some of the seminarians who are from the same diocese - in this case the Archdiocese of Panama (City). The 13 seminarians, together with the group of Korean seminarians, gathered to share a pizza and some minerals. As the pizza was served plates of rice arrived to accompany them - if you don't have rice, you haven't eaten.

Today, at lunch time, I was told that we would be having a change from chicken. What they didn't tell me was that we were having Mondongo which is a dish made from tripe and other similar things gleaned from a cow which was served with boiled plantain and, of course, rice.

I will eat most things but I have a real problem with Mondongo. I just can't take either the taste or the texture - especially the texture. The Panamanians seem to love it but, I'm afraid, watching them eat it makes my stomach lurch - which they roar laughing about!!!

However, the ladies in the kitchen remembered my previous experiences with Mondongo and had something different for me - Chicken and Rice! And, boy, was I glad of it!