eating well

11/02/22

Restaurant food is expensive here on the ilsand. Prices are in US$. A fish meal is close to $6. Lobster on the other hand is cheap at $8. Nonetheless, after several days of restaurant meals, I am starting to figure out where to buy my own food. Stores are few and far between and their stock is minimalist. Fresh fruit and vegetables are hard to come by. I found the store that sells bananas one by one. 3 cordobas each makes 15 cents a banana. Not cheap. I buy for the next meal or two - supper and breakfast - and hang my purchases in bags on the wall to discourage ants.

Today, as I was exploring the island, I found another store . I buy bananas for 2 cordobas each and coconut bread, cheese, tomatos, a cucumber and a carrot. At someone's house, I buy a bag of cooked beans. I feel well-stocked. When I get home, after a swim, I sit down to eat. I carefully puncture the bag of beans and spoon them out. They taste smokey like a wood fire. I soak coconut bread in the bean water. A white dog comes and sits and looks hopeful. I offer him bread and then beans. He is not interested. I peel 1/2 a cucumber and eat the carrot. I am full. Half a bag of beans is left. There is only so much beans I can eat. A young boy passes. He is selling johnny cakes. I ask him if he wants my beans. He says he will get them on the way back. When he returns, I ask him if he wants a piece of cheese as well. Yes, he is willing. I cut a piece and put it in with the beans.