Tag Archives: Santo Domingo

Ding Dong! The Bell Went Off!

Deep Thoughts and Musings, Travels, , , , , , , ,

It was amazing to see!  Santo Domingo is the oldest continually inhabited European city in the Americas.  The buildings are over 500 years old in the Colonial Zone.

We had lunch at Pura Tasca overlooking a statue of Frey Nicholas de Ovando, the first governor, and a museum in the Colonial Zone.  We enjoyed tapas, shrimp and rice and, of course, mofongo.  We were right next to where the Rio Ozama and the Caribbean Sea meet.  The Fortaleza Ozama was built there to protect the port and the city.

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It was interesting  to hear the history of how  Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand funded Christopher and Bartholomew Columbus and their explorations in the Americas and about the struggle  to control the Dominican Republic.   The construction of the Fort was begun in 1502 and flew the flags of Spain, England, France, Haiti, Gran Columbia, the U.S. and the D.R. until the 1960’s when it was opened to the public.

There were canons spaced along the sea wall from the Colonial Zone into Santo Domingo.

The history of the Dominican Republic sounds just like the history of the United States and the settlement and canal construction history of Panama.  The explorers and settlers  either ran out out the native inhabitants or enslaved them and brought African slaves as well.  Conquest.

I googled the conquest of central america and had some unexpected links pop up:  the mongol conquest of central asia, the russian conquest of central asia and the arab conquest of central asia, the roman conquest of britain, etc.  And so it looks like the common one word descriptor of world history is “Conquest”.  It seems every country on every continent has experienced conquest.  Every one of them has had citizens killed and enslaved.  It’s a pattern.  We seem to live life in cycles and patterns.

Ding Dong.  The bell went off!   Last year we went to see Dinesh d’Souza’s movie “America”. He had gone into great detail about this very subject.  This is just the first time I’ve personally bumped up against it.  It’s interesting to me how I can learn lots of disconnected information and (pow) something brings my mind to connect it and other thoughts are drawn to expand…..that’s it, expansion!

Again:  Goethe said “You only see what you’re looking for and you only look for what you know.”

When In Rome…..

Travels, Waxing Poetic about Food, , , , , , ,

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is an interesting melting pot of cultures.  We heard a lot of spanish, of course, but also a lot of french, italian and russian.  The food was so good.  We ate a lot of tapas with sangria and a large variety of fresh, fresh seafood.

This was my first introduction to Mofongo.  A totally strange flavor that at first I couldn’t understand.  Why oh why would anyone want to willingly eat mashed up plantains, garlic and pork rinds.  It sort of sounded like the South (USA) to me.  You know “cracklins”…..  Please don’t you southerners be offended.  You know what I’m talking about.

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This was the common presentation that I saw when it was ordered in a restaurant.  Someone in our group ordered it every meal.   It was mounded into a footed, wooden bowl.  Often it was served with shrimp, pork, etc. and a sauce.

In Santo Domingo and in Punta Cana, a breakfast buffet was included with our room.  The buffets included omelets made to order, bacon, hams, a huge selection of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, lots of breads, rolls and croissants, fried potatoes, paella with a wide variety of shellfish, red beans, rice and, of course, a large buffet server full of mofongo with sliced red onions strewn all over the top.  The mofongo is a creamy bland mixture, not unlike lumpy, mashed potatoes, and the red onion gave it just the right amount of tang.  It was a curiosity at first.  Gradually, it became a staple and we enjoyed it just as much as any Dominican.

You know the saying:  “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.  Well, when in the Dominican Republic enjoy the Mofongo, Sancocho and seafood.  It’s the best!

Sancocho

Travels, Waxing Poetic about Food, , , , , , ,

I was introduced to Sancocho our second day in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.  I was unfamiliar with it so who knows how long I would have gone without trying it if a small shot glass of it hadn’t  been served as a complimentary starter as we ordered for lunch.  It’s fabulous!  It’s rich and full bodied and velvety.  Yum!

I googled Sancocho and there are tons of recipes and descriptions.  It’s go good I’m going give it a try and see if I can come close to the perfection of the memory I have of it. It has many kinds of meat and is really a stew.  It’s spiced up with onion, peppers, oregano, cilantro, orange and lime juice and thickened with vegetables, plantain, etc.  Sound good? I think it does.  It’s served with rice and slices of avocado.

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It’s possible the charm of the  Adrian Tropical Restaurant had something to do with the deliciousness of the food because it was as if we were in a tropical grotto.  The tables were arranged along side a waterfall and stream with ponds of koi under palm trees on one side and a turtle pond and rock formations with lush plants on the other.  The sound of the water beckoned and Kia and I walked every inch of the bridge and path leading to the waterfall taking pictures of each other and the fish and the turtles.

We had plenty of time to do this because nothing happens quickly in the Dominican Republic.  Every meal is a three hour event that includes shared appetizers and drinks then sometimes shared dishes for a main course, sometimes not and small deserts and coffee or espresso.  ESPRESSO!  I discovered espresso!

That didn’t sound like enough to take up three hours…..and it wouldn’t be except for the long spaces in between.  And, as the warmth and humidity and the relaxing take place there doesn’t seem to be any reason to rush.  Everything will eventually get done.  Everything that doesn’t get done today will tomorrow…..probably.  And in that very happy, relaxed mindset everything under the sun is talked about and enjoyed.  The conversation becomes the highlight of the meal.  And every meal is memorable.

This meal was all about sancocho, mofongo, koi, turtles and a love affair with Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.