Yo creo que...SI!

I think I like beans. Actually, I know I like frijoles negros. For anyone who knows my eating habits, you know this is a huge thing for me. I used to hate beans. I despised beans. The thought of beans made me gag. I hated the squish and squirt of the texture and I hated the taste. Over the past year I have tried to make myself start eating beans and was able to eat them in other foods as long as I could swallow them hole without having to deal with the squish and squirt of really taste them.

I spent my last week of language school in a highly rural setting in Pachaj, Cantel. I lived with a Quiche Mayan family that did not have indoor plumbing. The experience was wonderful, with the exception of the food. They fried everything. Have you ever had a fried egg? I thought I had but realized I never have. For dinner we would eat oil with a little bit of fried squash or coliflur. I found myself desiring beans. Even the mushed up ones that are even more difficult that the whole ones. Even bean juice (a common supper with rice while I was in San Juan). We had refried beans for lunch one day and it tasted delicious. After our week was over and all the YAVs spent two nights retreating together before we left for our permanent placements, I ate a lot of beans. All I wanted was to fill my plate up with some beans and eat tortillas. I have found it is the best meal for me when my stomach is slightly uncomfortable.

I have also found I can no longer eat without a tortilla. I don´t know how to scoop the food onto my fork without one. Really, I don´t even need silverwear as long as I have a tortilla. I can just rip it in half and scoop. When you can eat your silverwear you know life is good. Tortillas can also mask the flavor of food you don´t really want to eat. In Pachaj I would get some soupy/chunky mixtures that I could not distinguish. I would often find pieces of bone in my food, so there was some kind of unidentifiable meat in the mixture. I would just use enough tortilla to sop up the mess and help mast the flavor. Then I could not think about what I just ate for at least 20 minutes.

Tortillas and beans, mmm. I can do without the rice though.