the nicaraguan market

I love markets. They are the best places to see everyday people in their everyday lives. Sure, there’s the initial section of booth after stuffed booth of the same souvenirs and t-shirts, but if you wander down the narrow walkways, soon you’ll run into kitchen utensils, the knock-off shoes, the marinated meats, the illegal DVDs, the candy, and the lunchtime stalls.

I wasn’t looking for anything specific, but just wandered around. The Nicaraguan market looks a lot like the markets of South East Asia, but the salespeople are much less pushy. Chrystina bought a t-shirt, and I ended up with a DVD. I also bought some of the traditional candy and cookies, which were surprisingly heavy on the molasses.

Then we had lunch. Lenin had some sort of soup. Leslie, Chrystina, and I had “bao.” This is a roast beef dish with yuca, plaintains, and cabbage. It was very good, especially the yuca, which I feel is like a cross between a daikon radish and a potato.

After sending Chrystina off the airport, Leslie and I stopped at a gas station for some instant ramen. For a second I felt like I was back at a convenience store in Japan, only when the attendant went to put hot water in the ramen, she asked if I’d like ketchup or mayonnaise added as well!