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Chojín is a word that I learned recently. Most of my life I just thought that radish salad was ensalada de rábano. Chojín is basically a radish salad that is served as appetizer or side dish with Chicharrones, Chicharrines and Carnitas, tostadas, panes (sandwiches), et cetera. Same as with guacamol, chojín is often eaten with hot tortillas out of the comal. There’s a recipe for chojín at Guatemalan Genes in case you want to add the Guatemalan twist to your next meal.

Guacamol has to be among the most present sauces or salads in the Guatemalan cuisine; as well as chirmol and often together. Chirmol (Guatemalan tomato-based sauce) and guacamol (avocado sauce) are often found with typical dishes like parrilladas and chuparrascos. Guacamol is also found in tostadas. Guacamol, of course, is part of the diet of Panzas Verdes.

There are several recipes of Guatemalan guacamol, including one that is very similar to the Mexican guacamole. However, the Guatemalan guacamol is often prepared with chopped onions, lime juice, oregano (marjoram) and chiltepes. In my family I often had it mixed with what seemed to be pico de gallo. Guacamol is also the spread for tortillas con longanizas (Guatemalan white sausages).

I could go on and on about guacamol like Bubba about shrimp!

Did you know that aguacate, avocado, comes from the Mexican Nahuatl language word ahuacacuauhitl; do you know what it means?

Contrary to popular belief, Guatemalans do have a large selection of salads in their gastronomy palette, including, of course, one of the most ingredient-rich and colorful salads in the planet, the world-famous Fiambre. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the Fiambre slideshow.

Ejotes (green beans), pimientos (bell peppers), arbejas (green peas), repollo (cabbage), and onions are often used in the Guatemalan salads along with typical herbs yerba buena, mint, parsely and cilantro. Often, many of the vegetables are prepared in escabeche (pickled) before incorporating them.

So, the Guatemalan gastronomy is not just Amerindian curries, rice and beans as some misinformed foreigners have declared.

Stay tune for a few more Guatemalan salads in the upcoming days.

What’s your favorite Guatemalan salad?

How many people are required to change a light bulb? a whole crew and a truck with basket if the light bulb is part of the street lighting system.

Not too long ago, in Guatemala, the electric company was responsible for the maintenance of the public lighting, but now the municipalities took over that tax income. Honestly, I can not say we are in a better situation, but at least the tax money is not going into the coffers of the electric company, which to me, has to be the worst and most expensive service in the entire country.

Don’t ask me, but how did the venerable utilitarian pila (water tank) and lavadero (washbasin) became decorations elements or design accents?

In The Venerable Colonial Pila is Now Used as Decoration I introduced you to the washbasins and water tank inside McCafé in La Antigua Guatemala with the following words:

What’s a pila (pee-lah), I hear you ask? simple, the omnipresent pila guatemalteca is basically a water tank and one or two sinks or washbasins for doing dishes and washing the clothes. You have seen a colonial-styled pila before as part of La Casa Antigüeña series and you have also recently seen the public washbasins. So you now know how pilas are basically smaller versions of the public washbasins and water tanks, right?

I bet you never thought a colonial utilitarian washbasin and water tank could be used as decoration for a upscale, hi-tech wireless internet, coffee shop. I think it works and it does especially well, since the water is running all the time between the main two water compartments and adds a wonderful relaxing sound.

In Water Tanks and Colonial Style Social Networks I mentioned that “as in colonial times, these public water tanks and washbasins serve as the places for doing the laundry and for water distribution. Furthermore, public laundry washbasins (sometimes rivers or lake shores) serve as the gathering place for news, gossip and community building through the interactions that take place. Public washbasins could be considered the first news broadcasting sites or social networks such as Facebook or Twitter; computers are not required. In many places in Guatemala this stills holds true.”

In Colonial Washbasins from Guatemala I showed you how the washbasins and water tanks are often the central piece to decorate an inside patio in colonial homes.

Today’s entry showcases the pila and lavaderos right next to Cafetenango restaurant inside Finca Filadelfia. Looking at main photo above I am thinking I should have captured a video clip a few seconds of the running water and resulting sound. I have to keep a thread around my finger to remember to capture more videos, as my dear friend Kara Andrade has rightly recommended to me. Oops, sorry!

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Well, it was only a matter of time and natural that someone in La Antigua Guatemala would try to make a coffee jelly spread.

Now imagine a toasted bagel with cream cheese and jalea de café spread on top and, of course, a big mug of freshly brewed genuine coffee from Antigua. I am glad I am not you because I don’t have to imagine anything, I just have that for breakfast a couple times a week.

Of course, now it’s only a matter of time before the cafes in La Antigua Guatemala will begin offering toasts or bagels with coffee spread. Heck why stop there, I am sure jalea de café will go well on top of waffles and panqueques (pancakes) and even champurradas, don’t you think?

Make sure you take a few jars of Valle de Panchoy’s Jalea de Café so you can enjoy, like me, the flavorful and unique coffee jelly from Antigua Guatemala. I know I would!

The Piloyada Antigüeña is one of the most classic dishes from La Antigua Guatemala. Piloyada antigüeña takes its name from the piloy bean. Piloyada antigüeña is basically a bean salad with pork, Guatemalan white sausage, Frankfurt links, ham, salami, fresh cheese, bell peppers, cilantro, tomato, hard-boiled egg slices and onions.

If you beg really loud, perhaps Erin or someone else will share the recipe with us, anyone, anyone?

This how imagine a parking lot looked like at the beginning of the 20th Century in La Antigua Guatemala.

Nowadays, however, I believe these antique bicycles with their old bicycle license plates are just a publicity stunt by La Cuevita de los Urquizú to make people stop and visit their typical Guatemalan cuisine buffet. That’s what I call creative and much better than vulgar vinyl signs or a few dozen signs.

What do you think, would this publicity stunt make you stop?

Vive tu vida y deja vivir translate more or less to Live and let live.

Well, I can believe I am letting the license plates do the talking this weekend.

Do you know what the nomenclature for the Central American license plates?

These are the most common license plates in La Antigua Guatemala right now. I could go as far as saying that there are more Salvadoreans license plates than Guatemalans.

Why are Salvadoreans are flocking to Antigua Guatemala, I hear you ask? Two reasons. One, Salvadoreans are enjoying the time off because of the San Salvador Patron Saint festivities. Two, La Antigua Guatemala is a popular destinations for our brothers and sisters from El Salvador.

Guatever. I want one because I like the color, the typography and the chapín twist. Where can I buy it?

Now, can you guess who the lucky owner of the t-shirt is and why he’s beginning to grin?

La Antigua Guatemala sí es Guatemala after all. I hate to admit it, but Manolo was right!

Just when I think Antigua Guatemala is not the real world I come across a true Guatemalan-style manifestation with flags, slogans, chants and the works.

In short, the protesters, most of them vendors from the municipal marker, were demanding to throw away the plans to move the bus terminal away from el mercado, market. They were also demanding fair and just treatment towards the poor and the worker from the mayor and municipal council. I recorded several videos which I will link below in case you want a watch the clips of a Guatemala manifestation. Further down, there’s a slideshow with enough photos to give you taste of it all.

As I was about to turn right on 3a calle oriente, on my way to Parque Central, I noticed a large colorful crowd and before anybody knew it, the protesters had canceled out the entrance and exit of La Antigua Guatemala be their sheer numbers. I parked, grabbed the camera and iPhone and decided I was going to do my best to document this manifestation. I shot about a hundred photographs and a few videos. Some of the photos and updates when online in real time to Twitter, Facebook and videos to Qik. Believe it or not, I am getting good at this.

Without further ado, here are the videos recorded and uploaded in real time.

1. El pueblo se manifiesta en contra de la Municipalidad de Antigua in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
2. El pueblo se manifiesta en contra de mover la terminal de autobuses.
3. Ya llegó la manifestación al Palacio del Ayuntamiento.

Please, let me know your feedback and thoughts regarding this event coverage!
(more…)

Last week Jonathan Gold from LA Weekly and Evan Kleinman host of KCRW’s Good Food program did a review of La Cevicheria, a Guatemalan owned ceviche restaurant in Los Angeles. In the podcast Jonathan declared the Guatemalan ceviche the best of all ceviches and was surprised since, in his opinion, Guatemala does not posses a ceviche tradition.

Huh? That’s exactly what I thought!

I am certain now that the only dishes that you can find everywhere you go in Guatemala are Ceviche and Chow Mein. That, in my humble opinion, should be enough to declare them Authentic National dishes, don’t you think so?

Right after listening to the podcast I decided to create the Ceviche category to collect all the different articles I have published about the ceviche. Guatemala does indeed have a strong ceviche tradition and that’s why ceviche stands, trucks and restaurants are one of the most often food offerings.

Guatemalans love ceviche so much that now one is begining to find Mexican and Peruvian ceviche trucks and restaurants as part of the ceviche options. There are at least three places, that I know of, where one can find Peruvian style ceviche in La Antigua Guatemala and Ubi’s Sushi version of ceviche is pretty darn good. Ubi’s ceviche is very Peruvian although the presentation looks more like a Thai seafood salad (another of my favorites).

I take this opportunity to thank our loyal and long-time reader Santiago for forwarding me a copy of his Peruvian recipe, which I now prepared at home in a regular basis.

Below you can listen to 3:20 minute review of La Cevicheria by Jonathan Gold of KCRW’s Good Food.

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As you walk around Casa Santo Domingo, you find antique and contemporary artworks one after the other without disrupting harmony and a sense beauty. This is proof of high quality of the curatorship. There is classical music coming off from strategically located speakers to provide a peaceful and tranquil soundtrack while you stroll around the art pieces. The whole atmosphere is a thought provoking experience, especially some art like today’s highlighted sculpture.

Portfolio Updates:
Several of my photos have found their way onto Revue Magazine pages in recents months. Below there are some thumbnails that you can click to see a larger image. Furthermore, if you visit the Portfolio page you can look at all the different places where my photographs have found shelter.

July and August 2010

July was a busy month and a few more photographs appeared in Revue Magazine. Also, the online Guatemalan magazine published from Madrid, Te prometo anarquía, profiled some of my black and white photos. In August a dormant photo from Ciudad Vieja found its place on the cover of Revue Magazine.

March through June 2010

Hotel + Museo Casa Santo Domingo takes very seriously the museo, museum, part of its name. Not only there are several museums and galleries inside the Casa Santo Domingo complex, but you can find art pieces all over the corridors, gardens, open spaces and of course inside the hotel walls. I believe that it is important to highlight that all the art adorning the walls and hallways is from Guatemalan artists.

Have you visited or stayed at Casa Santo Domingo?