

Hola from Venezuela! I'm visiting my childhood town of Cumana, where my parents have been living for 33 years. Unlike the capital city of Caracas, which is so modernized it could pass for a large city in the USA, Cumana is still rather rural. Here is a view down the street where we're staying, close to the city center, and the colors are unmistakably Venezuelan. It's common to paint each house a different bright color, which makes for a very colorful view down otherwise drab streets.
Days start early here, while the heat is still bearable. School starts at 7 a.m., so by the crack of dawn, the streets are humming with activity. People huddle around food carts to catch a quick bite on their way to work or school. The most popular portable breakfast is the empanada, pictured here. It's fascinating to watch empanadas being made - in a mere 10 seconds or so, nimble hands have flattened the cornmeal dough to paper thin consistency, plopped on filling such as cheese, chicken, beef, or fish, folded it over to make the moon-shaped empanada, and placed the empanada into a cast-iron pan for a quick fry. We could not stop eating these. My favorite is the cheese empanada. The dough is crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, and my kids loved taking a bite and pulling the melted cheese into long strings.
At lunchtime, arepas are the meal of choice. Arepas are the equivalent of sandwiches or hamburgers in the US. The dough is the same cornmeal dough used for empanadas — made of stone ground maize or corn. Experienced hands can make arepas in just a few seconds. In fact, it took me a few tries to catch one being made. By the time I had focused my camera lens (okay, so maybe next time I should just use the auto-focus!) she had already moved onto the next arepa. After a few failed attempts, I asked the lady to make one in slow motion for me, which got many chuckles from those standing by. The arepas are grilled on an open flame, giving them a wonderful smoky flavor and crunchy shell.
Here you can see the arepas being grilled next to a variety of meats and sausages. Split the arepa open, and fill with any type of filling. Grilled meats are shown here, but there are countless varieties of arepas. You can fill with scrambled eggs, chicken salad with avocados, clams, fish, vegetables, ham & cheese, literally just about anything! In addition to the street arepas I visited, there are restaurants (areperas) that sell arepas only, with over 30 types of arepas on the menu. A friend in New York tells me there is an arepas bar there. I'd be delighted if someone opened one near me in San Francisco!
By lunchtime, the sun is so unbearable that the siesta (or nap) is an absolute necessity. Banks, the post office, and most stores close for the siesta. Streets that were hustling with activity in the morning, become desolate as everyone turns in for an escape from the heat. I could get used to this lifestyle!