SEPHA Diary: Day 3

Day 3 was a short day with FIMRC.  We were supposed to give a diabetes talk (which I was really excited to give) but it was cancelled by the doctor of the clinic.  So instead, we gave multiple general nutrition talks to kids of different grade levels at their school.  The preschool children were, by far, the cutest group we gave our nutrition talk to. 

Preschoolers - don't they look cute?

They were excited, energetic, and eager to participate during our demonstration.  It took a little more effort to get the high school students to participate but when we brought out our food models (which are fake, plastic food that looks like real food, typically used to demonstrate proper portion sizes), they became more eager to discuss the topic.
After our talk, we drove over to a little town near the beach called San Juan del Sur.  We stopped by a stand that sold purses, clutches, and key chains, however, these weren't ordinary purses.  These bags were made by women who collected plastic bags from the beach in order to decrease the amount of plastic bags ending up on the beach, which potentially can hurt the sea turtles on the land.  You're probably wondering, how can plastic bags be turned into purses and look decent?  Check out the pic below.

I would have never thought that was made with plastic bags.  It did surprise me to see that these locals were also practicing sustainability in their community.  But then again, most third world countries are able to utilize every resource available to them.
After we each bought a bag or two, we headed over to a local restaurant for lunch.  We were all surprised and excited to see we had beets (well one beet) on our plate.  The last few days we were deprived of vegetables because of the lack of availability by the restaurants and also, vegetables are not typically a big component of Nicaraguan cuisine. 

See the beet?  Not really sure what the name of this dish is

I was also surprised to see that they had beets available here but not other vegetables that are common to the United States, like broccoli or cauliflower. 
Our volunteer day came to an end at 2p.m. and we were allowed to do other activities for the rest of the day.  Most of us decided to lie in hammocks at our hotel and relax before heading to dinner at a local tourist resort called Rancho Santana.  After a short walk from the beach to the resort (which included some men shouting "I love yous") and crossing a bridge, we entered the resort and took a minute (or five) to enjoy the view from our table in the restaurant.  The restaurant, La Finca y El Mar (The Farm and The Sea), grows their own produce on their ranch and obtains seafood straight from the nearby ocean, talk about fresh.  The menu  consisted of some dishes typically found in the U.S., like garlic chicken, but there were some dishes that were unique, such as eggplant yellow curry or coffee rubbed pork loin.  We ordered Tostones con Queso y Frijolles (fried plantains with cheese and refried beans) for an appetizer. 

Tostones con Queso y Frijoles

The combination of the crispy fried plantain, the tangy-ness from the cheese and creaminess from the beans was very pleasing on the palate.  Most of us decided to do the three course meal for $20, which is a really good deal considering most entrees were $15.  For my first course, I ordered the fish cakes accompanied with curry sauce.  The fish cakes and curry sauce reminded me of yellow curry dishes found in Thai restaurants; it was very delicious.

Fish Cakes with Curry Sauce

the view wasgorgeous

My second course was the pasta of the day, which was Penne Pesto del Mar (shellfish penne pasta).  It included lobster and shrimp, tossed in linguine covered in basil pesto.  The lobster and shrimp were fresh, and the basil pesto did not overwhelm the flavors of the shellfish.

I, next, ordered the brownie a la mode for my last course.  I haven't seen chocolate in three days so of course I couldn't wait to devour the brownie.

The entire meal was delicious and it was the first time since being in Nicaragua that I actually felt full.  The only downside of the evening was the walk back to our hotel, in the dark, along the beach.  No electricity required the use of our handy dandy phones and its flashlight app to prevent us from stepping on any of the hermit crabs moving in the sand.

Penne Pesto del Mar

Brownie a la mode