Many people do not know that food can be said with different names in different countries (Spanish-speaking countries, specifically). Growing up in Southern California, and even now sometimes, I would often get confused between the Costa Rican words I learned growing up and the Mexican words I would often hear from my Mexican friends. I’ve…
My aunt’s arroz con pollo! In my opinion, this is the yummiest Costa Rican version out there. The literal translation of arroz con pollo is rice with chicken. It’s a very popular dish in Costa Rica and each family has its own way of making it. The main ingredients include white rice, chicken, achiote (a…
It’s that time of year! It’s currently 31 degrees here in the greater Pittsburgh area and my heater has turned on at least once already today. I already drank my fair share of teas and hot chocolates this week. Somehow my taste buds just aren’t satisfied, though. I need something more… something… something foreign. Oh,…
I remember I could NOT find any peanut butter and jelly for my peanut butter and jelly sandwich!! This happened while I was living in Costa Rica with my family while studying abroad at the local university. It had not dawned on me that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches may not have been a thing outside…
I always knew about gallo pinto, which is a Costa Rican-style rice and beans, because I ate it growing up. However, I was NOT accustomed to eating this heavy meal for breakfast every morning. Before moving to Costa Rica, my main breakfast meal was a good ole bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with chopped up…
I found Angelo’s Restaurant while searching for gelato nearby. I didn’t want to drive all the way into downtown Pittsburgh to satisfy my cravings. Who’s got time to deal with traffic and congestion, anyway? I thought to myself… There HAS to be somewhere in the South Hills (the suburbs south of the city) that sells…
Banh Mi is by far my favorite kind of sandwich. I moved from Southern California to the greater Pittsburgh area and thought to myself… Oh no! Where am I going to find my favorite kind of sandwich? I don’t see Vietnamese people anywhere out here! I’m so glad I was wrong. [There are affiliate links…
I can remember the first time I had pho (pho soup pronunciation is similar to “fuh”). I had recently made a great group of friends and it was my first year of college. We were a group of about six and I was the only non-Asian. I loved trying and eating food from their countries!…
One of the first things I said to my husband when we moved to the greater Pittsburgh area from Southern California was: Where are all the local Mexican restaurants near me? I NEED a burrito. I must admit, it was tough at first. It surprised me how Mexican restaurants weren’t so prevalent out here as they…