Food and Beverage

I wonder if Rachel at the cheese counter was surprised when I picked up a bottle Italian Moscato Di Asti, a artisan baguette, and a wheel of Isigny Ste. Mère French Brie. I don't know if I appear to be the connoiseur type. I guess I look more like a beer, pretzel, and aerosol cheese guy. Not to say that I don't appreciate a good beer and pretzel. The canned cheese I can live without. I guess what I'm getting at is to the perfect stranger I may not appear sophisticated and refined. OK I do own an Old English 800 t-shirt. On the other hand I'm an opened minded person when it comes to food and beverage.

I've always been a Coke man. Coca Cola is my cola of choice. I can drink any soda, but when I have the choice it will be Coke every time. It's flavor is like no other cola. It's not too sweet or vanilla flavored, not to mention that it tastes great with rum. It almost has a burning sensation at is goes down. The Latin American version is even better. It is sweetened with pure can sugar. Every time I get my hands on some, it takes me back to being a kid on vacation in Nicaragua. We would go to the stands in the park. The vendors would pour the soda into a plastic sandwich bag and tie the top around a straw. I would walk around with my pouch of Coca Cola.


Some of my other beverage preferences came about during my adulthood. My time in my homeland of Nicaragua has also influenced my tastes in rum. Nicaragua's major exports are coffee, sugar, dairy products, and of course Flor De Cana rum. One of the oldest and most prestigious rum distillers in Central American. It can be found all over the world. I prefer Gran Reserva which is aged 7 years. I have tried the 12 year old Centenario which is exquisite. I also own an unopened bottle of 21 year old Centenario which comes in a porcelain bottle.


A couple of years back, my boss at the time introduced my to Irish Whiskey. He bought me a bottle of Tullamore Dew. When he gave it to me, he instructed me not to mix it with soda, just ice. That night I did just that. I poured a glass half full with a half a dozen iced cubes. At first it was a bit too much to handle. After about 20 minutes as the ice melted it began to taste better and better. Then I learned a life lesson. Once it tastes just right, drink it all. After that it becomes to watered down and doesn't taste quite as good.


Drinking whiskey on the rocks made me feel like a grown man. Drinking Macallan Scotch made feel like a gangster. About 6 months after discovering Whiskey I was invited to a Macallan tasting event by a close friend. I went along with it. Free drinks and friends, why not. I figured you've tried one you've tried them all. Irish Whiskey, and Kentucky Bourbon don't hold a candle to Scotch Whisky. Oh my god. All my senses went crazy. They played with my emotions. We moved up the age groups. We started with 10 year old. Then 12. The 18 and 21 year old is where I became hooked. Of course I will probably never be able to afford such a mature Scotch.


Vodka has always been a mainstay. When I was younger and I wanted to get drunk. I would get a pint of Stoli or Smirnoff and pour it into 3/4 full Hawaiian Punch Super Big Gulp. Then the day I got married my cousin bought me a congratulatory drink It was Grey Goose. I usually stayed away from anything that rappers hocked in their videos. It was quite smooth. Since then I've tried everything from Belevedere to Three Olives to Crystal Vodka. The quality of the Vodka depends on the amount of filtering it undergoes. It has been said that if you pour cheap Vodka through a Brita pitcher a few time over it will gradually become smoother. I have learned over the years that the main ingredient also determines taste. I was under the impression that all Vodka was potato based. Wheat based Vodkas are tasty. My favorite are grape based Vodkas. It's like white wine taken to the next level. Last year I tried Ciroc, a grape based Vodka, for the first time. I was smitten. It was so smooth and flavorful. I could drink it on the straight.


Food is a far more complicated thing for me. I don't care much for candy and chocolate. I like Snickers, Kit Kats, Reese's Cups, and Twix. I like them if they are available, but I'm not going to buy any or crave any. I like real food. I'm a steak and potatoes kind of guy. When I need a snack I crave cheese. I got that from my father and my daughter got it from me. I will get some fresh buffalo mozzarella, slice some Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and cracked pepper and a splash of olive oil. Today I warmed up some brie in the oven and spread it on crusty baguette slices. I accompanied it with fresh sliced avocado. Other then that, if I want a warm snack I'll make a quesadilla with tomatoes and mushrooms or a grilled cheese with pepperoni slices.

When I want something different I get fried calamari. I love fried calamari. I have had it at so many different places. Some were good some were OK. It all depends on if they use fresh or frozen. I love when they fry the leg clusters too. When I was a kid my dad used to make rice with canned squid in it's own ink. I used to hate that stuff. I thought it was gross. When I was a bit older he made it one day and I thought it was the best thing I ever had. I would ask him to make it. Something I still can't eat without gagging is liver, or any organ meat from any animal. It smells and taste sickening to me.

Anything pork makes my world go round. Pork rinds must always be at arms length. Not the air puffed Utz kind. I mean the pork skin with meat deep fried. Hard and crunchy when you bite and tastes like lard. If you want some go to the butcher section of Hispanic food market.  Pork chops, ribs, pulled pork BBQ, country style ribs, you name it I love it. I'm torn between my favorite. Although pork rinds are in second place, first place is a two way tie. I can eat bacon anytime on anything. When I really wanna feel the love I ask my dad to make his famous pork shoulder. He takes a skin on whole pork shoulder leg, and scores the skin. He then sticks whole garlic cloves in the slits. He makes a paste with olive oil and Sazon Goya and salt. He massages the whole leg until it's a bright orange color. He pours naranja agria (a sour orange marinade) over the shoulder. Then he covers it and lets it cook at about 300 degrees for like 3 or 4 hours. I don't know were to begin describing how good this is. I like to rip a piece of skin off to start. It glazed and rubbery. Then a piece of the marbled meat. All of a sudden you bite into a soft, warm piece of fat in the middle of the meat chunk. With my dad's arroz con gandules and some tostones, I'm good to go. It's just not holidays, until my dad does his thing with the pierna de cerdo.

Nothing like eating the things that make you warm inside. Although these days everything is bad for you, it's all about moderation. My rule of thumb is, if it makes you happy, eat it. Forget about the calories. Smell it, taste, take your time and savor every second of it. You will only have one lifetime to taste all the tasty treats the earth has to offer. When it come to drinks. I believe in quality not quantity. I buy the finest spirit that I can afford and take my time with it. I have a drink to relax and release the stresses of my day.