Este plato es uno de los almuerzos diarios más comunes y es una gran parte de la cultura aquí y por eso, se llama “La Bandera”.
I have been living in the DR for over a year now and I have had the opportunity to try a lot of foods and learn what traditions regarding food are important. A cafecito (or café) will be given to you at all hours of the day. Any time I visit someone or see someone sitting in their galería (porch), I will be offered a café (and in most cases it is rude to turn it down). As a result, when living with my host family, I was having coffee about three times a day. Rice is a staple here, but there are two DR-unique facts about rice. One is that rice is a lunch meal, which I found interesting because I would mainly eat it for dinner in the states. Second, concón is extremely popular. So, when rice is made, the rice at the bottom of the pot gets crispy. This part is the concón and is loved throughout the DR.
In terms of desserts, although sugar is extremely prevalent in the Dominican diet, it is only in juices and coffees. So typical desserts are sweet, but not overly sweet. The most common are arroz con leche (rice with milk) and habichuelas con dulces (sweet beans). Arroz con leche is a rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar. Habichuelas con dulces is similar; it is red beans and sweeteners blended together. This dessert, however, is normally reserved for special occasions like Easter and it is normally shared with neighbors.
