Comida rapida or fast food is a common choice for dinner in Colombia. My favorite fast food here is salchipapas which are kind of like “dirty fries” in the United States. There are a few types of salchipapa, but principally, the dish starts with french fries, then you add various types of sausage or chicken (always with the best spices!), then lettuce, queso costeño ("coastal cheese"--similar to feta), and then you top it off with a few sauces, usually pineapple or tartar.
Most of the food I eat every day is from the local area or, at the very least, it is made in Colombia. This is generally true for most smaller towns in Colombia, as it can be difficult to import or ship items from far away. Many of the staples my family buys are from local farmer’s markets, or they bring food from their own farm.
Two types of fish, mojarra and bocachico, are also big staples on the coast because of the access to the Magdalena river. I rarely eat fish that wasn’t caught that same day, unless it was shipped from the ocean. I’ve even had the opportunity to fish for my own lunches a few times!
For my town of Plato, farming and fishing are a huge part of the community not just feeding themselves but are also integrated into the identity of the people and help support their economy. In many ways, I often feel it is more ethical eating animals here because I know where they’ve come from. I’ve killed my own chickens and helped butcher my own pigs.
