Toby "y" Food (Toby Tobias)

In San Lucas, we had a few Guatemalan women that would prepare our breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The breakfasts usually consisted of Oatmeal or Pancakes with black beans and a banana. There were, more times than not, a basket of homemade corn tortillas at the beginning of the line. Lunches could be a lot of things, spanning from fried chicken to potato soup. It would always have two baskets at the front of the table, one filled with tortillas and the other with rolls. Dinners were where our lovely chefs got creative, serving meals such as carrot soup, potato skins, chicken stews, etc.

After San Lucas, our next stop was Antigua. We had pizza the night we arrived, but had no time for meals the following day as we were on a van to Semuc Champey. It was there that we were all given two hundred quetzales each and were expected to spend it accordingly on meals at the restaurant. The restaurant had a menu including many things that you would find on the menu at any American breakfast place. Omelettes, eggs, pancakes, etc. We would usually go for a late breakfast and early dinner, skipping lunch in between due to a tight schedule. The dinner menu was also similar to one we would find back home. We had the options of nachos, various types of burgers, burritos and more.

We returned to Antigua for our final days in Guatemala and were treated to brunches and early dinners by Ms.Quirk and Mr. S and a few different restaurants. The first one we that we ate at had the same menu as any American bistro, only the food was in Spanish with an English translation in fine print. I personally ordered an omelette which tasted a lot better than I had expected it to. It looked rather small and dry, but it packed a flavorful punch. We had dinner at the same place later that night where I ordered stuffed quesadillas with meat, guac, salsa, and tomato on the side. It was marvelous.

The remainder of the trip consisted of meals quite similar to the first. Our final mean in Guatemala was at a newer, hip type of breakfast joint not far from out hotel. I ordered a meal titled, “el gringo”, which translates to the white guy. It consisted of two fried eggs, four slices of toast, bacon, and sausage. The only difference between “el gringo”, and any American fried egg dish was the portion size. It came with four slices of toast as opposed to the usual two that we get back home, and the bacon was the length of my little finger. Overall, Guatemalan food was quite delicious, and not far from the meals we have back home.