As a kid, while my peers were going through their “doctor,” “lawyer,” and “pro athlete” phases, I briefly wanted to be a food critic when I grew up. Getting paid for eating food seemed like THE dream (…until I learned that most food critics start off as successful chefs….and, I only like to eat food, not necessarily cook it. I had to reevaluate my life since “Can eat a whole medium pizza by myself” didn’t qualify me as the next Andrew Zimmern on a resumé)
Instead, I decided to revive my fleeting childhood dream for a day here in Bogotá.
Before heading out, I asked God to direct my steps for the day, and I set out for a day of foodie adventures with only 4 rules:
1. Stay local and within walking distance of my hostel (i.e., eat as if i lived in this area)
2. Try to make a friend everywhere I go- whether another diner, the staff, etc. I must not eat in silence.
3. Spend less than $20 all day
4. For at least one meal, let a local blindly pick my whole order for me
And I hit the streets of Candelaria, Bogotá, Colombia.
BREAKFAST:
Okay, so I totally might’ve already broken the “stay local” rule with breakfast, but not much of Bogotá seems to wake up and open shop before 11am…..SO, after a bit of wandering the strangely empty streets at 9:30am, I wandered into one of the few places with open doors: a French bakery, “Mi Rincón Francés” (or, “My French Corner,” literally translated)
A small bakery with limited seating, I ordered a ham and cheese breakfast croissant combo with Lulo juice (my absolute Colombian FAVE. Lulo is a fruit I’ve tried long and hard to find in the States with no luck; it tastes a little like a sweet orange and a sour lemon had a baby, and it’s addicting and super cheap, so I order it basically every meal)
I don’t normally drink coffee, so I let the staff surprise me with my included “bebida caliente” and was pleasantly surprised when a fancy cappuccino showed up on my table.
At first, I was the only diner in the café and I met Joser (left), the young waiter not a day over 17. I learned he and 2 of his cousins came here as refugees from Venezuela about a year ago, by themselves. (The Venezuelan refugee crisis is a massive international problem right now, and for years thousands upon thousands of refugees have been pouring into nearby countries for safety, stability, food, medical care, and hope for a better life. Colombia is among the most popular countries sought for refuge.)
During my meal, I spoke briefly about views of Jesus with some nice Jehovah’s Witnesses that came into the restaurant.
While waiting to pay, I noticed a man asking for recommendations in English and stepped in to translate when the staff didn’t understand what he was saying. That man was named Gordon, from Singapore. We talked about the day I spent in Singapore on a layover this year and I learned Colombia is also his final stop (just like mine) on a 5-week trip he’s been making through South America.
(Side note: asking people if I can take their photo for an internet blog I’m working on about food in the area made me feel like the real deal, btw. Dream accomplished…)
Price (including tip): $15,000 Pesos/$5.18 USD
Overall rating: 4/5
LUNCH:
For lunch I ventured back to a place that caught my eye during some scouting I did in the morning.
Only a few blocks away from the breakfast place, I walked into San Felipe Café Restaurante, admiring the local flair.
The sign at front said to order and pay before taking a seat, so I met my new energetic friend Marta at the counter (who politely declined a photo).
After giving me a slightly confused look, she agreed to serve me something Colombian without telling me what it was. When she asked if I wanted a drink, I asked if they had any Colombian drinks- well SHOOT DARN she recommended lulo juice so I had to order that too. I paid, took a seat, and waited for mystery food to come to my table.
Within 5 minutes, a bowl of soup, a side, and some lulo juice were placed in front of me. I learned the soup was called “ajiaco” – a probable cousin of creamy chicken corn chowder in the States. On the side came rice and two HUMUNGO slices of avocado. A+.
As I began to eat, I noticed the cool combo of locals on my right and tourists on the left.
As I approached the tourists, I learned they’re staying at a hostel nearby and wandered in here for lunch. Two were German, one English, and two were Dutch.
I may have struck out becoming BFFs with these guys who were pretty hesitant about the random American girl asking for their picture, but they still agreed to let me take their photo and post it here. (You win some, you lose some lol)
The “I’m so full I can’t eat it all” face
Price: $14,000 Pesos/$4.83 USD
Overall rating: 4/5
DINNER
Still rather full from lunch, I embarked on my dinner adventure to a cute little place I found also while scouting. When I arrived and found out they closed early and served mostly pastries, however, I found myself in search of a new place as twilight was in its last phases. Since the area I spent my day in isn’t particularly the safest after dark, I found myself at a known close hotspot: The Sandwich Boutique.
As I entered, I was the only customer in the little sandwich stand. I asked Alejandra, the employee working the whole shop for the night, to give me her favorite thing on the menu, no matter what it was. The sweet but savory pulled beef sandwich I got on fresh ciabatta bread was no disappointment. A simple and perfect local sandwich stand treasure (the picture doesn’t do it justice, I promise).
A perfect light dinner, and even better? It was only $1.73 USD and 90,000x better than Subway. I guess I was still early to the dinner rush because I was the only customer the whole time, and Alejandra and I got to have a lovely long conversation. She and I got along naturally like old friends. We shared about travel, what I’m doing here, and I assured her as a foreigner, yes, I really did love Colombia(!)
We talked about the difficulties of learning another language like Spanish for me or English for her. We talked about the kinds of miracles you may not believe until you see them, like the Rwandan woman who was carried to the altar by two people clearly unable to walk but danced back to her seat in church. We discussed the fortune of simply having enough to eat. We talked about the silly fun customs of long Latina names and how the norm in this country is two first names and two last names.
We agreed we’d see each other again a lot this next week I’m here.
Price: $7,000 Pesos with 40%tip/$2.42 USD
Overall rating: 5/5
Anthony Bourdain I am not, but, let’s all raise a toast(ed pulled beef sandwich…see what I did there?) to living outside our own little worlds, wherever we are.
“Without experimentation, a willingness to ask questions and try new things, we shall surely become static, repetitive, and moribund”
-Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018)
