Rick and I were once again in the capital trying to complete our residency process. The only perk to running the gauntlet of latin bureaucracy is lunch at a U.S. chain restaurant. As we headed down a main avenue in search of lunch, we passed up McDonald’s and I spotted the coveted Taco Bell. Yes! Let’s eat there. Rick said, “Well, okay, but only if you go in and find out if they have gotten taco sauce in since the last time we ate there.” He began to maneuver across the lanes of traffic to make a left and then a U turn to get into the postage stamp parking lot glued awkwardly to the side of the restaurant.
Two weeks earlier we had eaten there and yes, they were totally out of taco or hot sauce. Please realize that Dominican food is nothing like Mexican food and it is NEVER spicy. So getting actual hot sauce with your meal is quite a treat. When Rick had parked, I hopped out to check on the hot sauce supply and found that at 11:30 they had not opened yet. So we ended up at Burger King. When we ordered I asked how much the ice cream cones were. The cashier said, “30 pesos.” I said, “I think I will buy one after I eat.” So after we had eaten I returned for the cone. “Sorry, she said, the machine is broken.” Oooooo and I got a smaller lunch to leave room for the cone!!!!!!
Below are some sights from this trip:
You might live in the D.R. if….
You go to
- the bakery and they are out of bread
- the butcher and they are out of chicken
- Taco Bell and they are out of hot sauce
- The pet store and they are out of dog food (In fact ALL the pet stores were out of dog food, all waiting for the same truck to make it up the mountain)
- The ice cream shop and the shake machine is broken
- The copy shop and the power is out….sorry come back tomorrow.
Things stores are NEVER out of? Rice, beans, chlorox and beer. We think it’s funny that we can buy one bandaid, one aspirin, one needle, one slice of cheese, one egg, one boullion cube, one Halls cough drop, one cigarette, one piece of gum, all from your friendly neighborhood colmado (mini-grocery store). We think you can also buy one chicken foot, but we have never actually done it.
You might live in Jarabacoa if you go to:
- the bus station to rent a van and they send you to the shoe store
- the shoe store to buy shoelaces and they send you to the grocery store
- the bank to change money and they send you to the bar
- the bar…oh wait skip that. No one goes to the bar; they get their beer from the colmado.
Language quirks that make us laugh:
- There is no word for “washcloth”
- Ahorita, which mean “right now” in other Hispanic countries means “later” in the D.R.
- One word “Pica” has the following meanings: chop, sting, bite, puree, burn, and peck. Basically all things you don’t want to experience!
- A phrase that literally means “don’t hurry yourself” is the colloquialism for “No sweat”
- Dominicans don’t think they have an accent or are hard to understand…it is always the Dominicans who live a few hours away who talk strange. Well, to a gringo, all 8 accent/dialects in this tiny country are hard to understand!
- V and B are interchangeable, so, botar=to throw away and votar= to vote. I saw a sign in a government office over the water cooler that says “Vota su vaso por favor” (Vote your cup please) What exactly am I supposed to do?
- When you hear “Pa’ca, pa’ca” They aren’t alerting you to the presence of the police (paca is like cop) They are calling “over here” as in “para aca”
- Don’t go into the market and starting asking for papaya. In this country it's not a fruit, more like forbidden fruit. So ask for "lechoza" and you'll get the fruit you wanted.
- Seen on the side of a street vendor cart “No somos los talibanes.” We are not the Taliban. I can guess when this sign was painted circa 2001, but why would anyone mistake a Dominican street vendor for the Taliban????
