I wouldn’t be able to justify a blog about Colombia if I hadn’t written about Andres Carne de Res, the omnipresent institution that seems to have played a big part in defining the cityscape and consciousness of Bogotá. There is nothing quite like Andres, and writing about it may risk misrepresenting it. Filled with mismatching bits and bobs that […]
See OneChineseInColombia’s recent contribution to The City Paper about Jose Roca, the Colombian Tate Modern curator speaks about Latin American art.
The other night I witnessed an incident when it was pouring outside. I have mentioned before that when it rains here, it’s a downpour. A buseta was just pulling over. Some passengers were trying to get off. There was a puddle right in front of the buseta’s exit doors. A few girls came off the minibus. But for […]
After a 4-month Colombian life, I have got accustomed to having at least half a banana on my main course plate, although most of the times, half a banana here is more like one whole banana elsewhere. From being a curious surprise at the beginning, something that had always been looked forward to, it’s now […]
You may have already noticed that I talk a lot about transport, whether it’s good or bad. Well, the reality is, transport is a fundamental problem that affects the daily lives of Bogotános, which means that it has found its way to conversations with frequent presence. You’re going into a meeting with your clients, you […]
The deep fried pork, skin on, with layers of fat and meat, is synonymous with gratification, joy, and indulgence. To be precise, the essence is in the skin. Without the skin it doesn’t get qualified to be called chicharrón. It has a determinedly solid status in the hearts of Colombians. The dish was propagated by the […]
Continuing with the ‘everything-is-bigger-in-Colombia’ series, this post features the king of all tropical fruits – guanábana. Its size simply astounds; its delicately sweet fragrant, mesmerises; its creamy texture, satisfies. Simply amazing. First time I saw the fruit, it was among the mountain of guanábana, on one of these fruit trucks that loom the streets. The […]
When the Colombians eat their lovely deep fried fat, they thought, ‘What would go best with that? Ok, let’s fry up some intestines to go with it!’ The plate of chopped up sizzling tubes may look grotesque. It may look more at home on the table of Adam’s Family than in a restaurant. But how […]
Counting four months since I first arrived and having had repetitive safety training advice that’s so constantly reeled that it’s become part of my subconscious, I have by now gathered enough intelligence to be able to take on the streets with confidence! So I thought I should at least make some contribution to the world and […]
They are devils on four wheels. The minibuses of Bogotá are reckless; they do whatever they wish, drive however they want, because they think they are the only vehicles on the roads. Their signature annoyance practice is to take over you, get in front of you and then stop, so that they can pick up […]
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