Photos

It is worth the trip to Colombia just to eat the empanadas.

Empanadas are corn bread pockets containing rice, meat, chicken, boiled egg, and more, or less, according the the taste of the chef. They are baked or sometimes deep fried and served with aji, a salsa made with cilantro, onions, lemon juice, and many secret ingredients. Everyone has their own recipe and they all seem to be good. Aji comes in piquant and suave, hot or mild, as you might wish.

In the old part of Bogotá, Candelaria, you will find the Cafe Cataluña. You can see the the faces of the women working in the kitchen through the window. You can also see the reflection of the street, swarming with university students at this time of the afternoon. They are probably hungry and ready to snack on this wonderful treat.

I liked the way the reflection caught the dual nature of the inside and the outside of this little cafe. Despite the name, there was no Catalan food to be had. it was just a name. Here you see traditional Colombian food beside papas francesas (french fries) and a Coca Cola sign. All in the window of a very old cafe.