Love me like I want you to Love me: San Valentine's Day

“If they don’t love you as you want them to love you, it doesn’t mean they do not love you with all they’ve got.” Popular saying.

Sometimes we wish that our partner was more romantic, that he/she would send us flowers, leave us little presents or simply leave us a note wishing us a “Good day!”

And this wish tends to intensify itself during San Valentine’s Day, the day where we are supposed to celebrate love.

But, how do I materialize a feeling? What can I do to astonish the person I love? Do we really need to celebrate it?

Here are some stories of people who have celebrated it, and some experiences of those who decided it was better not to celebrate.

This is how they celebrated:

“The most romantic present is to create time to share together (and if it includes a trip, that’s even better!). My fiancé and I love to go to a place about an hour and a half from Boca Raton, FL called Naples, where we stay at the Ritz Carlton and since the moment we arrive we forget about any type of stress. It is a place where the plan is to lay on the beach all day with excellent attention (there are bungalows at the beach, and you drink mojitos and piña colada all day long), sunset falls on the sea and it is amazing, and the city is very pretty to go out for a walk or go out to eat.” Annabella (Boca Ratón, FL, EEUU / Caracas, Venezuela).

“I remember two years ago, I arrived from work and found Bernie at my place: he had lighted candles all over the house and he was cooking for me! He really showed himself off: spaghetti with prawns and everything! Isabel (Cuidad de Panamá, Panamá).

“When John and I dated in college, we celebrated our first valentine's day very low key because we spent a lot of money on a ski trip in January. I asked John to pick me up at my dorm room and to be hungry. ;) When he picked me up he gave me a rose with a card. Inside the card there was a Starbuck's gift card. He knew how much I loved it. He used to always surprise me at the reading room with a caramel latte. Then he handed me my favorite chocolate in the whole world, Ferro Rocher. So, I got a bag ready and when we got in the car I told him to take me to his place cuz I was going to cook for him an authentic Puerto Rican dinner. I was so nervous. Not only was this the first time I was cooking for my boyfriend, it was the first time I was cooking Puerto Rican food by myself. I made him arroz con habichuelas rojas y bistec encebollado. So I served him a plate and for like the longest five minutes of my life, he didn't say a word. Until finally he said, "wow baby, I'm gonna get seconds" lol It made my night. For dessert I got him his favorite ice cream, mint chocolate chip. That night we stayed up talking and when we looked out the window it began to snow. It was a perfect ending to our date. The TCU campus was gorgeous. I know it’s not a glamorous story but it's my favorite valentine's day ever. Simple but thoughtful.” Karlene (Washington DC, EEUU / San Juan, Puerto Rico).

“I have a friend who once did a treasure hung. In the morning she prepared breakfast for him, and in the afternoon she was not with him, instead, she would leave him clues where he could find the next clue. Each place had a special significance for them (favorite restaurant, place where they met, the house of the friends that introduced them). There was a clue and a present in each place. At the end she was waiting for him at the house as she cooked dinner and a present.” Annabella (Boca Ratón, FL, EEUU/ Caracas, Venezuela).

“If there's one thing I've learned about relationships and being romantic is this: sometimes the simpler the more satisfying. Chris and I have lived so far away from each other most of our relationship that to be honest we never made a big deal about valentines day or anything like that. Last year was our first year together and i think he forgot it was valentines days. I bought him a cheesy heart balloon and he made a nice spaghetti dinner, we drank some wine and we watched a movie. Sometimes simple is better...” Alexa (California, EEUU / Brasil)

And for those who do not really relieve in San Valentine’s Day, I have a store for you:

“Last year, I assumed Chelsea was not going to mind if I did not buy her a Valentine’s present, but of course, it ended up being one of the most stupid decisions and a clear boundary of my understanding of women. I had to go out at 9 p.m. to buy her a pair of earrings that ended up being really expensive. Another bad story, but anyhow, it shows how ridiculous some of us can be if we think San Valentine’s Day is not important enough to celebrate.” Arturo (Ciudad de Guatemala, Guatemala)

Wish you had a great San Valentine’s day! How did you celebrate it this year?

Salvadorean Pupusas: Strange Name for a Unique Taste

People from El Salvador have their own typical dish: Pupusas. These round plums are particular because of their name and also because they have their own national celebration: According to Legislative Decree 655 of El Salvador, the second Sunday of November is considered the “National Day of Pupusas”.

Nelson Sosa, from El Salvador, explains that the “National Day of Pupusas is very well known. He says the decree was created because Honduras or Nicaragua were saying that pupusas had originated in those countries and not in El Savador, while the dish, is indisputably, from El Salvador (they took the case to court and used historians, documents, etc to determine they originated in El Salvaor).

The word “pupusa” comes from the combination of the word “púpu” (scramble) and “tsa” (bulge), which would translate to “stuffed bulge”, according to José Manuel Bonilla, specialist in the nahuat language and national director of cultural development of Concultura.

There are two types of pupusas: corn and rice. “Rice pupusas are typical of a town called "Olocuilta", localed near the airport (San Salvador). For that reason, all Salvadorians that travel stop by to buy pupusas on the way to the airport”, says Daniel Rivera from El Salvador.

But, what makes these pupusas so special that Salvadorians have even reserved a day in their honor?

To answer this question I had to try them myself.

When I went to Washington DC, USA, a friend from El Salvador decided to introduce us to this delicious dish. We drove for about an hour to the place where they sold “the best pupusas in DC” to try them.

On a first impression, they reminded me of Colombian arepas: rounded, crispy and fresh corn disks. Only arepas are eaten by themselves, while you place curtido on top of the pupusas. Curtido is a mixture of cabbage, carrots, onions and green chilli soaked in vinegar.

Since we were a large group we ordered pupusas with different suffing so we could try a large variety: cheese, cheese and beans, “revueltas” (fried crackling (chicharrón), beans and cheese), beef and cheese with “loroco”. That time we did not try pupusas filled with “ayote” (a type of cabbage), and fish, among others.

My favorite ones were filled with cheese; they were not as heavy as the other ones, which allowed me to eat more. At the same time “revueltas” have a particularly explosive taste.

Even though it was a fun experience and I enjoyed this centroamerican dish, I doubt my love for food would ever take me to compete in the “pupusas eating” contest, where according to Daniel, “one time a guy ate 42 pupusas (when a regulas woman usually does not eat more than 3, and a average male usually eats 4 or 5!!!”).

If you ever get the chance, I would recommend to try pupusas, it is the entrance to El Salvador.

Welcome!

A Day in a Japanese Diaper

By Carlo Capua (USA/Toluca, Mexico)

Standing in the midst of 24 sweaty almost-naked men.
Wearing nothing more than a firehose-esque piece of cloth.
Ready to subject myself to full embarrassment.

No, I wasn’t a contestant on a Japanese game show. Last weekend I experienced the glory of Japanese culture to its fullest. Hands-on. Last Sunday I participated in my first sumo tournament (Japanese national sport).

Now this wasn’t the huge, stuffed costume sumo match that you do for laughs at a carnival. This was the real deal - bare butt and all.

Doug, the resident Sado ALT, convinced me to venture up to Sado Island and be a part of the 3-man gaijin team that would take the other Japanese teams by storm. Add Lance, and you’ve got 3 really white, hairy gaijin (word used by Japanese people to refer to foreigners).

Problem: I don’t have a proper Japanese sumo name.

It was fun thinking of a name that would ring fear into the hearts of the other Japanese competitors. My options were:

1) Bakana Amerikajin - “Stupid American”
2) Takahashi - those of you who read my marathon story would understand
3) Tenkomori - literally, “Mountain of Food”
4) Kenshoen – loosely translated, “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome”
5) Sanadamushi – “Tapeworm”

I opted for #3 – Tenkomorikun. Lance chose “Taishokukan” (Massive Appetite Boy) and Canadian-bred Doug was “Momijiyama” (Maple Leaf Mountain.) Together, we would be Team Takokusekikun (Army of Nations.)

The rules of sumo are actually easy. There are two ways to lose a match:
1) Any part of your body touches outside the ring before your opponent, or
2) Any part of your body other than your feet touch the ground.

The hardest part was actually getting (un)dressed. The infamous “diaper”, called a mawashi, is impossible to put on alone. It’s basically a long, thick piece of rough cloth that’s worn like a G-string in the back, and wraps around your waist 4 times. Attractive.

Our first match would be against the defending champion team; actually, it was the first match of the entire tournament. Doug treated his first opponent like a ningyo (doll), and I stepped into the ring to face mystery man #2.

“Do I bow first, or squat? What’s the word for GO? Can I throw salt in the ring, at my opponent, etc?” We had already been explained proper sumo etiquette, but as I stood in the ring I felt all confidence slowly melting away. I looked across the ring and sized up the competition. My opponent wasn’t exactly in world-class shape. He was:

1) Fat. Really fat.
2) Balding.
3) Probably in his forties.
4) Sweaty.

I squatted with both fists firmly planted on the ground. Butterflies were swarming in my stomach. The referee gave me a pitiful look, and gave the Japanese word for “GO!”

I charged directly in to the sweaty mass of flesh in front of me. This guy wasn’t strong – he was just really fat. As I tried to get a firm grip on his mawashi, he backed me to the edge of the ring. “Uh-oh”, I thought. “The fat guy is going to beat me, and it’s going to be broadcast all over the island on Sado TV.”

Fearful of the pending embarrassment, I managed to grab his diaper and spin him out of the ring. To this day I still can’t figure out how I did it. I guess anything can happen when you’re half-naked.

We beat last year’s champion team! With our first victory under our extremely tight belts, Maple Leaf Mountain, Mountain of Food, and Massive Appetite Boy marched their way to a 3rd place finish overall, the best a gaijin team has ever finished in the tournament. And yes, there were more than 3 teams. There were 8 teams, to be exact. Our team and the other gaijin team “dobutsuen” (zoo) all had fun as the day’s “entertainment.”

The most touching part of the day was during the opening ceremony. Since there were Americans in the tournament, they dedicated 1 minute of silence to the nationally tragedy at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

This culture continues to amaze me.