¡Yum-El Vigoron!

Okay, so all of the travel guides say not to eat the street food. My host Rotarian's mom invited me to try "comida tipica", typical food of Granada, in El Centro (downtown hub of Central American cities). When I displayed some hesitancy, I explained that I eat all kinds of food but that I was concerned about getting sick because I am not accustomed to their foods. She assured me that this outdoor restaurant in El Centro catered to tourists and was safe and clean. (I eat typical foods in the home where I stay but they always clean everything well and clean veggies in bleach to kill unfamiliar microbes) So I tried el vigoron, which is cooked, mashed yuca plant with some sort of slaw and vinegar on top, served on a banana leaf with chicarrones (fried pork rinds). If you are not a meat eater, don't worry, the chicharrones are on the side and can be picked out, or you can ask for it to be left out completely. Although that isn't really like a Nica, because they like their pork like most North Carolinians! I noticed that Evita (middle) ordered mine and Julie's (left-Rotarian from NC) "seca" or dry. She told me that they are usually made with a lot of oil, but since I was not accustomed to that she asked for that to be left out-thank you(: (pictured on the right of the 3rd pic is Evita's daughter, Karen). I am happy to report that I didn't get sick(: I love yuca-almost better than mashed potatoes! Oh, and I almost forgot, the drink is jugo de tamarindo-IDK, we don't have it in the States, but it is delicious. However, if you don't like pulp, don't get it. It is kind of like drinking a scuppernong juice with the seeds, only the seeds are soft, for all y'all from the South! P.S. Do we have yuca in NC?