From Mangú to Ajiaco: A Bilingual Guide to Hosting the Perfect Latin-Fusion Dinner Party
The ceiling fan whirred like a lazy helicopter as late-afternoon light spilled through my Santiago de los Caballeros balcony. I was wrist-deep in mashed mangú—those ripe plantains stain your fingernails yellow for days—when my phone pinged with a voice note from Julián in Medellín: “Parce, alista la olla grande que llevo un ajiaco con el […]
Navigating Vegetarian & Vegan Dining in Spanish
The first time I asked for a vegetarian option in Santo Domingo I nearly caused a kitchen revolt. It was a sweltering Saturday at a sea-view fritura, and I blurted out, “¿Tiene algo sin carne, por favor?” The cook’s eyebrows shot sky-high. My Dominican buddy Luis swooped in with a grin, explaining I was a […]
Sip, Swirl, and Say It Right: Wine & Cheese Vocabulary for Tastings
I was standing in the breezy courtyard of a restored colonial house in Santiago de los Caballeros when the sommelier offered me a glass of tempranillo. The color danced ruby-red in the Caribbean sun, but what grabbed everyone’s attention was my attempt to describe its aroma—in Spanish. I reached for especiado (spicy) but blurted out […]
Dinner-Party Diplomacy: From Santo Domingo to Medellín, One Table at a Time
I still remember the first time I tried to host a “proper” dinner party in the Dominican Republic. I’d only been on the island a few months, my Spanish felt shaky, and my grocery list was a Spanglish disaster. The night before, I texted a Colombian friend in Medellín for advice and accidentally swapped ají […]
Festival Spanish: Surviving “Las Fallas,” “Carnaval,” and the Never-Ending Beat of Latin Fire
I was halfway through a foam-splattered conga line in Santiago de los Caballeros when the memory of Valencia’s “La Cremà” suddenly flashed across my mind. One moment I was dodging spark-spitting “diablos cojuelos” on the Dominican parade route; the next, I could almost smell the gunpowder and fresh paella from that March night in Spain […]
What to Say When You’re Running Late—Polite Excuses in Dominican & Colombian Spanish
The Morning It All Started Late I should have known the day would unravel the moment my alarm surrendered to the Caribbean heat. The fan sputtered its last gust, the power flickered, and my cell-phone battery — that faithful digital rooster — gave up at 3 a.m. By the time I bolted upright, sunlight was […]
Spanish Lesson: Reading Menus Like a Local
I was sipping an icy Presidente one blistering Tuesday in El Seibo when the waiter slid a handwritten menu across my table. Four stark words stared back: Mondongo, Chenchén, Buche y Pata, Chimichurri Dominicano. My Spanish was already solid—four years in the Dominican Republic had seen to that—yet I felt as if the board had […]
Spanish Lesson: Learning to Eat Safely When You Have Food Allergies
I was two years into my life in Santo Domingo before I had my first proper scare. My friend Carlos had sworn that the bollitos de yuca from a tiny picapollo in Villa Mella were “libres de todo.” One bite later my lips tingled—the cook had stirred a spoonful of peanut butter into the frying […]
Pet-Owner Spanish: Navigating Vets, Dog Parks, and Adoption in the Dominican Republic
Mango’s sock crisis and my crash course in veterinary Spanish I found Mango on a rainy afternoon, shivering under a motoconcho outside Santiago’s Mercado Modelo. He was more rib than dog, yet his tail thumped like a maraca when I offered a piece of empanada. One rabies shot and several baths later, he became my […]
The Art of Dominican Compliments in Spanish
First encounter with a Dominican halago The sun had barely bullied its way over the rooftops when Doña Mercedes spotted me lugging groceries up three flights of concrete stairs. She leaned on the railing and, with a grin that could sweeten black coffee, said: «Ay, mijo, tú sí haces falta en esta escalera: cada vez […]