Arroz con Dulce, Arroz con Gandules, y Coquito

It was my first invitation to a Caribbean xMas. And, contrary to what some of my know-it-all a**hole friends might say, Puerto Rico is synonymous with the Caribbean. My hostess served up rice with pigeon peas, rice pudding, and a seasonal drink that is translated as coconut eggnog. It's made with rum.
These were the leftovers. Hard to believe that such good food could have any portions remaining. We had a wonderful meal (including mixed green salad and red wine). Somewhere in there there was also something called ropa vieja, which is a Cuban dish made with shredded beef that has been slowly cooked with onions, peppers, olives, tomato sauce, and spices like cumin and oregano. My hostess was married to a Cuban and she has picked some of their signature dishes.




I'm of Central and Eastern European background. These foods still seem so wildly exotic to me. Hey, sometimes a ripe banana seems wildly exotic to me.
I brought her some lasagna. We listened to holiday songs by Raphael and a good time was had by all.