The Center for Development in Central America is a project of the Jubilee House Community (JHC-CDCA) a non-profit working with poor communities in Nicaragua to help them realize their own goals, rather than bringing in "ready-made solutions."
For the first time ever, it’s been my turn to cook dinner for our delegation this week. Throughout the year we receive 10-15 delegations – groups from churches and universities mostly – who stay in our dorm and work in our projects. The
-->se groups or “brigades” are usually here for a week or 10 days and bring between 15 and 25 people. While Josefa and Carmen make them delicious Nicaraguan breakfasts and lunches, we make them gringo style food for dinner…let me amend that. Kathleen makes them gringo style food for dinner.
Although others of us often pitch in, Kathleen is the true chef among us, regularly cooking meals for 45 without breaking a sweat. And let me add that these aren’t just any old meals…they are meals that you continue to dream of months after you’ve left…I think we have more than one delegate who annually makes a 6,000 mile trek not for their love of Nicaragua, but for their love of Kathleen’s spaghetti!
Kathleen honed her cooking skills while running homeless shelters with Mike and Sarah in the early days of the Jubilee House Community. Since coming to Nicaragua she’s been the main dinner cook for our delegations for 16 years, cooking not only for the 25 brigadistas but also our permanent community members and long-term volunteers, which is often a group totaling 45 hungry mouths!
But this month, while we have a Bucknell Brigade Alumni delegation with us, Kathleen is visiting family in the US. Before she left, Kathleen spent hours training Nubia – the sous chef when we have groups here – how to prepare and cook six different meals by herself. Then Nubia – after six years of waiting – was finally scheduled for back surgery…during this delegation, of course! She is actually getting three spinal blocks done to try to correct a problem with her vertebrae. The first one was successfully done in June, and the second one was scheduled for today. So luckily, Nubia was able to cook the first four dinners and Carmen and Josefa and I are bravely taking on the second two dinners.
I regularly help Kathleen with shopping and often make meals for 15, so the work wasn’t a total surprise, but I have to admit that this week I’ve come to really appreciate Kathleen for all the hard work she quietly gets done without fuss: figuring out menus and what food to buy for each meal (took me an hour!), putting together shopping lists from 6 different people (took me nearly another hour!), purchases at the farmer’s market (6 watermelons, 100 tomatoes, 75 limes, 210 eggs, 100 oranges, 10 pineapples, 20 plantains…) and the grocery store (50 chicken drumsticks, 20 pounds of cheese, 24 bathroom deodorizers, 36 rolls of toilet paper…), organizing which food gets eaten when (Josefa has saved me three times by catching things I didn’t manage to buy at the right time!), then mixing vats of fruit salad and egg salad and chicken salad (okay, vegetarian me didn’t taste that one)…Phew! It’s hard work. And at the end I taste the food and it’s pretty good, but it’s just lacking that certain something…Kathleen. It must be her love of food and the ever-present hostess in her that gives her food that special flavor, and we’ll sure be glad to have her back!
In lieu of Kathleen actually being here to whip us up something wonderful, I’m including two of our favorite recipes from Kathleen’s cookbook, Grits Greens and Gallo Pinto. You can request your own copy of the book when you make a $35 donation to the CDCA. Email sarah@jhc-cdca.orgBuen provecho! -- Becca
When onions begin to change color, add and lightly fry:
3-4 T. paprika
2-3 t. oregano
2-3 bay leaves
1 T. black pepper
Salt to taste
Add:
18 oz. tomato paste
7 ½ c. water
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Taste after two hours and adjust seasonings.
Tip:
·The secret is in the paprika; my mother does not add oregano or bay leaves. If you don’t want to measure, then shake paprika until it lightly coats the meat mixture so that it looks red. Then shake pepper over the paprika so that you still see red showing through. Then add salt.
·Use the tomato paste can to measure water (you need 3 cans of water for 1 can of paste). Take the spatula or spoon and stir up the paste sticking to the sides of the can; by the third can of water you will have gotten all the paste.
·Make lots, and freeze for other recipes or for a quick spaghetti supper. It freezes really well.
Proceed with recipe. After the tomato paste and water are in, then add:
2 c. chopped tomatoes
1 c. chopped green peppers
Becca’s note: Kathleen now often makes us a vegetarian sauce thickened using TVP or cooked garbanzo beans and both are super tasty. For an easier version add whole black olives.
Potato, Tomato & Egg Casserole
Serves 6-8
350°
25-30 minutes
Bring to a boil (in same pan):
2 lbs potatoes
10 eggs
Boil for 2 minutes. Cover and turn off heat. Let sit for an hour. Peel eggs. In a 9” x 13” baking dish, spread:
2 T. olive oil
Slice potatoes 1” thick and layer in baking dish. Sprinkle on potatoes:
Salt and pepper to taste
Slice ½” thick:
2 large tomatoes
And layer on potatoes. Sprinkle with:
Salt and pepper to taste
2 t. basil
Layer on tomatoes:
1 c. grated cheese (mozzarella is best)
In a bowl, chop boiled eggs and add:
2-3 T. olive oil
¼ c. parmesan cheese
¼ c. parmesan cheese
¼ - ½ c. fresh parsely, chopped
Mix well and top the casserole with egg mixture. Bake 350° for 25-30 minutes until eggs begin to turn golden and casserole bubbles.
Tip:
·I use a pastry cutter to chop the eggs into small pieces.
Options:
·Use oregano if you don’t have basil
·Use dry parsley flakes if you don’t have fresh parsley
Last week I had the opportunity to listen to a talk about HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua given by Walter López of the Managua-based Fundación Xochiquetzal, an organization working with those living with the disease and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.He gave a good picture of the disease in Nicaragua, how it is spreading and why.Walter’s statistical information came from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MINSA) numbers on reported cases of HIV/AIDS for the year 2009 (most recent data available).Walter noted that MINSA is the only place where patients can get retroviral drugs in Nicaragua.Other institutions can really only prevent and treat secondary illnesses associated with HIV/AIDS.
Cases in Nicaragua: In 2009 there were a total of 721 cases of HIV/AIDS and there were 71 new cases reported, for a total of 792 reported cases of HIV/AIDS.In 2009 there were 74 reported AIDS patients who passed away.Of course, those numbers are only for reported cases, where people actually got tested.While getting tested in Nicaragua is becoming easier, it’s still not an easy process.
How does testing in Nicaragua work?In 2009 there were a total of 112,207 HIV tests done in Nicaragua.Almost half of those were administered to pregnant women through MINSA’s prenatal program.HIV tests in public hospitals are free, but not all hospitals and health centers can do the test.For example, the MINSA neighborhood health centers in Ciudad Sandino don’t have the reactants to do the tests, so they will send patients to the Hospitalito here, but even there they are most likely to refer patients into the Central Hospital in Managua to be tested.All of is a lot of hassle and expense, which would be enough to discourage even the very determined.Private foundations like the Xochiquetzal offer testing, but there is a cost: at their clinic the test is C$200 ($10).They and other groups do carry out campaigns where they will go into neighborhoods and rural departments and test people for free.The quick test takes about 25 minutes and those being tested receive confidential counseling sessions before and after.
High risk ages:The population at highest risk in Nicaragua to contract HIV/AIDS are those between 15 and 35 years of age, with the very highest incidence between the ages of 25-29.Walter points out that this is the age when many young people are exploring their sexuality with less concern for protecting themselves.This is also the age when people are likely to have children and also are economically active (working).The more that this age range of Nicaraguans is affected, the more that HIV/AIDS will begin to affect the productivity of the country as its working population is hit by the disease.
High risk occupations:The three highest risk occupation groups are: Housewives (97 total cases reported), Manual laborers (91 total cases reported), and students (35 total cases reported).Interestingly, there are only 7 sex workers reported to be HIV positive while there are 13 “professionals” – people with university degrees.Walter explains that there is a stigma against sex workers, but they are one of the populations who are most informed about HIV/AIDS transmission, acknowledge that they are at risk and use condoms.They are also a population that gets tested more frequently than others.
Feminization of the disease:The gender breakdown of those living with HIV in 2009 in Nicaragua was 63% male, 35% female and 2% unknown.The incidence of HIV in women is rising rapidly, what is commonly known as the “feminization of HIV/AIDS.”Housewives are the group with the fastest rising rates of HIV/AIDS.Walter explains the reasons behind this: “Housewives are economically dependent on a man, and so they feel that they cannot insist that he use a condom.If they do insist, the first thing their husband will say is ‘Oh, you must be sleeping with someone else’ or ‘Don’t you trust me?’Many husbands will hit their wives for insisting that he use a condom, and so in fear of violent retribution and because of their position of dependence, housewives will not insist that their husbands wear a condom.”
Worldwide, battered women are more likely to have HIV/AIDS or to contract it than other women.Walter explains that where the Xochiquetzal Foundation has done investigations in a neighborhood about who has been tested, the women who do not work outside the home are most likely to answer no, maybe a total of 2% have been tested.And invariably when asked when they got tested they say “When I got pregnant with my last child.”Walter also points out that women tend to put their own health aside to look after their families, and so it is unlikely that they will go to get tested just to make sure they are okay.
HIV positive & pregnant: MINSA has a policy of testing pregnant mothers who go in for pre-natal exams.They also have a policy that if a woman arrives at a hospital to give birth and cannot show that she has tested negatively for HIV then they will perform a cesarean, and not allow a vaginal birth in order to not risk possible infection of the baby.
In 2009 there were 64 pregnant women detected to be HIV positive through their pre-natal testing.There were 31 newborn babies who tested HIV positive last year.Life expectancy for babies born with HIV/AIDS in Nicaragua is between 10 and 20 years, depending on the quality of life that those children have.If their families have enough money to feed them well and get them the medical attention they need, then they are likely to live longer and better lives.
Where is Nicaragua most at risk?The areas of Nicaragua where the virus is found most are parts of the country that have ports or border crossings.Chinandega, home to Nicaragua’s largest port, Corinto, has 34.3% of all reported cases of HIV/AIDS.Matagalpa has the lowest incidence which is at least in part due to the fact that it is such a rural area that fewer people can get to the health centers where they can be tested.
Honduras and Costa Rica, the two countries that share borders with Nicaragua, have the highest incidences of HIV/AIDS in Central America, and Nicaragua has one of the lowest.The virus first came to Central America in the 1980s to Honduras when thousands of US troops were stationed there.It arrived in Costa Rica through a boom in tourism (including sex tourism) in Costa Rica, through US tourists.Does Nicaragua actually have a lower rate of HIV/AIDS that its two border countries?Unless a larger percentage of the population can get tested, it’s hard to tell.
Quick testsare making it much easier to be tested in Nicaragua, but they are expensive.We would love to have tests donated to our Nueva Vida Clinic and to help organizations like Xochiquetzal get free tests so that we can test people free of charge in 25 minutes or less.If you can help get these tests donated for Nicaragua, please contact us at jhc@jhc-cdca.org -- Becca
Paul and Becca will be speaking in the Northwest in September and October about the CDCA’s work! Below is our schedule, if you’re in the area, please come hear us speak! If you are interested in organizing a presentation for us, will still have lots of spaces availabe! If you are able to organize a talk, loan us a van for travel or have questions, please write to: becca@jhc-cdca.org. We will be traveling with a 20-25 minute power point presentation fair trade organic coffee, Slightly Twisted Spoons and Nicaraguan crafts for sale.
CDCA Fall Northwest Tentative Speaking Schedule 2010
Sunday 5 September 9:30 AM: Plymouth Congregational Church of Seattle PM: SEATTLE available Monday 6 September AM: Home of Sarah Wildflower 4 PM: Home of Melinda and Tim Frostad, Kent, WA Tuesday 7 September AM: SEATTLE available 7 PM: Sarah Moon Wednesday 8 September 7 PM: Moreau Center, University of Portland Thursday 9 September AM: Home of Audrey Crist & Darren Kenworthy PM: Home of Borg Norum & Jennifer Noll Friday 10 September 12:00 PM Southwest Portland Rotary Club 5:30 PM shopping, 7 PM Presentation Multnomah Monthly Meeting Saturday 11 September AM: Home of Shann & Rachel Mortimer PM: Home of Jean Lea Sunday 12 September PM: Home of Jessi Skall Scofield Monday 13 September AM: PORTLAND available 6 PM: Portland Metropolitan Rotary Club Tuesday 14 September AM: PORTLAND available PM: PORTLAND available Wednesday 15 September AM: PORTLAND available PM: WHIDBEY ISLAND available Thursday 16 September AM: United Methodist Women's Lunch, Langley, WA PM: WHIDBEY ISLAND available Friday 17 September AM: WHIDBEY ISLAND available PM: LOPEZ ISLAND Saturday 18 September LOPEZ ISLAND Sunday 19 September LOPEZ ISLAND Monday 20 September AM: SEATTLE available PM: SEATTLE Home of Arwen Dewey Tuesday 21 September AM: University of Washington, Cassie & Brian Iutzi PM: Jen Tee Wednesday 22 September AM: SEATTLE available PM: Home of Chrastil-Ingebritsen Family Thursday 23 September 12:00 PM: Seattle University 6:30 PM: Pangea Giving Friday 24 September AM: SEATTLE available PM: Quarterly Meeting (Quakers), Ellensburg, WA Saturday 25 September Quarterly Meeting (Quakers), Ellensburg, WA Sunday 26 September Quarterly Meeting (Quakers), Ellensburg, WA Thursday 14 October 12 PM Eagle-Garden City Rotary Club PM: BOISE available Friday 15 October AM: BOISE available PM: BOISE available
All the up-to-the-minute information on the Genesis Spinning Cooperative’s path to production...
The Genesis co-op purchased machinery to spin cotton into yarn in October 2009 from a plant in Venezuela.Since then, they’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the machinery, which keeps getting delayed.We're constantly updating this blog entry, so check below. You can find the latest on where they are in the process to getting that machinery here, installed, and running!
30 September 2010: CALL TO ACTION!
Mark your calendars and come join us if you can! Drag out your poster board and magic markers!
What:protesting on behalf of the Genesis Spinning Cooperative in front of
Contact person:Narcie Jeter [winthropwesley@gmail.com] is spearheading protest days. Thank you Narcie!
We need other folk to organize on other dates, but we'd like to have a really big crowd at least on these two dates since we are expecting news coverage on one or both of them.
So... please be in touch with Narcie if you can come on these dates, and please be in touch if you can organize another time. Just tell us when and whom to contact and we'll post it!
Other ways to help:
- Notify your local news media to follow this story.
- Tell your friends in the Greenville SC area so they can come join us.
29 September 2010: Stay Tuned for a Call to Action! We're working on the details... stay tuned.
27 September 2010: Things have been in flux. Last Thursday, September 23, we thought we had reached an agreement with Jack Coker of Coker International for the delivery of the equipment. After television reporters showed up at his factory looking in to this matter, he called Mike and agreed to signed a performance guarantee backed up by a bond for the delivery of the equipment or reimbursement of all of our money. Mike told Jack that he would hear immediately from our lawyer, Steve Virgil, however for the rest of Thursday and all day Friday, Jack was unavailable at both his office and cell phones, and did not return any of multiple messages from both our lawyer and Mike. Finally late this afternoon, our lawyer reached him and Jack said he had no money to pay a surety bond but that if we would just put up the remaining $80,000 to pay his debt with the Venezuelan equipment owners and part of the delivery cost, Jack would find funds to pay the balance of the equipment costs and to get it delivered. However, we reasoned that if he had no money to put up a bond, then he had no money to pay shipping or to buy the other equipment coming from him (that he has told us for almost a year was in his warehouse in South Carolina, but which he now admits he does not have all of and that he will have to purchase several pieces). Again we wonder... with what money?
26 August 2010 9 AM: Angel called us! And told us we could solve the whole problem by sending the spinning plant $50,000 directly (in other words, pay for the equipment that Coker never paid for with the money we sent him).While talking to Mr. Magliano, it became apparent that Jack Coker was standing in the background telling him what to say. We insisted on speaking directly to him, and Jack Coker told us to send $55,000 to an account in Venezuela, supposedly to pay the plant there directly, and that would take care of the matter. When we pointed out that the plant itself had told us they were owed $46,000, their response was "Send them whatever amount they want." We informed them that we could not move forward with them until there was movement on the containers that are stuck in Costa Rica with unpaid shipping and fees. And we had a clear indication of how they were planning since by their own admission they have no cash left. They also admitted that they are not yet in possession of the portion of the machinery that was supposed to come from the US (several pieces that could not be purchased from the plant in Venezuela). Keep those emails coming! We need all the help we can get dealing with Coker International!
26 August 2010: More than 200 emails have been sent to Coker! Thank you all for sending your strongly worded message to Coker asking him to "fulfill your contractual obligations" "man up" and in one email "look into your heart; God is." We are so heartened by all your support. Keep the pressure on! Click here to send an email or call.
24 August 2010: Please email or call Coker! You can help us out by asking Jack Coker to act with integrity and responsibility to resolve this situation immediately! Click here to send an email or call.
23 August 2010: More fines and penalties accruing in Costa Rica for not having moved the containers to Nicaragua. Coker still has not paid bills due. We still have not seen proof that Coker has paid for the equipment in Venezuela. Meanwhile, the equipment's original owners have offered to sell us the equipment at a greatly reduced price from what we have already paid Coker. Unfortunately, there's no money to do so.
20 August 2010: We came into the office this morning to find no written agreement from Coker, but an email from the equipment's original owners in Venezuela saying that they had never been paid "a single dollar" for the equipment by Coker. The equipment is disassembled and waiting to load at the plant, rapidly turning into scrap metal. They suggested that we were the cause of delay because we had not paid Coker and told us to do whatever we needed to do to please Coker and get that equipment moving.
We wrote back explaining that it was in fact Coker that was the problem, since they had been paid over 10 months ago.
We called Jack Coker to ask about payment for the equipment and why we had not gotten a written agreement from them. First we talked to Coker's assistant who told us that Jack said Thursday that he would "sleep on it" before sending us anything in writing.
Later we were able to communicate with Jack Coker himself. When asked about this disturbing development about the equipment owners not having been paid he said, "Well, I sent money to somebody down there." We asked for proof of payment, which he agreed to send.
19 August 2010: Coker informed us they would give us possession of the equipment in Venezuela without further payment because they are unable to deliver the equipment as promised. We asked for that in writing and they agreed. We've yet to see the written document.
16 August 2010: Containers arrived in Costa Rica but we can't move them to Nicaragua because seller Coker International hasn't paid the shipping bill and the fees and penalties being charged on the Venezuelan end.
27 July 2010: Ship sailed! Our equipment left Venezuela today, confirmed! That's the first four containers have left three months after getting loaded at the plant. The logistics company, however, is withholding the paperwork we need to release the containers here in Nicaragua until the broker pays the fines incurred in customs in Venezuela...not home free yet!
26 July 2010: Ship delayed: The ship set to sail last Saturday was delayed until tomorrow, surprise surprise. We'll see if it sails then with our containers on it.
20 July 2010: Confirmed ship for the 24th, but no new containers yet: The logistics company has confirmed that the four containers are scheduled to sail this Saturday the 24th, but they have not yet sent more containers to be loaded at the plant and won't do so until they receive official word from the seller to do so. The folks at the plant say they need 12 more containers and that all the machinery is ready to load.
16 July 2010: All containers inspected but incurred fines: Because the plant rep put a suspiciously low selling price on the equipment customs paperwork, each container incurred nearly $4,000 in fines (which the equipment seller is obligated to pay, not us). The good news is that these first four containers are scheduled to be on a boat the 24th of July. Since the inspections are over, it's actually more likely that they will sail on that date than it ever has been before!
15 July 2010: Three containers inspected: Today we received word that the seller has agreed in writing to pay additional costs and that three of the four containers were inspected yesterday.
13 July 2010: Seller says "do whatever it takes": The equipment seller has told the logistics company to do whatever it takes, whatever it costs to get the equipment inspected and out of the country. The logistics company is waiting for confirmation of that in writing.
8 July 2010: Equipment seller rep refuses to bring in lift: The logistics company today was told by the equipment seller's rep that he would not in fact allow the plant rep to bring in "his" forklift to do the inspect. The logistics company refuses to incur additional charges until the equipment seller agrees to pay all additional charges incurred.
7 July 2010: Couldn't do inspection because the National Guard can't unload container: The machinery was too big to unload by hand but the National Guard doesn't have the forklift needed to unload. The inspect was rescheduled for Friday, and the plant rep offered to bring in a forklift from the plant. The logistics company did all the paperwork necessary to get permission to bring an outside lift in to the customs area.
5 PM 29 June 2010: Logistics company talked to the plant rep: Got confirmation from the logistics company in Venezuela that they personally talked to the plant rep and that he doesn't have anything more important on his schedule for next Wed and he will in fact be there for the inspection. Here's hoping nothing gets in the way of that between now and then...
8 AM 29 June 2010: Containers delayed to 12 July: The good news is that there's no inspection today which means that the plant rep can do what he likes and we won't suffer from it. The bad news is that the containers definitely won't go until the 12th at the very least. The new date for the final inspection is next Wednesday, the 7th of July.
28 June 2010: Inspection tomorrow and plant rep a no-show: Informed by the logistics company that the final National Guard inspection is scheduled for tomorrow morning and that the representative of the plant who is required to be there says he can't make it because of another meeting conflict. After an entire month of being in customs. Really. Spent all day trying to get someone somewhere -- the seller, the plant rep, anybody to get this guy to show. If he doesn't make it, the containers don't sail Friday and will be delayed until the 16th of July.
28 June 2010: Container delayed until 2 July: Apparently now they're shipping on Friday.
22 June 2010: Containers delayed until 30 June: Official word this morning is that our first four containers now won't ship until June 30th. That will be one month from the time they left the factory until they sail...IF they actually go on the 30th.
21 June 2010: Containers still in delay: The first four containers went for inspection in Venezuela today, but the National Guard delayed it two days, rescheduled for Wednesday.
17 June 2010: Started breaking up the floor: Using a 20 lb sledge hammer, the women of Genesis are hacking their floor to pieces, removing the concrete and digging down into the dirt to vent the machinery that will go there. This is HARD work. Almost as hard as putting the floor in in the first place.
16 June 2010: Floor cut: Today we rented a machine and cut the concrete and rebar in the three places where we will dig trenches in the floor.
15 June 2010: Breakin' up is hard to do: We've just confirmed that we have to break up the floor in three places to vent hot air from the motors of our largest 4 machines. Our beautiful floor! Too bad we didn't know sooner, but better to do the job now than when the machinery is here!
14 June 2010: Machinery fits! We've found a way to fit all the machinery in the building! Yay! After rearranging and reconfirming, we've got the floor marked where different machines will go and they all fit!
10 June 2010: Machinery doesn't fit? It looks like not all of our machinery will fit inside our building. We're re-measuring and figuring out how to make this work.
9 June 2010: Rotting food has delayed our equipment: It turns out that part of the reason that our shipment of containers is being delayed is that there were 3,000 containers of food sent to Venezuela that was never released from customs for some reason that involved a corruption scandal (Hugo Chavez has thrown some folks in jail, which does make me feel better). Those containers have been there so long that now they are full of rotten beef, chicken, milk and oil. While the government buries the meat and tries to make yogurt out of the milk, there is a lack of containers in the country because those 3,000 have not been moving. Now everyone is scrambling to get containers but there is such a back log at customs that inspections are taking days instead of hours and exports are really slow.
7 June 2010: Unconfirmed. According to our latest information from the shipper in the US, those containers that were confirmed had in fact NOT sailed. They are at port, waiting to be loaded, but the process of customs and National Guard inspection is taking days rather than hours and they are now not scheduled to sail for another two weeks. Meanwhile, we are hoping more containers are being loaded at the plant. The good news? The technician from the plant in Venezuela arrives in Managua tomorrow to advise us!
3 June 2010: CONFIRMED! The first 4 containers SAILED from Venezuela yesterday! They will arrive in Nicaragua early next week. WOOO HOOO!
The official word is that a total of 8 containers have left the plant in Guatire, 4 sailed yesterday and 4 more will sail next Monday the 7th of June. Next week as many as 10 containers will be loaded to sail on Monday the 14th. Any containers not loaded in time will sail on Monday the 21st. If all goes according to this plan, we should have all the machinery in Nicaragua by the end of June, and out of customs by the end of July!
1 June 2010: Port in Venezuela closed for the past four days, the first four containers will sail when it reopens.
24 May 2010: Second set of 4 containers scheduled for June 7th.
21 May 2010: According to the latest from the shipper, first 4 containers of machinery are scheduled to arrive in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica on June 2nd.They will come up to Nicaragua by land.
Kathleen honed her cooking skills while running homeless shelters with Mike and Sarah in the early days of the Jubilee House Community. Since coming to Nicaragua she’s been the main dinner cook for our delegations for 16 years, cooking not only for the 25 brigadistas but also our permanent community members and long-term volunteers, which is often a group totaling 45 hungry mouths! 
I regularly help Kathleen with shopping and often make meals for 15, so the work wasn’t a total surprise, but I have to admit that this week I’ve come to really appreciate Kathleen for all the hard work she quietly gets done without fuss: figuring out menus and what food to buy for each meal (took me an hour!), putting together shopping lists from 6 different people (took me nearly another hour!), purchases at the farmer’s market (6 watermelons, 100 tomatoes, 75 limes, 210 eggs, 100 oranges, 10 pineapples, 20 plantains…) and the grocery store (50 chicken drumsticks, 20 pounds of cheese, 24 bathroom deodorizers, 36 rolls of toilet paper…), organizing which food gets eaten when (Josefa has saved me three times by catching things I didn’t manage to buy at the right time!), then mixing vats of fruit salad and egg salad and chicken salad (okay, vegetarian me didn’t taste that one)…Phew! It’s hard work. And at the end I taste the food and it’s pretty good, but it’s just lacking that certain something…Kathleen. It must be her love of food and the ever-present hostess in her that gives her food that special flavor, and we’ll sure be glad to have her back!
In lieu of Kathleen actually being here to whip us up something wonderful, I’m including two of our favorite recipes from Kathleen’s cookbook, Grits Greens and Gallo Pinto. You can request your own copy of the book when you make a $35 donation to the CDCA. Email sarah@jhc-cdca.org Buen provecho! -- Becca 
