Honduras

Some infamous Americans have visited Honduras: banana growers, apocalypticists, and treasure hunters. But let’s start with a couple of Honduran musicians, El Chevo and Kazzabe, inviting us all to visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15nYfO7Gp2c. Okay, now we can talk about those Americans and we’ll check in again with the native Hondurans before the end of this blog.

“Banana Republics” existed before Honduras drew the attention of banana growers, but O. Henry’s time in Honduras inspired the stories that coined the name. These stories are found in Cabbages and Kings (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2777) which is reviewed as being funny, but also a product of its time, uncritical of the actions of those in power and the way they treat their diverse workforce. To give me more perspective, my friend Joilo recommended I read Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World by Peter Chapman. The invasion of Honduras and the overthrow of their government by a banana company is one of many disturbing stories. I picked it up from the San Bernardino County Library.

La Mosquitia or the Mosquito Coast is a part of Honduras with a little overlap into Nicaraqua. Yes, the book by Paul Theroux is set in Honduras, even if the movie was filmed in Belize and the new series coming to Apple TV on April 30 sets the story in Mexico. No matter where they set the story, The Mosquito Coast brand has stuck and the book describes Honduras beautifully. The movie is free online and it is worth watching, especially for the discussions it will inspire about idealism and conspiracy theories: https://tubitv.com/movies/589841/the-mosquito-coast

I read a second book set in La Mosquitia, The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston. This is a true story of the search for a fabled Honduran city, the find, and the aftermath. I picked it up on CD from the Los Angeles County Library. If you want a summary of the plants and animals found there and even a downloadable full report, see here: https://www.conservation.org/stories/biological-treasures-of-the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god-in-honduras

Now back to the real Hondurans. Here are some who you can enjoy from home, starting with my favorite:

· America Ferrara: Honduran-American Ferrara does a great job as a comedic actor! My kids introduced me to her in Ugly Betty and I’m even more of a fan of Superstore. Both are available on Hulu.

· Roberto Sosa: many of Sosa’s poems have been translated into English. Here are just four of them: https://bombmagazine.org/articles/four-poems-sosa/

· Guillermo Anderson: this song is a great transition to the food section coming up next because it’s about all the foods that Anderson misses when he is not in Honduras. Even if you don’t know Spanish, see if you can recognize any food names: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX4RqqwCAmc&list=PL4ZHdNdrl3_rVFLKlCIiH_ei-w75ehA_K&index=2

My first Honduran restaurant was close to home. The person taking my order at Mi Bella Honduras in Rialto warned me, “It's not like Mexican food!” She smiled when I said, “That's why I want to try it!” I had the pastelito de maiz and the sopa de pescado. The pastelito de maiz is like a large empanada with a soupy beef and potato filling, two side sauces and a cabbage salad. The sopa de pescado (fish soup) has a cream base with fish, yuca, and bananas in it. Both were good. It was interesting to have bananas in soup (it worked) and I particularly liked the broth. They gave me a huge amount – two large take home containers with about four times what I would put in a normal soup bowl. The place wasn't beautiful and it's in a neighborhood where some people I know wouldn't go, but they were friendly people, with good food unlike anything I've eaten before, upbeat music, and even a pool table.

The other two Honduran restaurants I’ve tried are in Los Angeles.

· El Sabor K-Tracho on Figueroa near the California Science Center served me a delicious baleada (fresh flour tortilla stuffed with beans and Honduran sour cream) and soft chewy pan dulce (it came in a package of six).

· Dona Bibi's Restaurant across from MacArthur Park in Westlake is where Gladys, Phyllis, and I had our first trip out after we were all vaccinated. This is where I finally figured out that what we might call quesadillas, taquitos, empanadas, and tostados, in Honduras are called baleadas, tacos, pastelitos, and enchiladas. Everything is good!

If you can’t get to Rialto or Los Angeles for Honduran food, here are some recipes to try: https://www.onehappyhousewife.com/honduran-recipes/

I found one last thing about Honduras to add before my traditional closing. The first third of this video from Loma Linda University is about one of their professors, Steve Dunbar, and his work with sea turtles in Honduras. Since I graduated from Loma Linda University, I can’t resist including it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgj8Eo9akl0

If you plan a trip to Honduras, you might see Roatan, Copan, Lake Yojoa, macaws, and more as shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1CeG_KeOG8. Stay safe by following the advice of your local travel advisor. Here’s my shout out to my favorite travel advisor, Kaitlin Darnell at Laura's Travel in Redlands. May the travel industry survive and thrive - may we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Honduras and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Alix Greenman https://unsplash.com/photos/nQmSPDVQ4a0