Walking With El Salvador

Catedral de San Vicente Our strategy was to navigate by heading toward the churches.  As we left the central square, we crossed the street and headed into our first church of the day, the Cathedral of San Vicente.  The church was constructed in 1943 and suffered a nearly complete collapse in the 2001 earthquakes.  The sanctuary was reconstructed in a style to fit the original facade.  It was very cool and peaceful inside.  We sat for a little while.  St. Vincent Abad, the community's patron saint, was killed in the 7th century for defending the beliefs put forth by the Council of Nicea.  The plaque on the wall indicates that though his body was beaten, his soul was lifted to heaven by the angels. The faith of believers, that they will be lifted up and carried to heaven by angels seems to be woven into the souls of those who live in the shadow of the San Vicente volcano.  I thought back to a few short years ago when tropical rains brought a t...

The "Off the Beaten Path" stories have been numerous lately -- a result of a recent month in El Salvador with free time to wander, and a desire to share some of the amazing sites in different parts of the country.  Thanks for sharing your experiences and questions as Linda's El Salvador Blog spends a little more time exploring the country and culinary treats of El Salvador.  The approach to the clock tower...friendly old guys and friendly officers. My friend Deb and I were dropped off along the edge of the town square.  "Meet back here in about six hours."  Six hours to seek out every nook and cranny in the town of San Vicente.  "We'll be fine!" we reassured our Salvadoran pastor (who left grinning and shaking his head). Our pre-visit internet search suggested we begin our tour by climbing the clock tower in the town square.  Since the tourist office/cultural house was apparently under construction, this seemed like a great idea:  climb t...

Take two big slices of whole grain bread; smear cream cheese on the insides; lay down a slice of salty cheddar on the cream-cheesy side of the bottom piece of bread; pile on the curtido, top with another slice of cheddar; put the second piece of bread on top; fry the sandwich on both sides in butter, and what do you have?  A Wisconsin - style pupusa?   Evidence that this girl will put curtido  on just about anything?  Indeed. I had to adjust my refrigerator shelves to accommodate the perpetual presence of the large plastic jar with the screw-top lid.  When the six inches of vinegar is left with only a few random pieces of cabbage, carrot and red chili floating in it, I chop up another cabbage, shred another carrot, toss in the onion and oregano and refill my jar.  It ferments for a few days on the kitchen counter, but then back it goes into the fridge - always ready for my next Salvadoran or near-Salvadoran cooking adventure.  Cheese and refried bean...