There’s a lot about Colombia that appeals to my chameleon like personality . Contrasts are far deeper there than just the difference between black and white and yesterday was a fine example of this.
I found myself miles up a dirt road outside Anserma, Colombia where surprisingly a somewhat upscale restaurant sits perched below the peak of a high Andean mountain . The incredible view from the outdoor balcony dining area was an endless valley , its wide vista contained two distant cities , small towns and far below us several hundred’s of acres of farm owned by whom I lunched with.
The gentleman in question is just that as he politely disguised his disappointment in my decline of a nice white wine to complement my grilled trout and instead go with a blue collar beer. As is often the case with men of means the conversation came round to how incredibly hard one must work to be so successful .
Four hours later I was sitting at a table in an outstandingly dingy corner store sharing a beer and a laugh with a man who works the sugar cane fields somewhere in that very same valley. I felt no need to tell him where I had eaten because he would know I had just spent two days of his pay for lunch and that somehow embarrasses me . He politely couldn’t disguise his enthusiasm at my offer of paying ten cents more per bottle for better beer .
Later, as is often the case with working men he explained how hard he works cutting cane and we shared four empanada’s at twenty five cents each and I found them quite filling. Much more so than butterflied trout with white sauce and champignons , even if the view was not quite the same.
