Carne sudada

I ordered meat and they brought me a portion for two.

Carne sudada is beef stewed until it gives way under a spoon. The base is tomato, onion, spring onion and spices, the meat sweats in its own juice, and the name says exactly that: sudar means to sweat. Rice and plantain come with it, and the juice from the meat goes over everything on the plate.

It was excellent. Not refined, not decorated, just honest food of the kind cooked where a day's work has to come out of it.

And there was an enormous amount of it. The sort of plate you get up from glad to have finished.

The dog at the table

A local stray came over and started begging.

Not pushy, more professional about it: sat down by my leg, looked up and waited. There was a mountain of meat, so one piece went his way and it was a fair trade. It was worth it for the look on his face.