Like many big cities, Santo Domingo boasts a thriving Chinese community near the Colonial section. For over a century there have been waves of Chinese population here in the DR. In 2008, El Barrio Chino (Chinatown in English) became an officially named Community in the capital city.
We have been planning to hop on the bus and catch the weekly market, that we were told is a "must see". To be honest, it did not disappoint. About 1/2 a block back, we noticed people standing with their shopping bags on the bus, ready to hit the ground running. There tends to be this difference between cultures in the Caribbean, when it comes to exiting a bus, plane or anywhere really. You stand up and get the hell out.... no patiently waiting until your turn, no smile and nod to acknowledge the person ahead of you. You get up when you feel the bus slow to less than 50km/hr and knees to chests baby.... It almost feels like the bus stops and literally spits you out, disoriented on the sidewalk. The doors opened and we made our way out on the sidewalk and towards the tents. El Barrios Chino - Sunday Market, where you can buy anything.
We swam along the sea of people and found ourselves amidst many, many tents, all offering various versions of asian street food. There seemed to be no end to the things you could choose. From boboa tea, gelato, kimbap, dumplings, seafood, bulgogi, jianbing, meat skewers (no I did not try it), ramen, spring rolls, noodles and hundreds of things that I cannot name. All of which smelled amazing. Our heads were literally on swivels, there were so many interesting things to see. As per our usual agreement, when eating street food, we typically stick to things that are deep fried and only a small amount. This has served us well and kept us from getting traveller's belly in most places. Also, we carry pepto everywhere. The oil tends to be hot enough to ward off bacteria. We also avoid places where there is not a lot of people waiting. People waiting indicates the food is not sitting in the heat for long periods of time. It would blow your mind how some have iron stomachs. It is not uncommon to see mayo left on the table or potato salad, seafood etc. left out in the sun.
Steph chose some kind of chicken skewer and I chose battered queso.....both were tasty. However, 3 bites in I realized there was a pink hotdog like configuration in the centre of my deep fried cardiac log. Thankfully, we had made plans for lunch at a special location close by.
We wandered on through the market and found fresh veggies, fruits, meat (butchered onsite), fish mongers and just about anything you could possibly imagine, except cats..... we did not see one.
There lots of monuments, honouring different elements of the Chinese culture, most of which I am not familiar with but they were interesting and added to the adventure.
We did quite a bit of walking and although we are quite conditioned to getting our 10,000 steps, the heat tires ones out and you can easily become dehydrated. So it was time to head to the next part of our planned adventure .
For those of you who know us well, it will come of no surprise to hear that we have watched every episode of Anthony Bourdain's shows. No Reservations, Parts Unknown, The Layover etc.... the man was the epitome of adventure and a culinary genius. Every country we have ever been in, we have searched for an episode where he may have visited the same to take note of special interest places to visits and restaurants. DR has several places visited and proclaimed to be amazing by "Uncle Tony", as dubbed himself. Sadly, he left this world a little dimmer, when he took his life in 2018.
I give you one of the coolest adventures yet, lunch at a 24 hour sandwich shop called Barra Payan. Home to Anthony Bourdain's favourite sandwich. We could smell the homemade bread as we approached (there is a bakery but it was not open on Sunday).
It may sound silly to you, but having watched and heard him boast about this restaurant, it was crazy cool to sit where he sat and order what he ordered. Steph sat in the actual seat he filmed in.
Steph had Uncle Tony's favourite El Special - roasted pork, cheese, onions, sliced green tomato, sauce on a homemade bun, grilled. I opted for a local favourite, salami, cheese, green tomatoes and mustard. These were incredibly huge sandwiches and probably the most delicious concoction on a bun that I have ever eaten. We will definitely try to recreate them at home. 2 sandwiches and 2 bottles of water - $12 CAD
I know it has been a bit of a longer blog this evening but this adventure was so much fun. We are looking forward to taking the kids when they visit. This ain't your mama's school lunchbox sammy. LOL
Back to the bus we headed, hopping on when we saw it slow down and settled in for the drive back. The traffic is absolutely outlandish here and I am not convinced there are rules, genuine licensing requirements or any thought of safety. Much like embarking or disembarking the bus, you put it in drive, beep the horn like a lunatic and get the hell out of the way. Just a little view of the street, leaving the city. Make it make sense.
Until later,
Gigi
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