Tasting San Juan, Puerto Rico

April 19, 2013: On my third day in San Juan, a group of us ventured back into Old San Juan and strolled the cobblestoned streets. For breakfast, I tasted the delicious, puffy round Mayorca bread. We later browsed shops and I bought my handmade vejigante mask (pictured in gallery below). The days’ bites also included a pre-lunch drink of local Modella beer accompanied by a beef alcapurria. We continued along El Moro and made our way towards the other end of the neighborhood for a proper lunch of beef and plantain mofongo.

April 20, 2013: Three of us rented a car for the day to feast on lechon (roasted pork) in Guavate. We swerved through the curvy roads up the hill surrounded by several lechoneras (stalls or restaurants that offer roasted pork). My friend wanted to visit a specific lechonera called Los Pinos – it happened to be where Anthony Bourdain had visited in an episode of his popular TV show. We parked the red Suzuki sedan (which we called “Esperanza”) and with a guidebook in hand, we ordered whatever we could say in Spanish, hoping it was something we would actually eat. One of us (definitely not me) was determined to try the trotter (or foot)… so I did my best and ordered it. As we waited for our order to be assembled, we watched a man in a white apron walk over the roasted porks hanging horizontally in the window. He raise his machete and hack off some moist, delicious meat. We simply smiled. Photos from our pork excursion included in gallery below. Soon after, we attended our friends’ wedding – the real reason we were all in San Juan in the first place. (Yes, we were stuffed.)