My Intercultural Experience - Essay Example

?Recently I decided to have an intercultural experience by visiting a restaurant for the first time in which the food that was served represented a special cuisine I had never tried before. I usually eat a lot of fast food as part of my weekly meal routine. I purchase a lot of good that is pre-made at wholesale stores such as Sam’s or Cotsco. The decision to go out eat at restaurant that cooks an international meal was very exciting for me. The type of food I decided to try for the first time was Latino food. There are many different subcultures among the Latino population. I decided to try food from restaurant owned and managed by people from the island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is an island located in the Caribbean region. The entire populations of Puerto Rico are actually U.S. citizens due to the fact that Puerto Rico is a territory of the Unites States. Officially the island’s government has a commonwealth political status with the United States. When I entered the restaurant I was greeting by a very nice woman who gave a greeting in Spanish. She was in Spanish “Bienvenidos a nuestro restaurant” which means welcome to our restaurant. I was given the menu within five minutes of my entrance. When the waitress gave me the menu she also brought some vegetables, bread, and water. I told the waitress that I was very hungry, but I did not know what to order due to the fact that I had never eaten puertorican food before. I explained to her that I was visiting their establishment as part of a class project in which I had to evaluate the food that I ate from an international location. She told me that I was very lucky because I had picked the right place to enjoy an exotic meal. The meal that I ended up ordering is called in Spanish “Mofongo con carne frita y caldo” which can translate to fried plantain with fried pork meat and fish or chicken stew. The meal was amazing. The fried plantain was the best part of the meal. It tasted absolutely delicious. Since the plantain it’s a bit hard it has to be dripped with the stew to make it softer to eat. The fried pork meat is a tremendous compliment to the plantain. The food was great and the price was right on the money. The meal only costs me $9.95 plus taxes and tip and it included the drink. I gave the waitress a $5 tip which represents a 50% tip for her services. Now that I had visited and eaten a unique cuisine meal from the Puertorican culture it was time for me to learn more about Puerto Rico. To achieve this task I decided to interview and old friend of mine who was born in Puerto Rico. In the following three paragraphs I am going to describe the different things I learned about the Puertorican culture based on my interview. Puerto Rico is a small island in the Caribbean Sea whose dimensions are 100 miles in length by 35 miles in width. The island with a population of 4 million inhabitants is considered one of the most populated regions in the world per square miles. The United States won a war with the Spaniard in 1898 which gave them control of Puerto Rico. Ever since 1917 the people of Puerto Rico have been US citizens. Puertorican have sacrificed a lot over the years with thousands of military solders being recruited from Puerto Rico. The official language of Puerto Rico is Spanish, but English is taught since elementary school to all the children. The educational system provides school for 12 years with the bilingual teaching of English. Most young adults after finishing high school go to college. The college participation among the youth in Puerto Rico is higher than in the United States. A college education in Puerto Rico is much cheaper than in the United States. Puerto Rico imports that majority of its consumer products from the United States. The US marine is used to import merchandise into the United States. The Unites States and Puerto Rico shared a common military. The official currency of Puerto Rico is the US dollar. The island is poor in comparison with the United States with an income per capital of approximately $17,000 which is less than half than in the United States. In comparison with the rest of the Caribbean the people from Puerto Rico enjoy a good standard of living. The official religion in Puerto Rico is the Catholic Church. Puertorican people are very nice and friendly. They enjoy conversations and establishing close relationship with people. The family unit is extremely important for the Puertorican people. Young adults typically stay living with their parent until their late 20s and early 30s or until they get married. Puertorican people enjoy the nightlife and having fun with friends. Alcoholic beverages are consumed by adults at pubs and bars. The island is divided into 78 municipalities. Each town has its own yearly carnival called “Fiestas patronales”. The island is known for its great music. Some of music genres that are very popular in Puerto Rico include Salsa, Merengue, Plena, Reggae, and Rap. Puerto Rico has many famous world class musicians such as Mark Anthony, Ricky Martin, and Daddy Yankee. Young boys and girls learn to dance at a young age. The island also has many famous artists that are part of the Hollywood scenery. Puerto Rico is known for its tremendous eating. Mothers are responsible for teaching their females offspring how to cook. The woman is usually responsible for cooking for the family. Some typical puertorican meals include “arroz con gandules”, “mofongo con carne frita y caldo”, and “bacalao con viandas”. People in Puerto Rico eat three times a day. It is customary for people to visit their family members a few times a month. During these meetings the entire family eats together and they enjoy drinks and games. Read More