CocinArte

In my final week here, I'm finally getting around to doing some cool things I should have started long ago. Last night, I went to a vegetarian restaurant called CocinArte here in Leon. But I didn't go to eat; I have already done that a couple of times. I went there to go volunteer in the kitchen and learn how to cook some vegetarian meals. I happen to know the main cook during most days of the week, so luckily I was able to set this experience up.

I guess I need to explain that in Latin America, vegetarianism is a rarity. People tend to eat meat with every lunch and dinner if possible. So the fact that a vegetarian restaurant even exists in Leon is pretty remarkable. I've only met one Nicaraguan vegetarian. It turns out that CocinArte is mostly frequented by tourists, and very few Leoneses. It's a very nice restaurant and I have had good dining experiences there, which is mainly why I was interested in learning how to cook their dishes. Traffic at the restaurant was light last night, but I helped out in making some Indio Viejo, pesto spaghetti, tofu with tomato sauce, and a couple other things. I'm still in the most basic stages of learning, but I plan on going as much as possible here in my last week to learn as much as I can. I'm even learning less flashy things like better techniques for cutting up vegetables, which will be very practical for me in the future. I'm also washing a lot of dishes, but it's definitely worth it for the knowledge I'm gaining.

On a final note, on Fridays (like tonight), they have "romantic night," which means they have candlelit dinners, live music, and roses on the tables. I'm hoping there is a good crowd so that I can keep learning.