Wednesday sandwich & a new etiquette poll

Today I am blogging from the big mall, Plaza las Americas, where the Alliance Francaise has an information stand at the moment. I should be informing about the French classes that start next week but unfortunately most people are asking me questions about the mall itself – where are the bathrooms, where has Banco Popular moved etc. I have also helped a surprising number of French tourists, who were very happy to be able to speak French at the mall. 😉

The information booth at Plaza las Americas

While waiting for prospective French students, I take the opportunity to share a new Wednesday recipe:

Bocadillo Cubano (Cuban sandwich)
– half a “pan de agua” (or baguette)
– a few slices of ham
– a few slices of roast pork (pernil)
– mustard
– a few slices of cheese
– pickles (sliced whole gherkins)

Fill the sandwich with these ingredients, heat it if desired, and enjoy! It is a classic sandwich in Puerto Rico (and Cuba, I guess) that you can find in panaderias and cafeterias all over the island.
My aunt and I tried it for the first time in La Bombonera in the Old San Juan together with my Peruvian colleague M. The sandwich was a bit too big for me but I love the combo of pernil, cheese, mustard and pickles!

Bocadillo Cubano and lots of fries – not the healthiest of lunches…

And to the etiquette question of the week:

When my aunt arrived to San Juan two weeks ago, she talked about her experiences of travelling alone. Everything went fine but she thought that it was a pity that nobody was really interested in talking to her on the two flights. We had a long discussion about whether or not we talk to people next to us on planes, and if yes, when during the flight…

My travels are almost always done alone, for example O and I have only travelled together to / from Puerto Rico a few times as I usually stay longer in Europe than O. When I was single I would very often travel alone to visit family & friends, i.e my holidays were not spent alone, only the travelling to and from places. I actually prefer not talking to other people when travelling – I bring a book, magazines and music (and I sleep like a baby on planes, trains, buses and cars*!).

If the person next to me starts talking to me, I fear that with a little encouragement from me they will never stop and leave me alone to do my thing (reading, sleeping…). Another reason might be that I have met my fair share of freaks when travelling alone and I prefer avoiding those kind of experiences!! My poor aunt was wondering if people had thought that she was a freak when she tried to speak to the passengers next to her but I don’t think so! Maybe I am the “freak” for not wanting to be more social and friendly when crammed together in a plane for hours? Let me know what you think!

*) My best friend and I once travelled by train from Switzerland to Hamburg – I turned on my walkman and fell asleep… and woke up just before Hamburg! My friend was sooo bored, ha ha!