Colombian Street Food: Raw Hot Dogs & Other Weird Snacks

Colombian street food is a mix of tradicional and non-traditional snacks. For example, the typical hot dog may seem like a tradicional snack, but Colombians have add a different twist to it that make give them a local spin. There are two ways to eat hot dogs here:

• Raw Hot Dogs
  I did not know it was ok to eat hot dogs raw until I moved to Bogota. Apparently, hot dogs and other forms of raw meat are perfect to eat alone. They even come individually packed in easy to carry sizes, which are designed to be convenient as an on-the-road snack. It may be surprising for some to be on a bus and see someone pull out a pack of raw sliced ham and take a big bite out of it as if it were a full meal. Other common situations where you would see this is while on roadtrips where there are limited choices for food. Since your only stop for miles may be a gas station, there is an opportunity to buy a raw packag of hot dogs and snack on them for the rest of the ride home. It is a weird snack, but the raw hot dogs are really good!

• Street Hot Dogs
  The street version of the hot dog is very special to Colombians. Even while living in the U.S., I saw places that specialized in Colombian hot dogs and Colombians would serve them this way while at BBQs and community events. The Colombian hot dog is good, but it comes with a lot of extra ingrediants that you may not be used to. These extra ingrediants include:
• 4 different types of sauces (ketchup, mustard, salsa rosada AKA pink sauce AKA ketchup & mayonaise, and tartar sauce?!?!?!?),
• potatoe chip crumbs (for extra crunch),
• quales egg
• cooked onions
• pineapple

No One Ever Has Change!

This seems like a random and small thing that you would not notice or complain about, but it is very evident once you live here for a while that no one ever has any exact change for financial transactions!

Change is essential to every day life, but apparently not in Colombia. In the U.S., when you purchase something you usually get exact change back for large bills. This usually never seems to be a problem since stores stock up on change at the beginning of the day. However, this concpet of ¨preparing for something inevitable¨ is not common sense here.

Do you have change for a $20,000 bill?

Instead, every day Colombians constantly complain about how they don´t have enough change. Whenever you buy something and pass over a large bill, you will immediatly hear, ¨¡¿No tienes mas suelto?!¨. This means, ¨Don´t you have any smaller change to pay with?!¨. I always say ¨No!¨ - even if I do have change. Since when is it the customer´s responsibility to have exact change! It has always been the store clerk´s responsibility to prepare enough change to last through a day of transactions - at least in the United States.

Not only is is an inconvience that sometimes can take up to an extra 15 minutes for someone to locate change, but most of the time the clerk (or taxi drivers especially) are just lying. They have change, they just don´t want to give it to you!

Another thing is that if you don´t have change they get all pissy and just hand you over whatever they have. This means that sometime you end up losing money just because the clerk does not have enough chance. If they are going to do this, shouldn´t it be the other way around? As in, the loss should go to the clerk, not the client. I really do not understand this logic nor why people don{t prepare their businesses for this ahead of time.

Korean Food and Restaurant in Bogota, Colombia

Horean food has been popular in the United States and internationally for a logn time, however I was surporsed to find Korean food in Bogota. IEver since I have started visiting Colombia over 10 years ago, I never noticed an influence of Asian culture. Long ago, you would never see Asians walking around. I mean, there were few Chinese restaurants, but not much and it was not popular at the time. Now it is a lot different!

I am glad there is a larger Asian influence now. As an American, I grew up with the food, culture, and people on a regular basis. I missed it when I moved here, so it is great that I have found at least a good Korean restaurant to visit when I get cravings for Korean food. For this reason, I recommend the Biwon Korean Restaurant in Bogota. It is located near Parque 93 (cr 16 with calle 93).

Just the other day I went there with a large group of foreigners. It has become popular with the expat crowd probably because they miss Korean frood from their original lands too! The restaurant is very tradicional compared to the Korean restaurants I have been to in America. It is a large house that is divided up into several rooms and one main dining area. There is a large back yard perfect for sitting outside to eat of smoke a cigarrette. You know Koreans and Colombians like to smoke!

The food is also very good and there is a large menu. The last time I went we ordered Bulgogi beef and pork. It comes with a free apatizer, lettuce, and spices. Here is a picture of our meal!
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Learn How To Beg and Apologize

At first it just seems like simple manners, but Colombians have very specific social rules that are not just for people who want to be polite - they are perpetual habits learned by everyone. They become so habitual that people are shocked when you don´t return the typical social responce to certain situations. Should you shoose not to participate in these social rules, you will be chastized or ignored. In these situations, the habit is to beg and apologize.

Coming from U.S., there is no need to say ¨I am sorry¨ or beg for forgiveness unless you sincerely mean in it is grave situations. However, in Colombia it is normal to beg for forgiveness, a better proce, better customer service, or anything that is already expected as normal. Also, you are expected to apologize for even the smallest issues such as: standing in the way or asking for customer service. For me, most of these items are expected and should not require begging or apologizing for special treatment.

For the most part, it passes as politeness, but in the following situations it is just plain annoying that you have to make special request to demand something that is already expected as a foreigner.

• When to Apologize - Getting People To Move Out of The Way:
  I don´t know why Colombians are famous for this, but apparently they do not h¿know how to walk or have any awareness of when they are standing in the middle of a walkway. Hello, you are standing in the middle of the door and nooone can get through! It is not just me. I have talked to several people who agree that there is no concept of spacial reasoning in terms of traffic, walking on the sidewalk, or standing in line. In these situations, it is expected for someone to say ¨perdon¨ in order to move around the person who is obviously blocking everything. For me it seems odd that I should be the one to apologize for going around someone when they should apologize for being in the way in the first place!
• When to Beg - Requesting Customer Service
  Going to the bank or most restaurant is an lesson in humility. There is no reason why you should expect to be treated with any time of attention or special recognition. For these reasons, you have to beg and plead in order to recieve that same service anyone would get in the United States. For example, if you are at a restaurant, you should apologize to the waiter inorder to ask for extra napkins: ¨¿Hay que pena, me puedes regalar cervilletas?¨. This literally translates into: ¨I am so ashamed to ask you this, but can I have some napkin.¨ If your request does not sound somewhat apologetting, you probably won´t be served as fast. 

How to Rent an Apartment In Bogota

If you come from the U.S., finding an apartment in Colombia for sale or for rent is not as easy. The reason for this is because in the U.S. the process is organized, there are several websites, and little paperwork involved. In Colombia, there is only one good online rental directory that people recommend (Mercadolibre.com), however it is not user-friendly and there are not many posts.

Typical interior design you will see in Bogota apartments.

The number 1 way to find an apartment in Bogota for rent is an old-school method that actually works better than any website. This method is the walk-around-the-block-and-write-down-the–number-on-the apartment-window. At first it may seem that this method is inefficient and outdated, however looking online at outdated pictures and inaccurate information is even more a waste of time.

The benefits to the Colombian method are that you easily narrow down your selection while having a nice stroll in your favorite neighborhood. For example you know you want to live in Chapinero Alto, so take a walk one Saturday afternoon while scoping out apartments that you think look nice. Have a chat with the doorman for more information like prices, square footage, and availability. Then make a quick call to the number in the window to make an appointment. If you are lucky, the seller will be inside and you can hop up to see the apartment. Usually, they are on call because of the need to sell the apartment.

Traditional Bogota Food Tour (Virtual and Free!)

Instead of paying for a food tour in Bogota, I am going to guide you through a virtual food tour for free! 

Take this tour when you arrive in Bogota and find the best local food secrets. Let me know what you think!

Below are some of my favorite traditional Colombian food that most foreigners tend to like. I will recommend the dish and places where you can find them. 

2.       Ajiaco - Potatoe & Chicken Soup

      This soup is a meal in itself. With origins as the local soup of Bogota, this soup includes a cream of various

      potaoes, shredded chicken, and a side of rice, avaocado, and corn. Top it off with sour cream and capers! It is very rich, creamy, and filling. For this dish, I recommend a restaurat called Sopas De Mama y Postres de Abuela. It is a local restaurant that has become popular for its traditional dishes. 

1.       Morcilla – Blood Sausage

A sausage made with blood, rice, and sometimes vegetables. They mix everything together and make a sausage out of it. It is delicious! Typically eaten a long other cuts of beef, potatoes, aji (hot sauce) and guacamole to complete a meal. This is an excellent meal for meat lovers. With this, it is typical to drink a cold beer or refajo (a mix of beer and a soda named Colombiana). For the best quality of meats, go to Andres Carne de Res. It has a great traditional and modern atmosphere for the elite of Bogota. If you eat late, dinner is likely to turn into an all-night dance party – without leaving your table.

3.      Bandeja Paisa & Empanadas

      Start off with a crispy and delicios appatizer of empanadas - a corn pastry filled with a mix of potatoe and beef or chicken. Eat with aji for extra spice. The main dish, Bandeja Paisa, is probably the most well-known dish. It was featured on the Anthony Bordain travel and gastronomy show when he visited Medellin, Colombia. It includes steak, rice, beans, friend egg, chorizo, and avacado. These dishes are typically very large because lunch is the main meal of the day Afetr this, there is no need to eat dinner as you will be full for the rest of the day. For most foreigners it is hard to finish the entire dish at first. Eventually, you will learn to eat like a Colombia - small breakfast, large lunch, and no dinner. A great way to save some money! Try this meal at a local restaurant that looks like a traditional Colombian farm home: Restaurante Las Acacias

Colombian Culture: Colombianadas Video

Living in Colombia has a unique appeal that is hard to descrbe to someone who has never visited. For people who can manage the courage to visit, usually the trip goes like this: first will be shocked, then pleasantly surprised, then drunk, and then in love. After the trip, they usually go home with wild stories, raving about Colombia. However, some never decide to leave and this is where the new ad campaign slogan for Colombia came from, ¨The only risk is wanting to stay.¨

This campaign expression is no exaggeration, it is true! For those who are bored with living a the normal everyday life of a first-world country, the only cure is a visit to Colombia. It has been known to even cure depression! There is a documentary on how a trip to Colombia has cured depression for many young Japanese youths who were on the verge of suicide before that participated in a exchange program where they stayed with families in the poor Southern side of Bogota. It is an amazing story of how money does not guarantee happiness. In general, Colombia can be a cure for many things because it gives visitors a feeling f freedom, fear, and excitement all in one.

In order to explain the unique qualities to people who have never visited, there is a video or Colombianadas on YouTube. Basically,Colombianadas means things that are only found in Colombia. They are usually pretty silly,humorous, and somewhat cheesy as seen in the video.