Trying a New Dessert

Bert and I have been eyeing up this dessert in the cookie aisle for a while now. I kept forgetting to Google what they were. Well, yesterday we decided to just buy them and try them. We knew that it included arequipe, which is another term for dulce de leche, so we figured it had to be good! (ah-reh-KEEP-eh)

The package. I had taken the stuff out at this point, but usually there is a light brown circle of "something" showing through the window.

When deciphering things in the grocery store, I piece together the words that I know and the visual clues to figure it out. (I don't have a fancy phone to do translations!) The bottom sentence says something like, "For those sweet moments of the day." The small writing says something about dulce de leche and some obleas, which I figured had to be some kind of cookie. The cow looks happy. What else could I ask for? Let's buy it!  😁

Inside the package was a small container of caramel sauce and a plastic spreader. There was also a clear plastic bag of round, very light, very fragile papery things. 

I could have just eaten this!

Easy enough to figure out. Spread the caramel on a round thing, top it with another round thing, and eat!

A modest amount of caramel on the round thing.

*bite*
Hmmm.
*chew chew chew*
Um. It was pretty much like eating caramel sauce in between two pieces of flattened ice cream cone. Bleh!
I mean, the sauce was awesome but the wafers were totally tasteless and dry. Like paper!

Time to Google.
Obleas means wafers. (Kinda weird cuz people around here call them just call them wafers. I've never heard anyone say obleas.)
But I should have known it would be a wafer cookie. They love their wafers here in Guate. It's actually become a bit of a joke that whenever we try a new cookie or chocolate bar that there's ALWAYS wafers in it! 😆
Well, more Internet research brings up a wee surprise -- it's a Colombian dessert, not Guatemalan at all!
Learn a bit about OBLEAS here. They look good in the pictures there. I would have loved to try them with more toppings too.
As I was eating more of them, they were reminding me of those weird cookies we would eat at Christmas that had patterns on them. (Pizzelles, I had to look it up.)
These ones tasted way less delicious though. I tried a wafer without the caramel sauce and it was the ultimate in blandness. The dulce de leche without the wafer, however, was quite delicious. HA!

Wanna try them for yourself? Amazon actually sells them!

Click the picture to go buy some at Amazon.

It's fun to keep trying new things. I'm still seeing stuff at the market that is unfamiliar to me. It keeps things interesting, for sure!
When was the last time you tried something new to eat? Perhaps take a trip down your international aisle in the grocery store, or try a new restaurant, and wake up those tastebuds! 😊

Rain is Life!

The rainy season has arrived and everything is getting green and lovely. It's not such a hardship as some people make it out to be. Usually, it's clear and dry in the mornings and the rains start at around 3 pm every day. This morning we had rain because Tropical Storm Adrian was mucking about at the coast. As soon as it let up, I took Mr. Calvin out for a walk to the beach!

I love when raindrops collect on flowers.

Corn growing at light speed!

Moody Volcán San Pedro

Echo! One of my doggie friends from the neighbourhood.

Layna! Remember her? She was the one that had all the puppies in the den. She looks good!
She was even wagging her tail at me. Unfortunately, I didn't have any food for her.

Fishermen. They use just a line and a hook and maybe bait, no rod.
They fish at that spot because that's where the sewage runs into the lake -- no joke -- and the fish love the runoff. That's also why there is a no swimming sign there. Gross.

Calvin checking out the dock. There are two volcanoes behind those clouds!

Really wanted to push him in!!

It's even more striking in real life. (Have I mentioned how you all should come visit?)

Jucanya beach and boats and gorgeous hills.

A green heron, I think.

No party boats today!

Volcanoes starting to peek out from behind the clouds. The lump in front of the clouds is Cerro de Oro (gold hill). Legend has it that there is gold buried inside it -- treasure!!

It's so dark and dramatic when the rains come. I love it! And everything gets cleaned and refreshed and the hills turn all green again. I wish my pictures were better. I don't feel they really capture the lighting and contrast... and of course they don't capture the temperature and humidity and smells. I tell ya, ya just gotta visit! 😁