{"id":7121,"date":"2013-02-18T09:15:28","date_gmt":"2013-02-18T14:15:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/?p=7121"},"modified":"2025-02-21T06:01:56","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T06:01:56","slug":"guatemala-a-culinary-journey-on-a-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitalskyweb.co\/canadianbudgetbinder.com\/2013\/02\/18\/guatemala-a-culinary-journey-on-a-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Guatemala: A Culinary Journey On A Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>9<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embark on a budget-friendly culinary adventure in Guatemala with Pauline. Learn about her grocery shopping tips, savings, and the country’s rich traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life And Luxuries In Guatemala <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I have lived in five different countries<\/a><\/strong> over the past ten years: France, Guatemala, Spain, the UK, and Morocco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I love to cook, changing countries has taught me that you can’t have the same meal plan wherever you live.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"What
What Life is Like In Guatemala<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Luxury Foods Are Different In Each Country<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grocery shopping is a different experience in every country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, cheese is cheap and delicious, while finding cheese other than orange cheddar is a challenge in Guatemala. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You would think that living in a cheaper country means that every daily item is more affordable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is true. But daily items mean what the people who live there eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Guatemala, that means beans, rice, meat, and vegetables. Not cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheese is a luxury not part of the lower and middle-class diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even milk is a luxury, which is strange because there are so many cows, but I guess the whole refrigerated distribution is complicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of having cheese for lunch and dinner like in France, I eat mozzarella or cheddar cheese once or twice a week, on pizza or omelets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once in a while, I pay a premium to enjoy a nice goat cheese from a gourmet delicatessen with a glass of wine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing The Way I Eat And Drink<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Luxury
Luxury Food And Drink In Guatemala<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Wine is another thing that I have learned to replace.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In France, any supermarket can store wine in a dry and cool room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the main port, containers arrive with the wine at about 30 degrees Celsius all year. Customs can take days to clear while the wine gets a heat shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, it is brought to my little town on a bumpy road, and you take a serious bet when you buy a bottle there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, I could go to the wine shops of Guatemala City and pay the price of an excellent Bordeaux for an average, at best, bottle of wine or switch to beer like I did, which is just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food Products Used In Guatemala <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Food
Food in Guatemala<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Usually a piece of meat or a fresh fish from the lake, a side of rice and a few vegetables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don’t take three courses like the French or even desert courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple, healthy, and cheap. Meat is $3\/lb, and we eat lunch and dinner with a pound since I don’t eat much meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rice is the base of any meal; in France, it was potatoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that potatoes are expensive, usually they cost $0.40\/lb, but my boyfriend says I have turned him into a ”potatovore”<\/strong> so I try to balance and learn how to cook more rice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rice is perfect to fry with any leftover vegetables, so often, the odd carrot or zucchini ends up diced in the rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekly Meal Planning In Guatemala <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"Homemade
Homemade Cooking In Guatemala- Making Tortillas<\/a><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Another thing that I have had to get used to is grocery shopping in Guatemala once a week or once a fortnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nearest supermarket is 20 miles away, and with our not-so-efficient car, it costs $20 round trip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, I plan my meals accordingly and invest in a deep freezer to avoid food waste<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I buy as many vegetables as possible, dice, and freeze<\/strong><\/a> the ones that will be cooked anyway and could go bad quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n