Walking together: Healing and hope for Colombian refugees

w a l k i n g
t o g e t h e r
47
A girl’s 15th birthday marks her passing into womanhood. It is not unheard of for parents to go into debt
in order to host a first class party celebrating this important milestone in their daughter’s life. There is no
equivalent important birthday for boys.
New Year’s Day is the most important holiday of the year, and being together with extended family
for New Year’s is more important than it is on Christmas. New Year’s is celebrated with food, music,
and even firecrackers.
Many Colombians enjoy gift giving on special days like birthdays and Christmas. Even small gifts are
appreciated. For poorer families, this may never have been a possibility.
Behaviour in the home: Good hospitality demands that the host or hostess offer her visitors a seat
and something to drink right away. It is not uncommon for the host/ess to continue cooking, alone, in
the kitchen while guests wait.
In the home food is usually served on the plate rather than placed on the table in serving dishes. Serving
oneself and choosing one’s portions will be a new experience for Colombians in Canada.
It is completely normal to leave shoes on inside the house.
It is quite rude to put your feet up on the couch. One should act “proper” when visiting the home of
others.
Due to Colombia’s weaker septic systems Colombians are not accustomed to flushing toilet paper, but
rather use the waste basket.
Common Food: Although food in Colombia is quite regional, some generalizations can be made.
Breakfast may contain a combination of the following: coffee or hot chocolate, fresh juice, arepas (a
heavy, thick “tortilla” or “pancake” made from corn meal or freshly ground corn), buns, eggs, caldo (a
broth containing meat, potatoes and cilantro) or changua (a soup made of eggs, onions, milk, cheese
and bread). In the rural regions breakfast may be even more substantial, including fish, meat, cheese,
yuca or plantain. Another breakfast option common to many regions of Colombia is calentado - many
leftovers from the previous day, often including rice and beans, are put together in a skillet and warmed
up. Sweet food for breakfast is not at all common.
Lunch generally begins with a soup and is followed with a plate containing several portions of carbohydrates
such as rice, plantain, potatoes, pasta or yuca, a protein in the form of chicken, beef, pork or fish, and
a small portion of salad (often consisting of raw onion and tomato slices) and/or cooked vegetables.
Eating raw vegetables (other than in salads) is extremely uncommon. Lunch will be accompanied by
fresh fruit juice, which is often drunk at the end of the meal. Desserts in restaurants, if served at all, come
in bite-sized portions, reflecting the fact that Colombians do not normally eat large nor rich desserts.