Dominican Cuisine

Dominican food certainly requires an adjustment for some Americans. Here's a sense of what you're looking at from Dominicana:

"Chenchén, a typical dish in the south that consists of cracked corn boiled for hours with diverse spices and accompanied by goat stew; Chacá, also elaborated from a corn base, is a dessert prepared with milk, sugar and cinnamon; sometimes the milk is substituted with goat milk; Fish with coconut and rice with pigeons peas is a typical dish of Samaná; Rice with red beans, cooked in different ways is a staple of the Dominican meal;

Aunt Clara's Kitchen specializes in Dominican recipes. Clara even has a Foro de Cocina where you can discuss anything on Dominican cooking.

One of the more popular dishes is Mangú.

Wcities has a rundown on some of the local Santo Domingo restaurants.

And the Worldwide Gourmet offers a Food Lovers Tour of the DR.

Bill Gates in Country

The Seattle PI reports that Bill Gates is visiting the Dominican Republic. While there, President Leonel Fernandez dropped in for a visit. No problem, he was only about 75 miles from the capital. They met at the home of Venevision's Gustavo Cisneros. Cisneros is aggressively expanding his business ventures well beyond Venezuela, moving into Spain, Portugal, the US, and even China.

Higher Ed in the Dominican Republic

Founded in 1538, the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo is probably the oldest university in the western hemisphere. According to the Enciclopedia Catolica, it was established by papal edict, but didn't begin classes until 1558. Santo Domingo has a number of other colleges and universities, including:

• Universidad Iberoamerica
• Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo
• Universidad Catolica Santo Domingo
• Universidad Dominicana O&M
• Pontifica Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra
• Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena

There may be others, but this appears to be a fairly solid group of higher ed institutions with a wide variety of educational programs.

My son happened to be at the Autonoma last week when a mini riot broke out. Someone hit a guy over the head with a two-by-four and big fight erupted.

I ran across Livio's site, a site with dozens of links about everything Dominican.

A couple of weeks ago, the Rector of the UNAM in Mexico City received an honorary doctorate from the Autonoma de Santo Domingo and gave this speech drawing comparisons between the two countries and the development of their respective university communities. In addition, he confirmed the creation of the Red de Macrouniversidades de América Latina y el Caribe, a network of major universities in Latin America that will allow more student exchange and mobility.

About 24% of Dominicans begin classes in the country's system of higher education, while only 47% finish the eighth grade. The recent Presidential Forum on Academic Excellence served to discuss academic issues of critical importance in the country.

Cocaine Bust in the DR

When I lived in Guadalajara, I was occasionally asked if I was from the DEA. Back then, Jalisco was a common transit point for Columbian cocaine headed for the U.S. Before I arrived, Enrique Camarena, a DEA agent on assignment in Guadalajara was killed there. I spent a lot of time in the irregular settlement areas of the city while I was doing a study for the University of Guadalajara located in los Belenes.

Anyway, it now appears that the DR has become one of the major stops for cocaine on its way to the U.S., this thanks to a guy named Ernesto Castillo. Seems like Castillo has worked his way up in public circles, making friends with police, prison officials, even an ex-president, while expanding his businesses throughout the country. According to the Washington Times, Castillo's empire, valued at over a billion dollars, includes ranches, auto dealerships, hotels, helicopters, import and export businesses, etc. He was a large contributor to local politicians.

There is a substantial debate in the DR about Castillo's extradition to the United States.

The Revista Dominicana is another great local news source. They report that his bank accounts valued at $116 million have been frozen.