Pig Being Roasted

Vegetarians, you might want to skip this post. This seemed to be a weekend for roasted pigs. Saturday, we attended a dinner hosted by a generous couple for the Wounded Warriors who are part of the Deptherapy (Scuba Therapy) program that my husband is honored to work with when they visit twice a year in Key Largo. (http://southdadenewsleader.com/issue/south-dade-news-leader/article/wounded-warriors-dive-in-key-largo)

The feature of the dinner was a roast pig and then on Sunday while we were looking at the Cooking Channel, the host of the show went to Puerto Rico. Among the many stops he made was in Guavate, a small village reknown for lechon, roasted pig. Lechon is a favorite weekend and holiday meal and you can find “lechoneras” year-round, but for Guavate, it is a daily offering. Most first-time tourists to Puerto Rico won’t know about Guavata because it is definitely off the regular path and I strongly recommend do not travel there unless you enjoy the scent of roasting meat and open-air cafes. If you aren’t in the mood for crowds, avoid the weekend. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an authentic experience, Guavata on a Sunday is what you want. Think of a long block party filled with multi-generation families, music, dancing, laughter, and plenty of food. The “Road of Lechon” is a winding one with lechoneras dotting the way until you arrive at Guavata. The odds are that you’ll have to park on the side and walk up if you are there on a weekend. The other option is go around 11:00 a.m. before the biggest part of the crowd arrives. It is all quite rustic and while the locals have their favorite spot, they all seemed to be good when we visited. It is indeed a fun time if you are into that sort of thing.