Cena Latina

Latin American students stand out amongst the rich and diverse population of Brentwood with their outgoing personalities and intense language. Yesterday was the lucky day for our many of these students as they were able to enjoy some dinner dishes straight from their home countries. At 5:30pm, the cafe filled up with the lively music of Latin America as the volunteers started to get into their gowns and began to serve some hungry Brentwood students. It was easy to feel the full extent of the Latin American culture as soon as I walked through the doors, as the smell of steak and baked beans filled the air. This dinner consisted of dishes from many different countries, including Cuba, Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Columbia. As a person who skipped lunch, both my mouth and my eyes watered up at the sight of dozens of beautifully cut steaks. The main course included flat iron steak, baked beans with plantain, Venezuelan chicken salad, and stuffed peppers and mushroom for our vegans and vegetarians. There was also a side of bean soup and chimichurri sauce to compliment the steak. Of course, I immediately sat down with my friends and started digging into my dish. My knife cut through the steak like butter, and the baked beans added a nice intense flavor. At first, I was a little hesitant to try out the chimichurri sauce as it had a dark green color which gave the resemblance of wasabi (which I absolutely despise), however, as I dipped my steak into it to get a taste of what it’s like, I was pleased to find out that it tasted nothing like wasabi. In fact, it had a very calm, unique flavor that I was able to enjoy. Of course, a meal cannot be complete without topping it off with some desserts. For desserts, they served “Postre de tres leches centroamericano” which presumably means sweet cake of Central America. Although the main course was excellent, this piece of cake easily topped anything I ate before. As I took a bite out of the cake not expecting much, I was hit with the marvelous burst of sweetness. The whipped cream and strawberry went so well with the cake, I found myself taking a second piece, even though I was very full. This cake, without exaggeration, was one of the best desserts that the cafe made all year. This dinner was more than enough to fill my hungry stomach, and served as an excellent meal that represented the excellent Latin American students in Brentwood. Marc Y, Rogers ‘19