The Whirlwind of December
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Happy Kings Day! These past holidays had a definite Venezualan/Canarian/American flavor. Many people in the church, including the Dyes, are from Venezuela. And you can't celebrate Christmas in Venezuela without "hallacas", which are made of cornmeal dough, like tamales. The filling is made of braised meat (beef, pork, and chicken) with raisins, capers, and olives. You make it into a little packet tied up in banana leaves and then boil them in a huge pot for an hour or so. Priscila and Mama Emma cooked everything over a couple days and then the ladies from church came over to assemble over 150 of them one day. As the ladies arrived they set up an assembly line. The Venezuelan ladies guided the rest of us as to how to cut, scoop, press, fold, tie, etc. I got assigned the end of the line where I was the only one cutting string. hehehe It was a fun and productive time! The best part was when we enjoyed a late lunch of hallacas all together.