Driving through the mountains with gorgeous views lined in coffee plants
We went up to celebrate our friend Papo’s birthday in Maricao. He had a similar party in December for Christmas but instead of lechón, the main meal this time was sancocho de conejo – a very delicious rabbit stew.
Backyard pelea de gallo
We learned from the last party that we needed to have something to do otherwise we would end up milling around aimlessly since we don’t bet on the roosters or dice. Papo set up a domino table for us, but we ended up finding the perfect station for us: bartenders in the little cantina.
I tended to the customers and served up the drinks of Coors Light, Medalla Light, Busch, and Heineken and made change while Britton juiced the fresh oranges for the Finlandia and OJ tragos. The pineapple pitorro and sancocho were free.
Britton on the exprimidor
We are definitely still the exotic guests of Papo and I overhead quite a few comments about the “Americanos” from Rincón. I also got a lot of questions, attempts at English, “oye rubia” and even a request for the change to be in besos instead of pesos. So of course I had to ask… how much is a kiss worth and they told me…maybe $3? I thought that was pretty funny. When it got really busy even Britton worked the bar passing out drinks using his broken Spanish. His Spanish has really improved since we arrived! He can have a passing conversation fairly easily!
¡La rubia a la orden!
One thing I noticed as the bartender was that no one paid any tips (besides the requests to buy a kiss). Not even when the total was $4.50 and they handed me a $5. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong but Papo said that it’s just not the custom to tip. He said that these people are too poor to tip (but managed lots and lots of beer and gambling!). I wonder if tipping is just not very common in other service industries like restaurants. We continue to tip when we go out, but it made me question what the cultural standards for tipping are in general here in Puerto Rico (and partially why there is an assumption that all gringos are rich -sort of a hey they just give their money away feeling?).
It’s such a different world especially way deep in the mountains like this but we are starting to get more accustomed and comfortable. In addition to the sancocho we also loved the homemade pasteles and Britton told me he thinks pasteles are one of his favorite foods now! We really enjoyed our short foray into Puerto Rican country bartending and our time at the party. Not a day goes by that I don’t learn something new about my new homeland.
Rooster ready and waiting with his plastic spurs and partially plucked body (not sure why they pluck them like this)
Playing Topos (dice) under a huge pana tree
There’s a lot of cultural diversity in Puerto Rico and this blog shows a lot of it, some of which I’m not even familiar with. I guess that’s why I like it so much.
I, for example, am about the same age as Cassie and Britton and I grew up in a small rural mountain town on the east of Puerto Rico but I’ve never been to a cockfight. I had one uncle who raised roosters but most of my family saw cockfights as a scary gambling activity so they didn’t participate in it. Most of my friends and peers have never been to a cockfight either and many of us are of hillbilly (jíbaro) stock. Had I gone to this party I would have looked very foreign even though technically speaking I’m one of them.
About tipping, it is common in Puerto Rico and many waiters and bartenders get paid by the same schema as they do in the USA so by not tipping them you’re screwing them out of a fair salary. But then again, it really depends on the subculture of the specific place. But it’s not an American venue vs. Puerto Rican venue sort of thing. At most of the places where I go on a regular basis tipping is expected and those who don’t tip are thought of as cheapskates but when I last visited El Llanito in the mountains of San Lorenzo I was one of the few people who left a tip. I’d rather err on the side of generosity.
Cool! It’s kinda fun to be the outsider now and again. How did you meet these friends? I have never really socialized in the mountains much, only driven through and toured a bit.
I think it is awesome that you both can go to these functions amongst the Puerto Rican people and fit in! That is great Britton’s Spanish has improved and I’m sure it is because you are immersed in the culture.
It is interesting about the tip thing. Maybe it because it is so deep inland and a bit different culturally there from the coastal region.
I am so excited that Britton and you have really embrace Puerto Rican culture. It may seem odd to you but I grew up in the island until I was 12 years old and although I love my culture, a ten day visit is quite enough time for me. Life in the island is too rowdy and chaotic for me, but it may be a personality thing. My husband says that I just need to give it time to get use to it. Local television news about the state of the island terrify me!
I mostly see men / boys on the party pictures you posted in this post. Is there a cultural difference as well? Do the guys just leave the wifes and daughters at home? Or did they hang out away from the “games” and beer?
Hey thanks for the comments! It is really interesting to be an “outsider” at events like this. Though I am feeling more and more that I belong.
As for tipping…I have talked with a few people who have worked as waiters or bartenders and they say that stereotypically the home grown Puerto Ricans don’t tip nearly as well as the gringos but that it is not always the case. The compounded factor is that here on the coast and in the metro area there is a lot of tourism, so it’s hard to know whether it’s just a “I’m on vacation and having fun!” type thing. I’m with you, though, Adolfo, -better to be generous than not. Sort of like it’s better to be the best dressed person at a party as opposed to the worst, though mostly I just want to fit in 🙂
Deb, the news is all about the fear factor. We pay it little heed. Life can be wonderful here or it can be hard. It depends on the circumstances of the people.
Anonymous, yes men definitely outnumbered women by a large amount like it has at each cockfight we’ve seen. Virtually none…I think truly none of the women who were there…bet on the roosters or played dice. But the few who were there hung out, ate and drank and relaxed away from the games.
Not really sure why you would expect tips at a private party that charges for drinks. The entire set up is strange. But that’s just me, living here for the past 20 years.
At a wedding in the states, a private party, guests are often charged for drinks and also tip.
It wasn’t that we were expecting it, it was just an interesting observation. The party was a fun mash-up of birthday celebration and cockfight event where lots of people who attended weren’t “officially” invited and didn’t know Papo but were welcome to attend.
We are starting to understand the “jibaro” ways a little more since our first Puerto Rican country party we stumbled upon. http://www.lifetransplanet.com/2009/02/09/puerto-rican-jibaro-life/
The rules that we seem to understand just don’t follow the same format here and I love that about PR.
Weddings I get, that’s a lot of booze. You guys obviously take it all in stride and had a good time, that’s what’s important. I would probably be somewhere far from the cock fighting and mixing drinks myself. For me, PR is like a conundrum wrapped in an enigma, rolled up into a tasty quesito. You can never fully understand it so just enjoy it while it lasts. Or something like that. Other days, I’m not so optimistic, but most of the time, I try to be. Contrary to somewhat gruff comments on nice ppls websites.