Bandito George

August 15, 2010

Jorge outside his store.

We go to Libertad for our food stuffs that are hard to find or not available here (pickles, certain cheeses and baking items, meat and bacon).  For our daily grocery needs we generally shop at the various produce stands and the nearby Oloncito market, a five minute walk across the soccer field. But for the late night munchies, ran out of beer/cigarettes/ milk we go to “Bandito George’s” place because he’s right around the corner. Call it our 7-Eleven, if you will. The thing is, Jorge knows he’s got us by the short hairs when we make these runs, and regularly charges more than the usual retail costs. For the last 3 years I have cajoled, scolded, pleaded, and kidded with Jorge about his prices, but he never budges or bargains. He just sticks out his chin, and stands his miserly ground. But we’ve become awfully fond of Jorge; he’s industrious, hard working, and aside from the store, he owns the bar next door, a restaurant cabanita, and hustles coconuts and umbrellas on the beach during busy times. And at every town event (fiestas, funerals, ceremonies) he can be counted on for at least one of the portable concession stands. Actually, I think he is pretty fond of us too – not that that will ever get him to stop ripping us off for a few extra cents each time we shop.

Jorge manning his concession
booth at a town event.
Note the wet bar.

The other day, Todd bought a package of flavored potato chips (“PaFritas con mayonesa”).  I understand cheese, vinegar & salt, or spicy seasoned chips, but mayonnaise flavor?  Turns out, they were just a bag of regular potato chips with a small packet of mayo included inside the bag.

I am surprised we don’t see more bugs down here than we do. Yes, there are plenty of mosquitoes and no-see-ems (which never bother me at all – not a single bite, ever – but they LOVE Todd). Oh, I might hear a pesky one buzzing around me in bed, but I never worry; they always choose him eventually. Todd is my bug repellant and Avon’s “Skin So Soft” gives him some relief, but needs to be applied frequently.

I have always been scared of bugs (snakes, mice, frogs and those things don’t faze me) and would sooner see a strange man walk into my house at midnight before seeing a cockroach skitter across my kitchen floor, and I was worried when we first starting coming to the Equator about mutant sized creepy-crawlies. As it turns out, most all of the cockroaches I ever see are already dead on the floor. My theory is they are vulnerable to the cleaning solution we use to clean our pisos, but I still won’t pick them up. I wait for Todd because he knows I don’t “do” bugs and we have an agreement on this one. But I think I becoming more acclimated; I’m able to gingerly kick away occasional dead ones the size of Panzer tanks without flinching these days.



Neighbor Bobby and Todd
hanging out at Jorge´s.