Niños soldados

Sofrito sensation
Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island rich in history and remarkable natural beauty, has a cuisine all its own. Immigration to the island has helped to shape it cuisine, with people from all over the world making various contributions to it. However, before the arrival of these immigrants, the island of Puerto Rico was already known as boriken and was inhabited by the Taíno people.Taíno cuisine included such foods as rodents with sweet chili pepper, fresh shellfish, yams, and fish fried in corn oil.
Many aspects of Taíno cuisine continue today in Puerto Rican cooking, but it has been heavily influenced by the Spanish, who invaded Puerto Rico in 1508, and Africans, who were initially brought to Puerto Rico to work as slaves, Taíno cooking styles were mixed with ideasbrought by the Spanish and Africans to create new dishes. The Spanish extended food choices by bringing cattle, pigs goats and sheep to the island. Africans also added to the island´s food culture by introducing powerful, countries tastes in dishes like piñon-plantains layered in ground beef. In fact, much of the food Puerto Rico is now famous for- plantains, coffee, sugarcane, coconuts, and oranges–was actually imported by foreigners to the island
A common assumption many people make about Puerto Rico food is that it is very spicy. It´s true that chili peppers are popular; aji caballero in particular is a very hot chili pepper that Puerto Ricans enjoy. However, milder tasted are popular too, such as sofrito. The base of many Puerto Rican dishes, sofrito is a sauce made from chopped, cilantro,and handful of other spices. It is fried in oil and then added to other dishes.
How to make a basic sofrito
Ingredients
1 yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 green bell pepper
3 to 4 sweet chili peppers
3 cilantro (coriander) leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon dried whole oregano
Directions
Remove skins from onion and garlic. Clean and prepare green bell and sweet chilipeppers. Wash in water. Then finely chop these ingredients, including the cilantro leaves. Place a heavy – bottomed pot over low heat; add oil and oregano. Add the chopped ingredients. Continue cooking for about three to four minutes, stirring occasionally.

Song of the humpback
Herman Melville, the write of the famous whale story Moby dick, wrote that humpback whales were “the most lightheartedof all whales.” A favorite of whale watchers everywhere, they swim in ocean areas close to land and are active at the surface, often jumping out of the water and coming down with a great splash. They are intelligent animals and can be see working together as they hunt schools of small fish. And, if listen closely, you might even hear one singing.
Recording gentle giants
Marine biologist Jimdarling has studied the songs of humpback whales for 25 years. While recording whale songs on boat near Hawaii, he invited author Douglas Chadwick to experience diving with a humpback. In the water, the way Chadwick heard the whale´s songs changed completely. ”suddenly, I no longer heard the whale´s voice in my ears. I felt it inside my head and bones. “He clearly sensed the whale´s silent awarenessof him. The 13- meter- long giants looked him over curiously, but never harmed him.
The whale then swam under the boat. It pointed its head its head down to the ocean floor and, with flippers extended out to its sides, began to sing. Up in the boat, darling recorded the whale´s song. Such songs may be long and complex, lasting for 30 minutes or more; they are perhaps the longest songs by anyanimals.
Why do they sing?
Darling says that only male humpback sing, but for unknown reasons. It was previously though that they sang to attract females, but scientists showed this was incorrect when they played recording of whale song in the ocean and no females came around. Another idea is that male humpbacks compete with each other using songs, just as other male animals do using antlers,...