Rojo Rojito

For the tenth year anniversary of Chavez being in power of my native Venezuela, I decided to throw a Venezuelan party. Also, because I wanted to serve arepas which are both easy to make and delicious. Although nothing is too easy under champagne and whiskey, even less cooking for about 60 other hungry drunks.I was in the middle of a sea of people dancing to "La Fan Enamorada," because part of the whole cultural immersion theme is that we also listened to Venezuelan music: joropo, tambores, gaita, merengue y salsa, while trying to cook for people, most of them who had never eaten arepas.
At least we did have masks of Chavez and got to play the dictator for a bit.
It is not that I am a Chavist. The truth is that I got cured from socialist leftist romanticsm last december when I was in Caracas. The corruption is bad and the crime is worse. Just a couple of months ago Foreign Policy said Caracas was the city with the most homicides in the world, and that doesn't even count murders made by the government or the police, which are as dangerous.
But, I did come back from Venezuela also full of nostalgia of the food, the party, the family and the alcohol. I had it all on Sat. except for Venezuelans: for the first half of the party, I, the hostess, was the only Venezuelan in the house. So much for the Venezuelan theme.
But, I made ropa vieja the night before, we had tuna salad, black beans and various types of cheese to fill them up: guayanes and de mano. There was no food left the next day, I'm telling you people are hungry these days.
We also bought the ridiculous amount of 11 champagne bottles and a couple of whyskie, if we are going to celebrate venezuelan style we have to drink like if owened all that oil.