Venezuela finds socialist pride in the arepa
| Caracas, Venezuela
鈥� A local, slice-of-life story from a Monitor correspondent.
Nearly every morning locals line up alongside a street kiosk for arepas, corn flatbread stuffed with a jumble of meats, vegetables, and cheeses. The Venezuelan specialty has been a source of pride here since the Spanish tried to usurp native corn centuries ago with European wheat. 鈥�Arepas are part of our culture,鈥� says Miguel Segovia, clutching a greasy paper sack filled with a warm arepa.
President Hugo Ch谩vez furthered arepa national pride last year by opening up 鈥淪ocialist Arepera鈥� outlets, whose walls carry posters decrying the evils of the mass-marketed capitalist arepa. Mr. Ch谩vez claims capitalist food producers drive up inflation.
But whatever the political bent of the arepa, Venezuelans will remain loyal.
鈥淭丑别 arepa will never be lost,鈥� says Adriana Vilar, a librarian at the Center for Gastronomic Studies in Caracas.
