Sharing a Menta

Dominicans are known for being a compartiendo or sharing culture. Coming from a world where there is a desire for independence and to not have to depend on anyone, it is often a challenge to immerse myself. In general, if I don’t have something I go out and buy it, not just ask someone else for it.

One of my favorite examples here is just how much a Dominican will share. Dominicans are crazy about mentas, most often Hall’s cough drops, but any small candy that you can suck on it considered a menta. Often times I will be at the colmado, corner store, buying some sort of food and if a handful of mentas are bought, they will then be quickly dispersed to whoever is standing around. Or if we are waiting for a meeting to start often times a doña will dig around in her purse and pull out mentas for all in the surrounding area. But what about the case when there are more people then mentas you may ask? Give them to your favorites? No need, that is when the beauty of compartir-ing really takes place. Just bite off your half and pass it over to your companion, so that everyone can enjoy a little of the mint. Maybe not the most hygienic of habits, sorry all you doctors and nurses in the family, but it’s sort of a beautiful tradition in my eyes. To make sure that everyone can enjoy equally, and the desire to share with everyone, is so strong that you will go as far as to break off a piece of a Hall’s cough drop, aka candy, so that everyone can have a piece, is a great thing. One night another volunteer was visiting me (she came to take pictures of my site), and so I had 2 friends come over and we cooked dinner, a huge dinner of river crab, various viveres, the root vegetables, guacamole, and arepitas de yuca, and to finish off our feast, one of my friends breaks out a heart shaped lollipop, and breaks it into four little pieces so that we can all enjoy it. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you come visit don’t be surprised when I hand you half of a Hall’s cough drop.