Thanks to all those childhood years spent watching imported Mexican television shows, I learnt early on that cantinas were bars, something to do with moustachioed bandits with big sombreros drinking tequilas and drawing pistols with lightning-fast speed. Had it not been for these countless hours of, hmm... er, “educational” TV I would have made it to adulthood thinking that the word cantina always referred to the implement shown in the photo above.

The ubiquitous Dominican cantina isn’t really a home-grown invention, and although we have failed to trace its true origin, the fact that most cantinas are manufactured in China (or thereabouts) indicates that somebody else came up with that idea first. Regardless of whom we should give credit for the invention of such a magnificent piece of equipment, the fact remains that we made it our own.

Long before anyone came up with the idea of mass-producing Styrofoam plates, food “para llevar” was served in cantinas. Each family had one, its size depending on how big the family was. “Fondas” (Dominican family run restaurants, now usually called ‘comedores’) would have a list of customers that ate their fare everyday. It goes without saying that what was on offer was none other than La Bandera Dominicana. Every morning, customers would drop their cantinas (which, for convenience, had the family name painted on top) and would pick it up sometime before noon. The delicious lunch would arrive served in strict order: habichuelas at the bottom, meat in the middle and rice and ‘fritos’ on top. The ultimate convenience.

In this age of disposables the venerable cantina is now considered déclassé, a pity really, as proven by the mountains of Styrofoam plates flung everywhere, creating more and more pollution and waste. It is refreshing to know, however, that at least in Dominican small towns cantinas are still alive and well.

On those days when Aunt Clara’s Kitchen is closed we buy our lunch in the neighborhood fonda (although nobody calls them that nowadays, perish the thought). I think I am going to start taking my cantina from now on, for the sake of the environment. Who knows, I might start a new trend. The worse that could happen is that my friends won’t want to be seen in my company as I carry my cantina with pride.

By Aunt Clara