[Aunt Clara]

Some Dominican dishes were thought of as 'poor man's food' in the days of yore. I don't think that's the case anymore. Between the ever-lasting inflation and changes in attitudes towards nutrition there are few who still hold on to these ideas.

These were considered poor man's food when I was a kid. Funny enough some are my favorite Dominican dishes:

Locrio de pica pica (rice and spicy sardines)
Locrio de arenque (rice and herrings)
Anything with arenque
Tayotas (chayote, christophines)
Spaghetti

Was that the case in your home?

[Cheeky Charlie]

Funnily enough sardines and rice was on of them and my mum would cook it similarly to your recipe, using hot pepper sauce. Pilchards and rice was another as well as corned beef and rice...okay, so anything cheap with rice. It's funny cos these were things me and my older sister really enjoyed eating, growing up. Of course back then we didn't know that we were eating it cos mum was skint that week! My younger sisters, however, having never really seen hard times, would turn their noses up to sardines and rice if my mother dared to put it in front of them. I was always amazed whenever I returned home to hear my mum asking my younger sisters what they wanted to eat for dinner, us older siblings never had a choice. It was, "eat it or starve!"
We would also have fried dumplings if there wasn't much in the cupboards. My mum used to say that as long as there was flour and rice in the cupboard, we'd never go hungry!

[Aunt Clara]

As I have been re-doing most of the photos in the site I have discovered a few oldies (but goodies), I have developed a sudden but dramatic infatuation with locrio de pica pica. I think I will cook that again tomorrow...

[petalda]

Being puerto rican in my home it was arroz con salchicha. lol Alos white ruce and corned beef. I started doing locrio de pica pica when i married my husband who is Dominican.

[Cheeky Charlie]

I really fancy some sardines and rice now or anything with rice.
I've decided to cut back on the rice intake and now it's all I can think about!

[Eleen]

lol wow! our poor mans food was arroz con salchicha, spaghetti with sardines, and corn beef with french fries inside.

[Aunt Ilana]

We had an article once about how "poor folks' food" in one place was exotic and expensive stuff elsewhere.

Avocados, for example, and aubergine (eggplant) which is known as poor folks' meat in some places, but is an exotic delicacy in others.

One of the most delicious, but sinfully greasy things I've ever tasted is the Andaluz 'papas a lo pobre' from the Alpujarras region in southern Spain.

Yes, that 'c' stands for cups !