Puerto Rican delicacy

I just heard of something that sounds so bizarre that I'm going to have to try it.

I'm acquainted with a young couple from Puerto Rico. The gentleman in this pair doesn't drink coffee. But he, like his mother, has a fondness for Nescafe.

But he likes his Nescafe a special way: with Export Soda Crackers, which, I'm told, is a household staple in Puerto Rico. They look like Saltines. Sometimes he'll dip the crackers in the Nescafe. Other times, he'll crumble them up in the Nescafe and eat it with a spoon.

Once in a while, and this is where he really got my attention, he, like his mother, likes to include a slice of Queso de Papa, which appears to be akin to Colby. He'll take a slice of cheese, put it between two crackers, submerge it in the Nescafe and eat it with a spoon.

I would never have thought to pair instant coffee with crackers and cheese, but having heard this story, I'll certainly try it and report back on the experience.

I asked my friend's wife if this delicacy has a name. "No," she said. "It's weird food from weird Puerto Ricans."

Oh, right: it's Monday

This morning, my lgd/central city neighborhood smelled like red beans and rice.

Not a bad way to start the week at all.