It's 4 o'clock in the afternoon in Cali, and if you're lucky the famous afternoon brisa caleña (Caleñan breeze) is helping you cool off from the heat of the day. What time is it, then? It´s fritanga time.

I know this sounds like a really lame post. Hell, I feel stupid just writing it. You don't make juice. You squeeze citrus to get juice, or you juice fruits to get juice. Real juice, anyway-- in my family we always had frozen fruit concentrates in the freezer that you mixed with water to “make” juice, but nobody was fooled. I never considered myself much of a juice fan, though, so I didn't much care. Apple juice always made me want to throw up a little, and although I do love freshly squeezed orange juice, it always seemed just a bit too much work to do at home or stupidly expensive out. And for “real” juice, the kind they serve at juice bars, for that you needed an expensive, not-high-on-my-list-of-kitchen-essentials juicer.

I think it's happened to all of us: you bite into something expecting sweet, and instead you get a mouthful of saltiness. Or vice versa: you want salty and instead you get an unexpected, unwelcome sugar rush.