Dirty Mofongo

Given what one can sometimes encounter by following Tyler Cowen's sage advice (especially when he acknowledges he hasn't visited a given place), it was with some trepidation that I elected to visit Manna Restaurant & Carry Out, a Dominican eatery in Takoma Park. But I was anxious to try the mofongo or, failing that, the cuban sandwich. (By all accounts, Manna offers foods from several Latin territories, including Puerto Rico and Cuba.)

What I encountered at the intersection of Flower Avenue and Piney Branch Road was a veritable nexus of ethnic cuisine, with Chinese, El Salvadoran, and various other Latin restaurants clustered around in several small strip malls. The parking lot in front of Manna was overflowing -- a good sign if ever there was one. Outside, several middle-aged Dominican gentlemen were poring over the sports page of a newspaper. As if to prove a point, the eldest man pointed to the standings and began screaming: "Arizona! Arizona, Arizona, Arizona!" (The Diamondbacks have won seven of their last ten, closing within a half game of the Dodgers.)

Similar excitement met me inside, where nearly every table was occupied in the small main dining room by members of a single group of men, most of them younger. After ordering at the window near the front I took a small table in the back corner, resigning myself to the Spanish language soap operas on the television. The upper dining room -- if I have learned anything in Washington, DC, it is that it is never a good idea to go exploring the upstairs rooms of such restaurants -- was, seemingly, closed for repairs. Every few seconds, a chorus of hammers and angry shouting rang out from above.

After a few minutes, a man who looked like a gap-toothed Penny Hardaway asked me pleasantly if I was being helped. I answered that I had already ordered. Then, the older man from outside changed the television to the Braves-Marlins game on FSN Florida. He suddenly became animated again: "Florida! Florida, Florida, Florida!" (The Marlins, going into the game, were just one game ahead of the Braves in the NL East.)

As I was beginning to wonder if my mofongo had been forgotten, another older man, who until now had been holding court at the center of the room and passing out fresh beers to each new visitor, returned from his car with a duffel bag full of bootleg DVDs. He immediately extracted the adult titles -- Hot Latinas vol. 8, if I recall -- and began passing them around the room for closer inspection. Penny examined the reverse side of the case and snickered. After a spell, he again turned to me.

"You like dirty word movies -- I mean, dirty girl movies?" he asked.

I stammered a bit before accepting his offer to look at the item for myself. The entrepreneur returned from his circuit of the room. He began emptying the entire contents of his bag on my table. There was a puzzling array of titles, ranging from Rugrats to In Good Company and Latin music videos.

"To look is for free," he explained, "but when you make a selection, it's five dollars."

I studied the discs carefully, not wanting to appear disinterested. With each title I put down, more were stacked on my table.

"You got kids?" he asked.

When I said that I did not, in fact, he continued, "Nephews? Nieces? No kids, nowhere? You're the only one?"

Satisfied that I would not be purchasing any Barbie movies for the time being, he made his two strongest recommendations: Flight of the Phoenix and In Good Company.

"These are great movies," he told me. "This one, action; this one, comedy. Very good."

I contemplated buying a film -- perhaps Hot Latinas -- for Halfz, but ultimately decided to politely decline to purchase anything.

"Well, I'm here all the time. Now you know what I have." With that, he refilled his duffel and returned it to his car.

Entertainment aside, the mofongo with pork was excellent, although I might have tried it with shrimp instead. The dish consists of a cylindrical turret of mashed plantain and pork, ringed by larger chunks of pork and served on a dressed bed of lettuce, tomato, and avocado. At $13, it was probably more food than I needed for lunch, but delicious nonetheless.

Finally, the link of the day shows that my appraisal of the cell phone driving law is shared by some in Germany. However, the ending is not clear.