It's Like a Mcgriddles, But Less Terrifying

The best thing I ate in Belize (last week--miss me, guys?) was fresh-off-the-boat lobster meat, rolled in coconut, and flash-fried, and served with coconut rice, stew beans, and fried plantains, with very strong rum punch, served under a palapa on the beach during a thunderstorm. These foods, along with "fry chicken," are practically the national cuisine of Belize, and thunder is practically the national anthem.

I cannot tell you how to make any of that. But I discovered another, secret Belizean food, though, when I was in a grocery store trying to buy breakfast very early one morning. I had a bus to catch in fifteen minutes and needed provisions for the four-hour trip. All they had fresh and local at this grocery was key lime pie, and though I will never complain about having only pie for breakfast, I wanted something a little more substantial as well. As I stood at the counter waiting for the very sleepy, laid-back woman to get me a slice of pie, a small crowd started to form. No one was ordering anything, they were just milling about.

Then, just as the clocked over to 8 a.m., a baker appeared with a tray of...waffles? She hadn't even gotten them to the counter when the small crowd rushed her and started grabbing as many as they could. Let me tell you--the Belizeans eat quite well, and if they all want a particular food item, you want it too, trust me. I grabbed two before they could all disappear and oh, wow. It was simple, it was processed, it was hardly culinary creative genius, and it was delicious. It was...a ham and cheese sandwich on waffles.

Thaw two plain toaster waffles. On one waffle, put a slice of cheese--I used white American cheese singles because that seemed to be what they did, but you can use whatever you want. On the other waffle, put a slice of ham. Stick them in the oven at 350 until the cheese melts, then make a sandwich and eat it on the walk to the metro. Revel in the jealous stares of the waffle-less commuters around you.

But if you can find coconut-fried lobster, for the love of God, tell me where.