"I been workin' here at The DQ for about, um... eight months? Seven? I don't know, somethin' like that, it's fun. Just do the cones... make sundaes, make Blizzards, 'n... put stuff on 'em, 'n... see a lot of people come in, a lot of people come to The DQ... burgers... ice cream... anything, you know? Cokes... just drive in and get a Coke, if you're thirsty". In WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, the smartest movie ever made, Libbie Mae Brown comes to grips with the disappointments of her life, when she says: "I'll always have a place at the Dairy Queen". Here Adair Seldon from Lentil Breakdown tries in her own savvy way to get back to The DQ with The Lick-Your-Bowl-Clean Plantain Banana Split. GREG

Don’t hate me because I’m white trash. Just ‘cause a young Texas girl liked Dairy Queen banana splits, that doesn’t make her a hick. I don’t even have an accent, y’all. Some people just have humble beginnings.

Back when gas was cheap and skies were blue, my parents would take us three kids on summer vacations in our gold Oldsmobile Delta 88. From Dallas, we’d drive somewhere every year—west to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone or the Rocky Mountains; east to New Orleans or the Smoky Mountains; or maybe north to Lake of the Ozarks. The USA was our playground, and we valiantly marked our turf. En route, we’d stop at some oases along the highway like Stuckey’s—you know, the place with the big yellow sign with red type that said, Home of the World Famous Pecan Log Roll. I wondered just how world famous it really was. Would a Zulu tribesman know of this cylindrical, nut-encrusted treat? Once in a while we’d venture into a Howard Johnson’s restaurant for some ice cream. My favorite flavor was the apple strudel with pie crust in it. That was a novelty, before the advent of the mix-in. I should have seen it coming. But more often we’d stop at that southern fixture known as Dairy Queen.

Simple food honestly prepared. Whole fried fish with plantains, served outside on the weathered boards of a rustic table, accompanied by beer and hot sauce.

Ocean breeze and shanty shade to protect us from the sun. The sound of something Latin and soulful crackling through speakers that have spent too much time in the salty air. The beat, somewhere between Soca and Salsa, competes with the crash of the waves.

These are the kinds of places I seek out when I travel.

I found one such place in Quepos, Costa Rica. It's called Bahia Azul. It's a simple place with rusty fixtures, broken chairs and happy people. It's not the kind of place you'd find many tourists. It's a bit off the beaten path. From the outside it may even seem a bit intimidating. Maybe not "clean" in the way Americans are used to, but it is authentic, and perfectly delicious.

Today’s pancake adventure takes us south to Venezuela. Unfortunately the U.S. and Venezuela are going through a rough patch diplomatically speaking. Which is a shame. Because it is a beautiful country. I know because I have been there. I'll include a few photos (who is that handsome young man?).

There is a lot to love about Venezuela. But one of my strongest memories is attached to food. They have a pancake there that is absolutely ubiquitous. These pancakes are called arepas and they are made from corn flour.

Arepas are eaten at all times of the day and with many accompaniments. I had them served simply with butter for breakfast, I had them topped with fruit or meat, I had them handed to me on street corners by a local women proud of their national culinary treasure. They are commonly stuffed with just about anything you can think of and enjoyed ‘sandwich-style'.

You can find arepas in small restaurants called areperas. If you go to Venezuela, don't miss the opportunity to go to one. They are places where you can eat only arepas, with whatever you want—cheese, jam, meat, chicken, pork, eggs, etc.

Arepa cafes are starting to become popular in the U.S. I have read that there are several in Southern California, though I have not been to one (yet). I have been to one in lower Manhattan called Caracas Arepas Bar. In fact I am emulating one of their arepa specialties here today.