World Country Guide

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Food & Drink
Native Dominican cooking combines Spanish influences with local produce. Beef is expensive (Dominicans raise fine cattle, but most is exported) and local favourites are pork and goat meat. There is plenty of fresh fish and seafood, island-grown tomatoes, lettuce, papaya, mangoes and passion fruit and all citrus fruits are delicious. Local dishes include la bandera (meaning ‘the flag’, comprising white rice, red beans, stewed meat, salad and fried plaintain), chicharrones (crisp pork rind), chicharrones de pollo (small pieces of fried chicken), casava (fried yucca), moro de habichuelas (rice and beans), sopa criolla dominicana (native soup of meat and vegetables), pasteln (baked vegetable cake) and sancocho (stew with anything up to 18 ingredients).
Presidente (Dominican beer) is very good, as are rum drinks such as the local Brugal or Bermudez. Rum aejo (old, dark rum) with ice makes a good after-dinner drink. Native coffee is excellent and very strong. Locally produced beer and rums are cheaper than imported alcohol which tends to be expensive.

Nightlife
Choice varies from a Las Vegas-style revue, discos and casinos to a quiet cafe by the sea in Santo Domingo. Hotels offer more traditional shows, including folk music and dancing. Popular dances are the merengue, played very loudly almost everywhere; bachata, which is becoming very popular in tourist hotspots; perico ripiao; and the salsa. The Malecn, along a seaside boulevard in Santo Domingo, is known as the world’s longest disco. Concerts and other cultural events are often held at the Casa de Francia and Plaza de la Cultura in Santo Domingo, among other venues.

Shopping
Best buys are products made on the island including amber jewellery and decorative pieces. These are a national speciality, some pieces encasing insects, leaves or dew drops within ancient petrified pine resin. Larimar or Dominican turquoise is another popular stone. Milky blue and polished pink pieces of conch shell are also made into jewellery. Rocking chairs, woodcarvings, macram, pottery, Taino artefacts, Creole dolls, baskets, limestone carvings and cassettes of salsa and merengue also make good buys. Bargaining is recommended. Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0800-1200 and 1400-1800.

Special Events
Carnivals, fiestas and festivals are held frequently all year round, both in larger cities as well as among the rural communities. As in many Latin American countries, Carnival is a traditional event. Merengue is the national music and the Merengue Festival draws large numbers of nationals as well as international musicians and spectators. For a complete list of events, contact the Tourism Promotion Council (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of special events occurring in the Dominican Republic in 2005:
Feb Sosua and Cabarete Gastronomic Festival; Carnival, Santo Domingo and various locations. Mar Santo Domingo Music Festival. Jun Puerto Plata Cultural Festival. Jul Santo Domingo Merengue Festival; Central American University Games, Santo Domingo. Oct Puerto Plata Jazz Festival. Oct/Nov Puerto Plata Merengue Festival.

Social Conventions
The Dominican lifestyle is more American than Latin, with short siestas and without long, late lunches. The non-Latin ambience is indicated by the fact that, though the culture is rich in Roman Catholic and Spanish influences, 72-hour divorces may be obtained. Daytime dress is generally casual but beachwear and shorts are only acceptable in resorts and at pools. Evenings tend to be smarter, with jackets (although not necessarily ties) recommended for men at better restaurants, hotels and for social functions. Tipping: Hotel and restaurant bills automatically include a 10 per cent service charge (on top of a 12 per cent charge for tax purposes) but an additional tip may be given as an appreciation of good service. Taxi drivers on the fixed routes do not expect tips.