Delights in an unexpected location

Restaurante Interno in Cartagena provides a truly unique dining experience - well executed and delicious dishes provided by incarcerated women. Acción Interna established the restaurant in the San Diego prison in 2016 and they have been serving food and opportunities ever since. With the profits generated from the restaurant and the great work done by the women there (in addition to other fundraising and entrepreneurial activities), they are able to provide services to 27 other women’s prisons for over 33,000 incarcerated women.

I knew I wanted to dine here after reading the numerous articles (it was listed as one of the greatest’s place by Time Magazine in 2018) and highly rated food. My only experience prior to this was frozen food heated or bags of chips. For a few years, I used to take off from being a sandwich artist one Saturday a month with my mother to visit my half brother. We would chat the whole drive over and spend the day with him. His mood and conversation varied each time. The people surrounding us always made me feel like…I wasn’t in a facility like I was at a giant picnic. We would generally sit outside at a table and sometimes he might see someone he was friendly with. I would see men playing with their children. When people discuss how people should be treated while incarcerated, it shouldn’t have to be prefaced with having a personal connection. People should think other humans should be treated humanely. Women shouldn’t be forced to sleep on dirty floors in facilities that are 150% or above capacity. People shouldn’t be abused as a form of rehabilitation.

I emailed Restaurante Interno as I wandered around Cartagena’s old city (side note - thanks to Sprint for having data and text internationally at no extra cost) for a reservation. I was concerned about them being booked up, but I found if you stop by or reach out you can make things happen. My special fella and I secured a reservation for the next day.

We arrived early for our dinner reservations. We were promptly seated and welcomed. As we perused the $90,000 (COP per person) menu that included an appetizer, main, dessert, and fruit juice we were impressed by the offerings. I went with ceviche (because one can’t have enough) to start. It was really refreshing and second best to La pescadería. My special fella went with the posta cartagena as I enjoyed the fish of the day.

We split a bottle of wine that was labeled as Vino Interno. It was a very bright sauvignon blanc that readily paired with many of the dishes.

I would love for more people to join experience like this, where your preconceived notions of who people are and what they deserve are challenged. In the end, the women shouldn’t be pitied or mocked, but treated like anyone else who is figuring out a better path after costly missteps.