Food, Glorious Food

This post has been a long time coming. That’s because every day is a new culinary adventure here, and it takes a lot of energy and intestinal endurance to keep up. Many of my companions have fallen victim to various digestive ailments, but I have thus far had nothing to complain about.

Consider this your introduction to the three main food groups of the Ecuadorian sierra: potatoes, rice, and anything fried. Cafecito may be added as an optional fourth. My previous host mother did a great job of providing me with fresh fruits and veg: she had hosted other volunteers and knew the quirky dietary habits of Americans. Still, that didn’t prevent most everything she put on the table from being prepared with copious amounts of oil, manteca (pig fat), and salt. In short, everything I ate was delicious and clogged my arteries.

Some of my favorites were unusual – chicken-foot soup, fried guinea pig – while others were more familiar foods: carne asado, a tender bean called chochos that are eaten with toasted corn kernels and a spicy ají sauce…yum…

Similar to what you find in Spain, the main meal here is the midday meal. Children come home from school, adults come home from work, and shops close down from noon to 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon. And when Ecuadorians eat, they eat a lot. My first week of training, my host brother saw the look of incredulity on my face when my mother set a heaping plate of food in front of me. He explained, “Here in Ecuador, we may not have much, but we eat a lot.” So when a family sits down to a creaking table, they’re not kidding when they say “Buen provecho!” and proceed to dig in.

Another difference I’ve noticed is that here, it’s not considered rude to say “You’re too skinny, you need to fatten up,” or to say “Hey fatty, how are you today?” Unlike in the states, these comments about people’s physical appearances are simple facts and observations, nothing to be taken personally. Gordito (fatty, little fat one) is considered a term of endearment. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of being called by this name; every time someone grabs my wrist to test how fat I have become, the pronouncement is a disappointed “flaquita” (skinny).

And now for a few pics...

Below is a fruit called a granadilla. You break it open and suck out the seeds and pulpy insides.




If any of you have a specialty market nearby, check and see if they have granadillas or maracuyá (passionfruit) – they are tangy and tasty treats.

A giant head of cabbage.


Pie!!!


The Spanish version makes sense, but I´m not so sure about the English translation...




That´s all for now, although there will surely be more food posts in the future.
Now that I am at site in Guayaquil, a coastal city, I am already finding differences in regional diets. For instance, there’s not much to be seen of potatoes, but the seafood options are endless. A couple nights ago I made pasta and ate it with butter and salt…pretty simple…but I look forward to learning and wowing you all with my culinary progress as time goes by.

PS - The pig you see at the top of this post? We ate it and another one like it to celebrate the end of training with our host families. Oink. Oink.