|
Andrea in Ecuador |
Sunday we were invited to Pasqual's house in Sicalpa. They slaughtered a pig for us and roasted it, then served us huge plates of food with rice, potatoes, choncho (pig), pollo (chicken), and cuy (guinea pig), all which they raise themselves. The soup was the traditional light broth made with chicken and a little milk, rice, carrots, onion & cilantro. They also served a drink made from panella (sugar cane juice) as well as a coconut flavored liquor. It was a beautiful afternoon, though Claudine and Eve were feeling a bit rough from dancing and drinking until 3 in the morning prior to this get together. We were all a bit blurry from the previous night's fiesta and we were an hour late to the feast. When we were trying to figure out how we would get to Sicalpa Claudine said...we'll just take a taxi to the moon and then catch a bus the rest of the way. We all started to laugh because we knew exactly what she meant (there is a statue of a moon at a certain corner on the edge of Riobamba). Later, when Eve was served a plate with a bbq'd cuy head on it..well, it didn't help matters much for the hangovers, though Mike was telling us the ears are a delicacy. I knew I had adjusted to Ecuador when I was knawing on a cuy leg and finding that the foot with little claws actually made a good handle. We all had a bit of trepidation about this feast to begin with because we had all been to Pasqual's house before and noted the numerous farm animals that run around in inner courtyard on the way to the living quarters. Mental note: there is nothing sanitary about Ecuador. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Lourdas cooking the meal barefoot in a little outdoor shelter near the cuy pen...though Mike got a good picture of this...maybe I can get him to send it to be posted to the website. Fortunately, none of us got sick except for Eve who realized a bit late that there was milk in the soup and cheese in the noodles (she is allergic to milk). She took a lactose pill and went to bed after we got home....only having suffered digestive upset for about a day and a half. I don't think the cuba libras, cervesas, and red wine the night before or the coconut flavored Zumir with lunch had anything to do with it.
After the big meal, we all walked over to the Sicalpa bullring and watched people get chased around by the bull. The vendors came around with suckers, bon ice, chochos (boiled lupine seeds) and pulled taffy that tastes like molasses. It was a typical day in Ecuador.
Andrea
Photos:
Quote of the Day:
"We'll just take a taxi to the moon and then catch a bus the rest of
the way."
- Claudine
