South America: Cuenca, Ecuador & Dinner
Hola amigos y familia,
Thursday evenings appear to be our "night out". Last night we took our two professores: Luis and Christabol out to dinner. They chose the resturant and did the ordering. The meal was great! Started off with what I will call appetizers: white cheese and a large bowl of beans. The cheese was the typical cheese served with breakfast and dinner -- almost tasteless but we were told this specific cheese was very well liked and in demand in Ecuardor. Whereas the cheese was nothing to write home about, the remainder of the meal is.
The beans were about twice the size of a lima bean (point of reference, I am not a big lima bean fan), similar in shape and tasty. They are served in a large bowl and each of us reached in, grabbed a handfull, put them on our plate, and then ate them one at a time -- both the beans and cheese are considered a finger food. There is also a very smooth (ChristabolLs term) or non-hot orange-red colored sauce that you may drip across the cheese and beans. You donLt use your fingers to do the dripping -- bad form; you pour from the small bowl holding the sauce.
While discussing the sauce, Christabol and Luis talked about the difference in sauces and peppers within the three Ecuadorian regions: the coast, the mountains, the jungle -- the Galapagos Islands are a fourth region but do not have a food, clothing, or in general culture of its own, it is a location but not a region.
It seems that the Coast has hotter tasting food. Especially their peppers. Christabol said they have a small pepper that one cannot eat by itself. Of course, I immediately asked if the restuarant had one for me to try -- no such luck. Anyway, these peppers make a Mexican jalepeno sit up and take notice per our professores. I like spicy food and maybe will get a chance in Guayaquil.
Next came the sopa course. We have really enjoyed the sopas-soups in Ecuardor and this was the best to date. It was potato and with skin-like textured pieces of boiled pig (my Spanish failed me here so it would not surprise me if the the skin like texture was skin). Nancy said she thought these potatoes were like new potatotes. Christabol explained that there are over 400 kinds of potatoes in Ecuardor of which 80 are used in meals! The sopa also has the traditional (traditional in the sense that almost every meal has potatoes, corn, and rice plus a meat, vegetable and maybe a fruit and occasionally a salad) large kernal corn. Large in that it similar in size to our hominy. I wish Ecuador exported their corn, it is just about my favorite dish and is served many different ways. Luis ordered a sweet corn on the cob which Nancy had a bite of and said was very good.
Luis who has a degree in chemistry and biology and spent some time in the jungle asked us if we had eaten any ants in the jungle. We answered of course. We ate the lemon ants that live in a specific tree. This then started a conversation on eating a specific beatle found in Ecuador. Christabol said that if he was given a choice between the beatle or a filet minon he would take the beatles. Luis agreed. They do remove the feet and head before cooking. The beatle is about the size of a thumb joint on a man. Luis told us we needed to return in October but didnLt know which day, to eat beatles.
At this point in the meal Nancy and I are beginning to become full -- not because of the beatle conversation but the amount of food we had eaten during the day. You have to remember that our 1:00 pm meal has been the main meal since arriving in Ecuador. And, we had our usuall lunch earlier in the day.
The waiter next arrived with a large bowl of cooked corn and platter of carne-meat. The meat was the best we have had since arriving in Ecuador -- but I would have traded all my meat for more corn. This corn was also a large kernal corn cooked in butter and oil (my unexpert opinion on what it was cooked in). Nancy and I both went for seconds on the corn and let the professores have the extra meet.
The meat is cooked outside on a grill and is similar to a U.S. barbequed meat. Very little sauce but cooked on an open flame and semi-charred on the outside. The meat itself is sliced very thin. I would like to be able to find something similar near our hotel, it is very tasty.
While talking about how good the meat was, Luis brought up Tony Roma. I saw the Tony Roma restuarant as we were returning to Quito from our trip to the market two SaturdayLs ago. Luis said this was a great place to eat. The food is very good, the portions huge, and the price of a meal is about $12 or almost twice tonights meal. If Ecuadorians start eating more meals at Tony Roma, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chichen I'm sure they soon will have an obesity problem like the U.S.
This was a great meal. Simple but the tastes of each food was great. For drinks we had a total of 3 cokes and 2 Pilsner Grandes. La cuenta, the bill, was a little over $28.00 plus $1.00 for the guitar-singer plus $3 dollars for tip and a final $4 for the taxi to and from: a night out for 4 was $36. Admitedly, we did spend any significant money on drinks. But remember; a Pilsner Grande which in size is between a normal beer and a U.S. quart is only $0.90.
Earlier in the day, I heard Nancy and Alexandra, a hotel manager -- who also works the desk, helps serves breakfast, cleaned at least one room that I know of, etc, talking and laughing. During their conversation Alexandra asked the two of us to dinner at her house for next Thursday. We are to bring the wine and I thought we could also bring some flowers.
Flowers: I believe that flowers is the number two export -- oil being number one, from Ecuador. Two dozen roses in the market cost $1.00. So you can see that by springing for flowers along with the wine we wonLt be hurting the travel budget. I think every restaurant except last nightLs have had fresh roses on the table. This includes our lunch time restaurant where our two meals with 2 cups of coffee costs less than $4.50.
Today, Friday, we shopped for tomorrowLs breakfast. Two bananas, $0.10 each, and four rolls -- we splurged on the rolls at an average of $0.45 each. These are not the $0.10 or $0.12 rolls we have been served in the hotel, etc. We had to buy breakfast because our guide picks us up at 5:00 am to take us to Parque Nacional Cajas for an early morning of birding, a late morning of hiking, a lunch around 12:30 at the local restuarant, and then back to the hotel for a nap.
Cajas is located about 20 miles northeast of Cuenca. The guide books say the park is 72,000 acres and has 232 lakes. When we booked the tour we were told we would see ducks, toucans, maybe parrots, lots of hummingbirds -- over 120 different hummingbirds in Ecuador, etc. This is our first real outdoor experience -- the jungle is confining and difficult, and we are both looking forward to it even though I have set the alarm for 4:45 am.
Sunday is a "we are not sure what we will do day". I am inclined to take the local bus south to two different towns. Then again we may sleep in or a few minutes outside of Cuenca are some hot springs or maybe more hiking in the Park -- will make plans on Saturday or when we get up on Sunday.
Oh, yes for all of you who laughted at my 9 page legal size paper itinerary -- I forgot to make a copy of it before we left Denver!
Today while out walking, I found the local market. Later in the day I returned with Nancy. This is a market that is colorful and can attack your sense of smell. Out in front of the building are approximately 50 vendors selling fruits, vegetables, beans and grains, etc. We asked two different vendors the name of specific fruits we didnLt recognize. Then I took Nancy inside where you may sit down for a meal -- we didnLt and wonLt or buy fresh fish, meat, chicken, and pig. The meat has all been freshly cut and hung for inspection. The fish stare back you. You recognize the chickens even though they are missing their feathers. And the pig still has its head but the total pig has been cooked and is ready to have whatever amount you want sliced and handed to you.
We decided to come back and buy some fruit for future breakfasts. I am going to talk to Alexandra and request kitchen priviliges so that those fruits without skins can be washed by us before eating. There are some strange fruits here.
Later in our walk we went down to the near river of the four rivers in or bordering Cuenca. This is a beautful walk. The buildings are 150 or more years old. We walked through a small museum, took 45 minutes to see everything. Our next stop was a hair/make-up store. Nancy needed a hair iron. And our last stop was another small art museum back near our hotel. Outside of the hair iron the walk was free.
Everyone owes Nancy a big thanks -- she just spell checked this letter and believe me it is a lot easier to read after her spell checking.
South America, Tom
Thursday evenings appear to be our "night out". Last night we took our two professores: Luis and Christabol out to dinner. They chose the resturant and did the ordering. The meal was great! Started off with what I will call appetizers: white cheese and a large bowl of beans. The cheese was the typical cheese served with breakfast and dinner -- almost tasteless but we were told this specific cheese was very well liked and in demand in Ecuardor. Whereas the cheese was nothing to write home about, the remainder of the meal is.
The beans were about twice the size of a lima bean (point of reference, I am not a big lima bean fan), similar in shape and tasty. They are served in a large bowl and each of us reached in, grabbed a handfull, put them on our plate, and then ate them one at a time -- both the beans and cheese are considered a finger food. There is also a very smooth (ChristabolLs term) or non-hot orange-red colored sauce that you may drip across the cheese and beans. You donLt use your fingers to do the dripping -- bad form; you pour from the small bowl holding the sauce.
While discussing the sauce, Christabol and Luis talked about the difference in sauces and peppers within the three Ecuadorian regions: the coast, the mountains, the jungle -- the Galapagos Islands are a fourth region but do not have a food, clothing, or in general culture of its own, it is a location but not a region.
It seems that the Coast has hotter tasting food. Especially their peppers. Christabol said they have a small pepper that one cannot eat by itself. Of course, I immediately asked if the restuarant had one for me to try -- no such luck. Anyway, these peppers make a Mexican jalepeno sit up and take notice per our professores. I like spicy food and maybe will get a chance in Guayaquil.
Next came the sopa course. We have really enjoyed the sopas-soups in Ecuardor and this was the best to date. It was potato and with skin-like textured pieces of boiled pig (my Spanish failed me here so it would not surprise me if the the skin like texture was skin). Nancy said she thought these potatoes were like new potatotes. Christabol explained that there are over 400 kinds of potatoes in Ecuardor of which 80 are used in meals! The sopa also has the traditional (traditional in the sense that almost every meal has potatoes, corn, and rice plus a meat, vegetable and maybe a fruit and occasionally a salad) large kernal corn. Large in that it similar in size to our hominy. I wish Ecuador exported their corn, it is just about my favorite dish and is served many different ways. Luis ordered a sweet corn on the cob which Nancy had a bite of and said was very good.
Luis who has a degree in chemistry and biology and spent some time in the jungle asked us if we had eaten any ants in the jungle. We answered of course. We ate the lemon ants that live in a specific tree. This then started a conversation on eating a specific beatle found in Ecuador. Christabol said that if he was given a choice between the beatle or a filet minon he would take the beatles. Luis agreed. They do remove the feet and head before cooking. The beatle is about the size of a thumb joint on a man. Luis told us we needed to return in October but didnLt know which day, to eat beatles.
At this point in the meal Nancy and I are beginning to become full -- not because of the beatle conversation but the amount of food we had eaten during the day. You have to remember that our 1:00 pm meal has been the main meal since arriving in Ecuador. And, we had our usuall lunch earlier in the day.
The waiter next arrived with a large bowl of cooked corn and platter of carne-meat. The meat was the best we have had since arriving in Ecuador -- but I would have traded all my meat for more corn. This corn was also a large kernal corn cooked in butter and oil (my unexpert opinion on what it was cooked in). Nancy and I both went for seconds on the corn and let the professores have the extra meet.
The meat is cooked outside on a grill and is similar to a U.S. barbequed meat. Very little sauce but cooked on an open flame and semi-charred on the outside. The meat itself is sliced very thin. I would like to be able to find something similar near our hotel, it is very tasty.
While talking about how good the meat was, Luis brought up Tony Roma. I saw the Tony Roma restuarant as we were returning to Quito from our trip to the market two SaturdayLs ago. Luis said this was a great place to eat. The food is very good, the portions huge, and the price of a meal is about $12 or almost twice tonights meal. If Ecuadorians start eating more meals at Tony Roma, McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chichen I'm sure they soon will have an obesity problem like the U.S.
This was a great meal. Simple but the tastes of each food was great. For drinks we had a total of 3 cokes and 2 Pilsner Grandes. La cuenta, the bill, was a little over $28.00 plus $1.00 for the guitar-singer plus $3 dollars for tip and a final $4 for the taxi to and from: a night out for 4 was $36. Admitedly, we did spend any significant money on drinks. But remember; a Pilsner Grande which in size is between a normal beer and a U.S. quart is only $0.90.
Earlier in the day, I heard Nancy and Alexandra, a hotel manager -- who also works the desk, helps serves breakfast, cleaned at least one room that I know of, etc, talking and laughing. During their conversation Alexandra asked the two of us to dinner at her house for next Thursday. We are to bring the wine and I thought we could also bring some flowers.
Flowers: I believe that flowers is the number two export -- oil being number one, from Ecuador. Two dozen roses in the market cost $1.00. So you can see that by springing for flowers along with the wine we wonLt be hurting the travel budget. I think every restaurant except last nightLs have had fresh roses on the table. This includes our lunch time restaurant where our two meals with 2 cups of coffee costs less than $4.50.
Today, Friday, we shopped for tomorrowLs breakfast. Two bananas, $0.10 each, and four rolls -- we splurged on the rolls at an average of $0.45 each. These are not the $0.10 or $0.12 rolls we have been served in the hotel, etc. We had to buy breakfast because our guide picks us up at 5:00 am to take us to Parque Nacional Cajas for an early morning of birding, a late morning of hiking, a lunch around 12:30 at the local restuarant, and then back to the hotel for a nap.
Cajas is located about 20 miles northeast of Cuenca. The guide books say the park is 72,000 acres and has 232 lakes. When we booked the tour we were told we would see ducks, toucans, maybe parrots, lots of hummingbirds -- over 120 different hummingbirds in Ecuador, etc. This is our first real outdoor experience -- the jungle is confining and difficult, and we are both looking forward to it even though I have set the alarm for 4:45 am.
Sunday is a "we are not sure what we will do day". I am inclined to take the local bus south to two different towns. Then again we may sleep in or a few minutes outside of Cuenca are some hot springs or maybe more hiking in the Park -- will make plans on Saturday or when we get up on Sunday.
Oh, yes for all of you who laughted at my 9 page legal size paper itinerary -- I forgot to make a copy of it before we left Denver!
Today while out walking, I found the local market. Later in the day I returned with Nancy. This is a market that is colorful and can attack your sense of smell. Out in front of the building are approximately 50 vendors selling fruits, vegetables, beans and grains, etc. We asked two different vendors the name of specific fruits we didnLt recognize. Then I took Nancy inside where you may sit down for a meal -- we didnLt and wonLt or buy fresh fish, meat, chicken, and pig. The meat has all been freshly cut and hung for inspection. The fish stare back you. You recognize the chickens even though they are missing their feathers. And the pig still has its head but the total pig has been cooked and is ready to have whatever amount you want sliced and handed to you.
We decided to come back and buy some fruit for future breakfasts. I am going to talk to Alexandra and request kitchen priviliges so that those fruits without skins can be washed by us before eating. There are some strange fruits here.
Later in our walk we went down to the near river of the four rivers in or bordering Cuenca. This is a beautful walk. The buildings are 150 or more years old. We walked through a small museum, took 45 minutes to see everything. Our next stop was a hair/make-up store. Nancy needed a hair iron. And our last stop was another small art museum back near our hotel. Outside of the hair iron the walk was free.
Everyone owes Nancy a big thanks -- she just spell checked this letter and believe me it is a lot easier to read after her spell checking.
South America, Tom
posted by Rambling Tom at 7:24 PM
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