Ecuador ~ One more Delicacy

  

We thought eating Cuy was a stretch! Our edge just keeps being s t r e t c h e d,  this time we were invited to sample plump writhing palm larvae, impaled and then roasted to perfection in minutes!

         

Oh Mi Gato! Yes, we ate them and survived.

                                    

Again, after we got over the visual and emotional revulsion and actually had the morsels fully submerged in our mouths, mid chew....

                         

they tasted good, much better than any escargot we have eaten. 

                                            

Bon Appétit! or Buen Provecho!           

Ecuador ~ A Very Special Occasion

Ecuadorians, especially those living in the Andean mountain region take their cuy - aka guinea pig - very seriously.  It is a delicacy which is reserved for only the most special of occasions and guests.

You can order cuy in select restaurants in Ecuador but to have a 'real' cuy dinner you have to either find some indigenous women cooking cuy at a street festival or make it at home. If you decide to try this at home.. be sure to only buy young cuy raised in the kitchen of an indigenous home.  We've been told this is the only way to insure the best flavor.

   

Before we left Cuenca Glorita (our Spanish teacher) wanted to celebrate our friendship and share this Andean tradition with us.  She enlisted the help of her sister Nancy and together they set about preparing the feast. The day before they prepared a garlic brine in which to soak the cuy for 24 hours. Next they made mote (one of the 5,000 ways to eat corn here), potatoes, salad, aji (an ubiquitous and great tasting pepper sauce) and of course, popcorn (yet another of the 5,000 ways they eat corn).  

Perfectly marinated and looking oh-so yummy...Not!

When we arrived Glorita and Nancy were already grilling the cuy and Patti (reluctantly) jumped right in to help.  I, on the other hand bravely ate the cuy pata (paw) a delicacy that was handed to me to sample. How could I pass up an opportunity like that!  I may never have another chance to try a home-cooked garlic-soaked guinea pig paw...

                      

                         Glorita

Nancy

                       

Patas anyone?

Soon enough the cuyes were cooked to perfection.  Truth be told, neither of us were running to the table to be the first served but we could put it off no longer.  It was time to block out  the visuals and eat cuy.  Much to our surprise and immense relief it was good, as in really good. Patti managed to eat the skin (I happily gave mine to Nancy...) but I ate the jaw.  Hey, if I can eat fish eyes (thanks to Christine) I figured I could eat guinea pig jaw too. 

 

Okay, here goes...

In true Cuencanan fashion there was more yet to come.  After dinner Glorita's husband Adrian brought out his guitar (all five of them) and everyone but us... played the guitar and sang.  We will truly miss our Ecuadorian family.  
   

Las Primas ~ Andrea y Estefanía

Fabian

                                   

¡Gracias por todo!

Ecuador ~ Giving Thanks

                                                                                                               

Marta

Clemencia and Janet

Janet and Imelda prepping the table

What luck to be invited to join the Thanksgiving feast at our newly adopted ‘Primas’ (cousins) home in Quito.
   
       

More than twenty five family members and friends of all ages gathered to give thanks, laugh and feast together at Imelda and Phillip's home.

                                   

We love our new Colombian-Ecuadorian family. This was a Thanksgiving we will truly always remember! Muchas Gracias!!!

                

Ecuador ~ Edge of the Amazon

Okay after all those months studying Spanish we are ready to play again.  

                     

                                                                                                                                       
                   

We opted to do the downhill bike trip from the Andes to the Amazon Basin as our first adventure. It was great and the best part was the taxi ride back up the hill.

                                                           

Now we are at the edge of the Amazon and although it is wonderfully warm it is very developed and not the deep jungle we still want to explore. 

                                   

Nonetheless, we always manage to have fun and meet wonderful  people along the way.  It feels great to be on the road again. 

                                     

 

Besos ~ Kisses

Ecuador~ Andes

Yes we are still alive and well in South America and playing it safe!  

After a long respite in Cuenca where we studied Spanish, made new friends and lived a stationary life we are back on the road again.

Price of gas in Ecuador!!

For the next month we will be exploring Ecuador before we launch further south to countries unknown. In an effort to get back on track with our travel adventures and stay more current I am going to make an effort to post some quick in-betweener  posts. 



 

 


Traveling in the Andes again we are tempted to join the locals. But Janet donning a frock and me shelping a load of corn just doesn't fit in our retirement plan. So we will continue to find more adventures and easier modes of travel. Stay tuned.