Comida

I know that most of those of who I have talked to and stayed in touch with since I have been here in Ecuador know about the food that I’ve been eating, but I felt that it still warranted a blog post. The food in Ecuador is “simple and hardy,” those are the kind words that Hauna used to describe it when we were interviewed by some university students in Quito. When I was asked I just said, “The food is…okay.” Lets just say, you don’t travel to Ecuador for the cuisine.

My host family normally serves me either soup with potatoes and a few vegetables or rice with some kind of vegetable, lentil, etc. After breakfast and dinner we always have some kind of colada (a think warm drink, sometimes kind of like drinking oatmeal depending on the type of colada) or “café” which does not always mean coffee but instead means any kind of tea, or hot water with lemon and lots of sugar. Something along those lines. Oh, and also bread.

So many carbs. But also instant black coffee. Yum!

They also occasionally serve me things like spaghetti with potatoes, a side of rice, and then ask if I want bread after. I usually refrain because I feel that in that one bowl I ate enough carbs to last a lifetime, that an additional roll is not necessary. The best though is when that meal is served with oatmeal colada making in the official most beige meal ever.

They also have some ideas about food/drink that to me seem super bizaare. For example, my host mom was shocked that I put cold milk in my coffee. She thinks that you’ll get a stomachache if you don’t boil your milk. On a similar note, they think that drinking cold things like water or juice is only appropriate in the middle of the day, and when I drink my water at night my host mom tells me that I am going to get sick. They think that soda is appropriate at all times of day, including with breakfast at 6:30am. Also, when I brought home a cake for my host dad’s birthday, we ate cake with every meal instead of bread, also including breakfast at 6:30am. Too early for that much sweetness. One time, my host mom put a banana in her potato soup. I declined that offer, and only accept when they do the same thing with avocado.

For special occasions which there are a lot of in June and July (June is Inti Raymi and July is confirmation/baptism/wedding season) they have a whole different menu. Every party that I have been to so far we have been served first chicken soup, then a corn soup with boiled egg in it, and after some sort of main meal with mote (large boiled corn), tomato onion salad, rice, and often cuy (AKA guinea pig). Two weeks ago my host aunt who lives next door had a big party because of some sort of virgin (didn’t really get the reasoning even though it was explained to me several times) and I got to witness the preparation.

Drowning Cuy

What is weird about Ecuadorean parties also is they make enough food for each family to bring home enough leftovers for about a week. Every family arrives with plastic bags and pots to pack away the food they were unable to finish and bring home for later. This is an expected practice and it is rude to refuse any food given to you. Last weekend though I witnessed people packing fried pork, boiled eggs, corn, cake with frosting, and soup all in one plastic bag which just seemed impractical to me. Luckily my host mom separates out the cake so we can enjoy non-disgusting leftovers for the next few days.

Enough potatoes for weeks

Preparing chicken

My host family often isn’t home for lunch so I end up going into Otavalo and eating with other Tandana people fairly often. In that case, we get to eat Mexican food, Colombian food, ice cream, pizza etc. I have also adopted peanut M&Ms as their own food group. I keep a secret stash in my room in the drawer that my host siblings can’t reach. It is a perfect thing for when I am feeling bad for myself or when that potato soup just wasn’t satisfying. It is a habit I am not looking forward to giving up when I return to the US.

Lentils!

 My favorite thing that my host mom makes is a salad with avocado, tomato, red onion, and tuna topped with a dressing of oil and lemon.  I also love tostado, which is toasted dried corn. Those are really the only two things that I hope to continue to make when I get back to the US. Other than that, I’m okay with having the food be food just for here. The thing I most look forward to about not living with a host family is cooking for myself, deciding when and what I eat, and being in control of my food. Although I have grown quite attached to nescafé instant coffee, I am pretty excited to have some willowby’s coffee made in a coffee maker on July 30^th.