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With any country, there are always local food specialties. And there are also some standard food. I was amazed to walk down one of the main streets here called, Avenida Don Bosco. (A lot of the streets are named after famous people or special dates) and see people cooking right on the sidewalks. You can get a whole meal at about 20 different street cafe's in a 10 block radius. It is just amazing to see a whole pig on a spit on the sidewalk. Sometimes they have a couple of tables and chairs, but usually it is a "take out". You just go up to the lady cooking and order your meal and they cut off the meat right there. I have not been brave enough to try any yet!
In the picture above the pig is another delicacy, Cuy. When I first ask a friend what kind of small animal was roasting, she said, 'guinea pig'. I thought she was kidding me or it was lost in translation. But one day I was walking down the street and a truck was delivering animals to the one restaurant and guess what, yep, there in little cages were the pets we have at our homes in USA, giunea pigs. Cute little brown and white critters. But, I have heard that Korea eats dogs.
I cannot bring myself to eat Cuy. But, I was talking with a friends nephew who is studying economics at the University in Quito, and he said that it is a great source of protien and it takes little land to raise them, so it is very economical.
Now for some other local food. They eat rice with everything. I like rice, but not every day. I had to laugh one day I ordered a chicken meal and it came with rice, of course, but also french fries. I just wanted to say to the others, does any one know about too much carbs.
We have great vegetables and fruits. Almost every house has a garden with an avocado tree, a lemon tree and a tomatoe tree. Yes, the tomatoes grow on little trees here. There are street vendors that walk up and down the streets with wheelbarrows filled with tangerines, grapes, coconuts, strawberries and more. That was another neat experience. I saw some really big strawberries one day, so I stopped and ask for six. The young very traditionally dressed lady put some in a plastic bag and then hung it from a hand held weighing machine and said, 60 cents (seis centavos).
Well I could go on and on, but at another time.
Buen Apetito!
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