Zorro

Reading: Diarios de Motocicleta by Ernesto “Che” Guevara

So for months here my host family has been asking me if I’ve ever tried zorro, which in Spanish means fox. Being as fox is not commonly consumed in the States, I can only tell them no, and shutter a bit when they start raving about how great what I envision as the cute, little, wild, red cousin of a dog tastes. However, as this conversation has come up several times, I had started to think that perhaps the Ecuadorian zorro is not exactly the same as a North American fox.

Receipe for PCV 4th of July

Reading: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Ingredients:

7 Americans
2+ Ecuadorians, English speaking adds to the flavor
1 beach on the Pacific Ocean thanks to Strix
1 haba de cervezas (Pilsener, of course)
1 watermelon, soaked in rum
several boxes of wine
a couple of pounds of beef to grill
freshly made guacamole
Oreos
Doritos

La Pena de Nes Café

Reading: The Trial by Franz Kafka

Coffee cherries

Since coming to Ecuador, I have begrudging given up coffee, regardless of the fact that Ecuador is in fact a producer of fine, often shade grown and organic, coffee. It’s not to say that I planned on doing this nor was it by my own doing. In fact, I even hauled my French Press to-go mug down here, along with the last remains of my Coffea grounds with every intention to continue my coffee pretentiousness for the next two years of service. Yet, due to unfortunate circumstances, namely being my lack of kitchen and Ecuadorians’ fondness of Nes Café, my coffee drinking came to an end back in Tumbaco when I ran out of my supply from the States.

To many, there’s a great misinterpretation that Latin American’s love their coffee. The misinterpretation lies in the fact that they do drink a coffee like substance, Nes Café, with breakfast, lunch, and dinner whether it’s in the sweltering heat, just hot or when it’s somewhat cool. However, do not begin to think that Nes Café is in any way shape or form the same thing as coffee.