Ecuador Living

Ecuador food and cuisine is not known in other countries but an indigenous lunch invite can often be a way of saying thankyou in Ecuador. When done by the Indigenous it’s often like an offering with a semi formal speech made to all present.

Just recently El Meson gave away some sheets and bedding to Alberto, our indigenous cook, because we know that even if he is not so poor as many others, he does live in a poor community where much help is needed.

We gave away bed linen, perhaps enough for ten beds, as we upgraded what we have here at Meson de las Flores. So some days later we shouldn’t have been surprised when we received an invitation to lunch at his house - after all, that’s the indigenous way.

I should have known better too, I’ve seen it so many times before, but any kind of lunch or dinner turns into a social gathering. But in this case all those that had received bed linen, wanted to come and eat with us and meet us to say thankyou.

As we walked into Alberto’s backyard Gary, Merri and me were drawn to the back door by the most delicious aroma of fresh herbs cooking in a simmering country chicken broth. The aromas of course started to get the stomach juices going but we couldn’t start our meal just yet.

Alberto is the patriarch of a large extended family

How gratifying for us to know that old frail and infirm ladies were making a special effort to share the meal with us. “Don’t worry, she is on her way down the mountain, she’ll be here soon” Blanca, Alberto’s wife, said encouragingly.

Some of these people are very poor, and now we know a little about them there seems to be in-numerable ways we can help. The lady below was blind in one eye and her other eye doesn’t look so good. Some of the children in the village don’t attend school because they their parents can’t afford $50 at the beginning of the school year (tuition is free) for a uniform and pens and books.

Yet, as Merri commented, living in such a bountiful and fertile land, nobody is starving and the beauty of the daily surroundings, the views, the flora, the natural spring water and clear air, means that in many ways these people are better off than the poor who migrate to shanty towns in the cities of the developing countries.

When we did sit down to eat we were obliged to sit at a table while the friends and relatives of Alberto did what they know to do; sit down in a line and chat. The leg of chicken in the soup was delicious and we ate a very filling vegetarian dish for as a main course, washed down with fresh barley and mint juice.

As we ate the younsters washed the dishes; have you ever seen any children so happy washing dishes??

Afterwards we snapped a few pictures and whilst the children and younger adults are well used to cameras and photos some of the older generation were a little suspicious - perhaps it was the first time they had had their photo taken. As we left, it was handshakes all around and maybe “gracias” was uttered a hundred times. A beautiful experience.