Almuerzo

I've realized that if I were to view this blog as a place to write summaries of what I've been doing, I would never feel inspired to write anything. Thus, I'm going with a topical approach from here until I decide not to. Today´s subject: lunch.

In Arenillas, and I imagine in most places in Ecuador large enough to have a restaurant, yet too small to have fancy restaurants, you have as best I can tell two options for lunch. More often than not I go home and prepare it myself. I could go on about how how it´s great to have that break in the middle of the day and the value of family mealtime (though not the case in my host family), but this post is really meant to be an ode to option #2, the Almuerzo. Almuerzo is both the Spanish word for lunch, and the name of the style of meal. All almuerzos consists of two courses; some kind of soup, followed by a plate thatis half filled rice, plus your meat and some kind of salad. They also come with a cup juice, or two if they´re especially awesome. Yes, that's 5 items. In short, if you're like me, and have learned to embrace rice, they´re about the best thing ever, and will most likely be the only balanced meal that you eat on that particular day. Sadly, my go to almuerzo place just raised its price this week from $1.50 to $1.75, making it no longer both the best and cheapest option, but now just the best.

What makes a good almuerzo place? I´m glad you asked. Number one, they have the day's choices written. There's nothing more disheartening than having to pick from Cuerito (pig skin) and Guatita (cow stomach), and not being able to leave because they already served you your soup.  Second, they give you your meal quickly, not waiting until you've finished your soup. This is critical, as it allows you to add half of your rice to your soup, or more if there is nothing on the plate that mixes well with it. Usually the meat is in some kind of sauce or the salad is something more than shredded lettuce, and this isn´t an issue. I said I embrace rice, but I'm not crazy enough to say that a pile of plain white rice is riquisimo (delicious) as some Ecuadorians do. Third, the ají has to be good. Ají is the homemade hot sauce that sits on the table at every restaurant here. It varies from tasty and tangy to unpleasantly spicy depending on the establishment, and, as a last resort, can be eaten plain with rice in order to give  the rice some flavor.  Fourth, the two cups of juice is a sure crowd pleaser. Almost all juice is make by sticking fruit, water and sugar in a blender and straining the results. One with each course please. And for the love of god, make it cold. The juice is such a crucial part of the almuerzo that it is even included in to go orders, in which case it is put in a plastic bag.

Drinks that come in bags will be the subject of a future post.