(Road) Avocado: Popped dinner in Ecuador

When I was in Ecuador in the spring, in many places I ate better than I could have imagined. Partly it was because of our amazing guide's dedication intranslating the specifics of my crazy vegan diet. But partly it was I think that vegan food takes advantage of simple, fresh ingredients wherever possible, and therefore eating vegan--and eating well--is possible anywhere if those doing the cooking are dedicated. Which leads to the balance of the equation: I can only assume from the many delicious meals that I ate that the people who cooked for me often genuinely wanted to make me delicious food.

While I started typing by talking about food, I'm realizing that I really am talking about the warmth and the hospitality of the people we encountered. Even though I ate in a way that was foreign to many of them--probably seeming like a privileged North American, the way vegans are perceived even to many North Americans--I had very few bad dining experiences in my three weeks in Ecaudor and the Galapagos. And I had very many excellent ones. When we came home, my mother and I raved about how friendly people were, whether regular people in the stores and on the street or those in the hospitality industry that we deal with every day. And if that hasn't convinced you to go, perhaps actually talking about food now will!
In my last post on Ecuador, I mentioned that their dining involves something unique to their county. Want to take a moment to consider what that might be? In a hundred moments you wouldn't even guess, but go right ahead. It's popcorn.
Our guide told us that in pre-Columbian times, the people who lived in what is now Ecuador didn't make bread. They cooked food in pots over fire, so they made a lot of soups--even now my guidebook says Ecuador is known for its soups. So they popped corn and had that with their soups instead of bread. It was served as an appetizer in many restaurants, and served alongside soups and ceviches. In the photo, they served me ceviche with three things on the side--popped corns, roasted corn kernels, and plantain chips. Delicious! And only in Ecuador.