Alimentacion

The food here is so good. I think I'm eating better (and more!) than I did in the States. Hard to believe, I know. I tried to turn my short time here in Quito into somewhat of a culinary adventure,and I think I've done a pretty good job of it (the scale could verify this). Check it out! The first pic (btw, if anybody knows how to add captions to photos let me know...I'm doing this blogging stuff all en espanol so it's a li'l confusing) was my 1st meal in Quito. Hells yes I ordered room service. Deal with it people. Pictured is an ensalada primavera (Spring salad) with toronja (grapefruit), naranja(orange), lechugas (lettuce), y aderezo de aceite balsamico (vinegar dressing). The soupy looking dish is just that, soup! It's called Ajiyacu Quiteno, which is a local dish, made up of potatoes, fresh mozzarella, avocado, and choco beans. No idea what choco beans are. If anybody knows, let me know! You can see that there is also a bit of alcohol to add to the soup--not sure what kind. And, of course, some ice cream to boot. Now, this was no ordinary ice cream dish. There was magnificent chopped fruit on the bottom--pineapple, watermelon, papaya, and strawberries. I'd always assumed that putting an acidic fruit (like pineapple or lemon) together with a milk product would curdle it in time. But, no curdling here! Just pure deliciousness. Whoever thought of putting those fruits together with ice cream is a genius.

One of my recent meals was at an outside cafe named Azuca. I read later that this place is a Latin bistro known for its international flare. I should say that this meal was preceded by a full day of walking through Quito's historical district, so I thought I should go big or go home. I decided to order a 'plato fuerte', an entree, of rice and seafood--I can't remember the exact name but it was something like 'Arroz afrodisaco'. Not too sure what the aphrodisiac part was all about....! I was expecting a simple plate of rice and shrimp, but I was happy to see that it came with a calamari salad, fried sea bass, mussels, clams (which were all closed, so I didn't eat them) salad, fried plantains, and grilled bananas. Que rico! Mind you this was all for about $6 USD. It was awesome. I've found though, that here in Quito they automatically add a 10% tip as well as IVA tax to the bill, so the prices on the menu can be a bit misleading.