Life and Soul

Appreciation of Food

I love being in countries like Thailand and South America, I’m sure there are others, they really shows you and gives you the appreciation on food. Many times when in the company of locals when eating you really have to put any preconceptions about what you are about to eat behind you. Much of the food that is placed in-front of you may look alien, let alone fit to eat, but out of respect for the people offering and out of self need to do away with any western conditioning as to how your food should look, taste… you eat.

Usually a surprise of the depth of taste or the quality of the delight amazes. We in the west are so drawn away from the act of killing or collecting for food, even the preparation most times is taken out of our hands so that what we buy is prepackaged and tarted up to look nothing like the original source. On many occasions in Thailand I have been offered food and my initial response is to say no thank, not hungry, even if I an starving. I understand the ability to look stupid or non respectful so 99 times out of 100 I will eat it even if the taste is not my usual palates liking. The fish here in Thailand springs to mind, cooked up with the head on and presented the same way to the table, usually with the mouths stuffed with all manor of spices, then left out on the stall or out in the sun to dry up, which makes the look even more distasteful. The flies crawl all over and  who know how long it been around. Then you eat it, it’s a humbling and personally furthering experience. All should go through it. When you get back to the west you notice how tasteless and unsatisfying all the food is, from fruit and veg through meat, fish etc

Vice

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Ecuador -Part 8

Life is certainly cheap, the people have always been poor and the politicians & big business have always been corrupt. They rush around the city “As if they own it” in the big American blacked out 4×4’s, police escort, sirens wailing.

The locals call them “cabrones” the thief/rat.

The majority of the Latin people seem humble and genuine, possibly a result of not having too much in life like the west, great value is placed on family & friends.

When my ex Cecilia first moved to England from Ecuador around 7 years ago her first impressions were, I Quote
“You English you’re so cold, you have no respect, no love. All you are concerned with is money & status”
She went on to explain in disbelief about how we treat our parents when they get old. “You just send them away to a home when they are too much trouble, this would never happen in our country” You know what, she’s dead right; you would be hard pushed to find a nursing home in Latin America. Read more »

Ecuador -Part 11

One part of Ecuadorian culture that still seems to thrive is the family run bus services. Each family/company might have a few buses servicing certain routes. There are hundreds of different companies with each one’s busses decorated in a different way; all are different colours, sizes or states of repair, quite a sight.

A trip usually works out to $1 per hour, so you can travel round Ecuador & S.A easily & cheaply. The quality of the ride varies completely so check out your bus before buying the ticket. The drivers are a little mad, possibly the thought of getting pulled over & robbed, although this only happens on occasional overnight journeys or falling many feet to your death off the side of a mountain.

The roads are untrustworthy, windy & mountainous; heart stopping if you are crazy enough to be watching & worrying about it. The pumping Salsa or Merenge music is there to keep your mind distracted & your spirit lifted.
Whenever the bus stops at a junction or at the lights people jump on & off, most trying to sell you something, anything; water, sweets, fruit, chicken (yea sure it’s chicken) on skewers, home made cake, sunglasses, razors, cloths, etc the range is endless. Read more »