Caldo de Pata

Yesterday Rosa kept telling me to come home to eat lunch, which sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. She wanted to serve me a special dish, caldo de pata... I was pretty sure that meant cow feet soup. I couldn't turn her down, it's also a rule to try to say yes to most things while studying abroad.  So I came home for lunch.  It was cow feet. The broth was pretty good, but I struggled with the actual cow foot. The texture was so squishy and it reminded me of very thick glue... I couldn't finish it.  I'm all up for chicken feet and fish eyes but cow feet is beyond me.    

I really enjoy family dinners.  Genesis is usually doing something silly, i.e, eating with her hands and screaming about something. All the while my Ecua-parents enjoy asking me about the United states and Taiwan.  Last night we talked about the differences between China, Taiwan, and Japan.  We also talk about day-to-day life in the States, such as if Pepsi or Coke is more popular, and what schools are like.  Last night we also talked about machismo, Rosa told me that Juan Carlos isn't very machismo because she wouldn't let anyone who was her husband be that way.  My Ecua-siblings were joking that their father is a mandarina, which means a man who gets ordered around by women.  I thought it was an interesting and insightful discussion to gender relations. 

I want to try to help set the table and clean up but it hasn't happened. I tried to wash my dishes a few days ago, Josue told me to leave it and I said no it's okay.  So he joked that I can just wash all of them.  Then he went to tell Rosa that I was going to wash all of the dishes.  I heard her scream, the next thing I know she's in the kitchen telling me to leave the dishes.  Juan Carlos always says that I will get sick if I wash the dishes because it's cold and wet... I think they feel like I'm delicate since I was sick for so much of the time that they've known me.  Anyway, I'll just have to ease my way into the house chores I guess.

The final count is in, I have over 40 bug bites just on my right foot!  When I told Josue he started laughing so hard that he started to cough.  Anyway, I hope I remember to spray repellent on my feet this weekend.  Also that I don't get bit by anything too crazy.  It's sometimes unbelievable, that I can say, "oh I'm going to the Amazon rain forest this weekend, no big deal."  Living in Ecuador is pretty awesome.