The Real Mc"Cuy"

And we´ve done it folks. Guinea pig can no longer be found on the list of house hold pets that I haven´t ingested. Not only did we dine on this mightiest of land beasts, but we also played a role, albeit a relatively passive one, in its glorious preparation. We watched as the flames engulfed this lifeless creature bound with string to a wooden stake, its little rodent eyes staring at us as if to say, "Seriously? You´re seriously going to eat me? You know that I´m a guinea pig, right?" And for our part of this eternal conversation between hunter and hunted we could only reply, "Shut it Guinea Pig, and hold still as we baste your burning flesh with more vegetable oil.¨ The experience of barbequing a whole Cuy (Spanish for Guinea Pig), complete with little ears and feet and nose, was mildly disconcerting, but an experience it was. Perhaps its unsurprising, but it tasted like a pretty standard meat, kind of like chicken. It´s not the beefiest of animals, so it was difficult to savor large chunks of its meaty goodness, but it was tasty none the less. Andy and I discussed the bankability of a Guinea Pig restaurant in New York City, and have already settled on the name "The Real McCuy" as our starting point. We are looking for potential investors, so if anyone is interested, let us know.

Back pedaling for a moment, you´ve probably guessed by now that Andy has arrived an is acclimatizing well to Quito´s high altitudes. There was a bit of a fiasco with getting him from the airport including time mix ups, baggage losses, crossing cabs, and a talking donkey, but the important thing is that he is here safe and the two of us are causing more trouble together than I could ever do on my own. It´s wonderful to have him here.

In an effort to purge my body of some unwanted Gringonicity, I´ve decided to up my daily intake of local latin soul and begun private salsa lessons. You might think that I´m at a slight disadavantage having missed most of this season´s "Dancing With the Stars", but I assure you I´m progressing very quickly. In college I took some swing lessons, and the moves are pretty much the same, it´s just a matter of mastering the rhythm. Andy has joined me as well, and together we are bringing some serious whiteness to the Quito Latin Dance scene. Are you ready Quito? If not, you best get out the way.

In other exciting news, Andy and I are spending next week learning Spanish on the Pacific Coast and relaxing on the beach. The initial plan was to stay in Quito for 4 weeks while learning Spanish, but we felt that after all the intensive vacationing we've been doing, we could really use a vacation. It would also be a shame not to explore other regions of Ecuador while honing our language skills. Our school runs this program, and I´ve convinced my teacher to come with us so I can maintain my steady diet of Spanish sass and insults. The continuity will be great for my learning.

Tommorow I'm headed to the ecuator with my teacher for some out of class learning and this weekend we´re bussing it to Mindo for some hiking, waterfalls, and an island know to by the locals as "the poor man´s Galapagos." Can't wait. Stay tuned!