Attempting American Classics

Jennifer had bought all the ingredients to make Broccoli Alfredo, so she invited me over for lunch. I got there, and she was in the middle of cooking the Broccoli, so I helped shred the Parmasean. Parmasean cheese was only available in a 13$ block in Pedernales at one store. No one had ever had it before, and they liked it a lot. When we finished cooking, I sat down with her host family, and we all ate. It did not taste exactly like Broccoli Alfredo, but it was delicious with all the cheese. I am starting to wonder if the food really is good, or it is just comparatively better than Ecuadorian food. 

Jennifer cooking

Jennifer's host mom

The Broccoli Alfredo

Jennifer's family eating it

After lunch, I went to Pedernales to buy food and ingredients for food to make myself and my family. I decided to make sweets for my family and the neighborhood. I bought the ingredients to make S’Mores, popcorn, and cookies.  When I got home, I made 3 batches of popcorn. The first with just salt, the second with butter, and the third was supposed to be kettle corn, but it turned out as Caramel corn because I coincidently put in ingredients for Caramel. I walked around the neighborhood and offered it to everyone. Everyone really liked it, and really appreciated me sharing! For the rest of the week, the kids would come over and ask if I was making “postres”, which means sweets.

The night before, Fabian, a boy my age, was at Punta Prieta. He was telling me that he wanted to help my Spanish, and he would come over the next day and help me. I had forgotten about this when he showed up at my house on his bike. We were watching a movie, so I invited him in and gave him cookies. He loved them, and later wrote me a list of phrases he had heard me mess up, which was very nice of him. His story is a bit sad, he has a really pronounced underbite, so people call him “Pico” which means beak or bite. That’s how they are here, they call you what you look like. Jennifer’s host sister looks Asian, so they call her “china eyes”. The kids even call him that, and I realized how bad it was when I heard his nickname. I’m sure it’s really hard to eat, but braces are way more than any family can ever dream of affording here in Tabuga. I really wish I could just give him braces or somehow correct his bite! He is such a sweetheart, and always smiling and helping people!