Fresh and organic foodies, eat your heart out. This is the Ecuadorean equivalent of our supermarkets. I know there are at least two in town, I stumbled upon them, and maybe more.
An Ecuadorean Supermarket
These places are huge multi-story affairs. The first floor seems to be devoted to produce.
The Vegetable Section
But, being a carnivore at heart, I spent most of my time in the meat section. It was a market onto itself, with what I took to be independent merchants hawking their wares.
A Carnivores Heaven
But they also had an aisle long set of booths or stands where fresh fruit and vegetable drinks were being prepared to either their or your recipe.
Bar Man Loves Blended Drinks
Sadly, no rum. These markets are alcohol free.
The places selling roasted pig were offering free samples, and once I get the taste of pork, well, there is no stopping me.
I Want My Pork And I Want It Now
I was polite about it. Everyone in Ecuador seems to be very polite. A very civil and friendly town. I asked for fried pork skin, one of my favorites. I thought I would get some in a bag. But then this mother and daughter team had other ideas.
Hmm, Not Going To Be In A Bag
What I got was a decent size plate of pork skin, chunks of pork, posale, onions, tomatoes, and potato dumplings. I shared it with the Mysterious Ones and it did for lunch.
Lunch For Three
It doesn't look like a whole lot, but that pork was so fresh and succulent that it was a sensory overload and so rich that it didn't take much to satiate you. And I think that plate was, at the most, two-and-a-half bucks.
Man, if I lived in Cuenca I would definitely be doing a lot of barbecuing. And the fresh vegetables are an inspiration as well.
You know what I didn't see much of, lamb. You see sheep all over but Ecuadoreans just raise them for their wool and for milk. They don't seem inclined to eat them.
