There are markets all over Cuenca that have literally tons of fruit, vegetables and meat. I typically avoid the meat sections though because a) I can't stand the stench and b) what's the point, I'm a vegetarian. Apparently before the government decided to make an effort to organize the selling of fruits and vegetables and began constructing the markets nearly 20 years ago the sale of produce was a little more chaotic. People selling their goods would just line the streets with baskets or boxes of food, rotting away in the heat and sun. Now I can just stop by one of the huge roofed buildings on my way home from work and pick up all the vegetables I need to cook dinner that night. Some nights I don't cook and just eat OREOS. Don't judge, you know you do it sometimes too.
Markets are also very interesting places to absorb the culture. This is true whether you fancy people watching or simply gazing at the strangest looking produce you've ever seen and wondering how the heck someone would even begin to cook/eat it. Then you can buy the weird looking tuber or whatever it is, take it home, and experience some more culture right there in your own kitchen. Unfortunately it might take a few attempts and meals tossed in the garbage before you finally figure out how to turn the strange looking food into an edible substance. (Peel the yuca people!)
One thing for sure is that I will invest in a good blender when I get back to the States. I have ingested more juice during my time here in South America than I have in all my previous years of living. It has become a customary process in the kitchen, like it is for so many Ecuadorians, to make a jugo. Jugo for breakfast, jugo for lunch, jugo for dinner. Mora jugo, mango jugo, papaya jugo. It becomes sort of like a game. You try making jugos out of fruits that you have never seen before in your life. You begin to think that you are some sort of expert at deciding which fruit combos will go best together. When really the whole process is not that scientific. You throw a bunch of fruit in a blender, add a bit of water, and hit the button. Strain the seeds out if you want but it doesn't really matter.
After a while you begin to realize how many dollars you have spent (and could have saved) in the past buying brand name juices from the grocery store. You swear to yourself that you will not give in to consumer demand when you get back and you will make your own juices naturally with your fancy new blender. We'll see if I keep that up when I return....
