I’ve been meaning to share some of the curious fruits I’ve found in the market. As usual, there are bananas, papayas, mangos, oranges, limes, lemons, pineapples, apples, berries, coconuts, apricots, melons, etc… all of which were recognizable to me, coming from Canada Then there are the alien fruits that for some reason are not marketed … [Read more…]
Meet Juan. He bikes to our house, knocks on our door every morning between 7:15 and 7:45. He is trilingual (Spanish, Poqomchí, & Q’eqchí). He has been delivering fresh, unpasteurized, creamy goat’s milk to us for nearly a year now. He comes from Tampo, 1 km west of us. He doesn’t own the goats, he … [Read more…]
About a month ago, Guatemala (and many other Latin American democratic, free nations), was graced with the presence of G.W. Bush. President Bush was here to make deals for purchasing Guatemala’s corn to make ethanol. In the days after Bush flew home, the price of corn increased by 20-25%. “Wonderful!” you may think, “Guatemalan’s will … [Read more…]
I magically transformed into a 31-year-old man yesterday. It was a refreshing experience and I highly recommend it for all you 40+ year-old men (and the curious among the women). I was asked if I felt older, and the answer is yes. The distance from my teens and twenties is greater now and it takes … [Read more…]
INCIDENT 1: It just so happens that here in Guatemala employees are given ZERO authority at their job. So, when I ordered a bagel sandwich at a modern mall in Guatemala City and asked to have the yucky processed cheddar slice replaced with a piece of Swiss cheese, the sandwich artiste had to ask her … [Read more…]
In October ’06, Lorne and his family gave Mariah a tupperware full of chocolate bars for Amber and I. Unfortunately, Mariah didn’t have enough room for it among her luggage as she was moving here for a year. Her sister gave us the goodies once we returned to Canada for our Christmas furlough. In January … [Read more…]
Eating. The Joy. While we were in Canada, people fed us as though we hadn’t eaten since we left 15 months earlier. It was great! (We only ate out twice from what I can recall) Being the guest, I was prodded over and over to have seconds and thirds. I didn’t mind so much. I … [Read more…]
These tortillas are made from black corn. The house is full of smoke. Spanish has a verb for making tortillas: tortillar Spanish has a noun for the person who makes tortillas: tortillador Tortillas don’t have much flavour – think Doritos without the seasoning. Process for making a corn tortilla in Guatemala: plant the corn weed … [Read more…]
Several months ago, Amber returned home from the market with a bag of macademia nuts. Without a nutcracker, we would smash them on the back step with a hammer. Inevitably, some would scuttle off the step and we couldn’t find them. Yesterday, Blaise was adventuring behind the house and discovered one of the lost treasures. … [Read more…]
A woman knocked on our door this late afternoon. She was selling bean tamales with a nice hot salsa. How could I resist at a mere $0.16 each! Her husband was at the end of our driveway waiting with the vehicle (a bicycle) in the rain with the food goods. Since we’ve lived here, the … [Read more…]