musezine 18

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Most of us are never satisfied with our state of presence. Most of the time we are in places where we wish we could be elsewhere. Like when we are on the subway or on the bus and wished we had the power to teleport home or simply be somewhere else. We never really appreciate where we are and we rarely stop ourselves to realize that our life is passing by every minute, every second. However, there are instances or specks of light during our lifetime in which we truly live within our bodies without feeling this conflict between the place and our minds. In my eighteen years of living, I have a place where I’m certain my mind and body can be present simultaneously. It is small, but beautiful. Not necessarily rich in wealth, but rich in culture. It is located in between Colombia and Peru and bordered by the Pacific Ocean. My secret jewel in South America, my home, is Ecuador. I stay in the capital of Quito, a valley surrounded by mountains at 9,350 feet (2,850 meters) above sea level. The elevation makes it hard to breathe if you are not used to it, but your body will learn to adjust accordingly. Once there you will feel different, as if time slowed down just for you, so that your days last longer and you can enjoy them fully. 32
On the streets, you see vendors who sell fruit that have just been picked and one can smell the freshness just passing by. The prices are particularly low for how good the quality and flavor of the fruits are. Most people, however, don’t buy all their fruit in these casetas de frutas, but rather choose to go to el Mercado to get even lower prices and greater amount of goods. There you can find everything from school uniforms to live chickens, it is its own world. I was once even persuaded by one of the merchants to buy a baby chick as a pet for seventy-five cents. The city is also filled with places to eat and visit in every corner. My favorite place in particular is a zone called La Ronda. La Ronda is right in the center of Quito, the Old Town, with restaurants that are inside old houses serving Ecuador’s typical foods. You can find crispy empanadas (deep-fried dough disks filled with cheese), con morocho (hot white corn drink), the frequently talked about cuy (guinea pig), seco de chivo (goat stew), fritada (deep fried pork), chicharrón con mote (fried pork skin with white corn) and fresh fruit juice to accompany your meal. My favorite hot plate is caldo de pata, which is a soup with white corn (mote) and cow’s feet (pata). The meat is chewy and has the quality of gelatin, the taste is dreamy and the soup is very creamy. 33
Page 1: Musezine 1 18 musezine 18
Page 7: THE AMERICAN DREAM? The American Dr
Page 34: Besides the immense food diversity
Page 77 and 78: Biscotti VENICE TO Tales of Terror
Page 79: Bronx Museum poster Teen Council ar
Page 95:
Musezine # 18 Spring 2013 Sarah Sze
show all

musezine 18

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?