When the Tungurahua volcano erupted violently several times in the past decade, farms were ruined by the ash. Many young folks decided to emigrate...somewhere, anywhere. They heard it was possible to fly to the Galapagos and make a fortune in anything from driving a taxi to pouring concrete.
An Ambateno driver named Aniba insists that 70% of all recent arrivals to the Galapagos are Ambatenos. He tells me that he feels almost at home here because his fellow villagers have the same culture here as they have had for decades, if not centuries. With blue eyes, black curly hair and a brand new Toyota Hilux, Aniba regaled me with stories about his distinct culture, telling me in great detail about the blood soup Ambatenos eat. "Blood from a sheep, goat and chicken is added to the soup, kind of the way you might add cheese, and then you have a dinner that is excellent. You will really like it."
The soup is called Yaguarloero or Chucchucaras, sounding a lot like Quechua, but he tells me that the names are Spanish. Aniba was thrilled to have Yaguarloero in this far-off island world. Is it possible that every culture has a beloved soup? Perhaps there are warm feelings reminding him of home. But the soup seems to be a rarity here in Santa Cruz, since there is a push to exterminate feral animals. Goats and sheep have been wiped out so maybe the soup may well be chicken blood soup. I will have to give it a try.
1 comment:
excellent points and the details are more specific than somewhere else, thanks.
- Murk
Post a Comment