Miskay, Quito, Ecuador

My dad died recently, this is the first holiday without him and it really has me thinking. One thing is that I wish I had told him exactly what I am grateful about that he and my mom taught me, but I am going to be writing a lot about it, I fear. So here is where I start. My parents love food and love travel and my recent trip to Ecuador was walking in the footsteps of a trip they took when they were my age, and this was my first meal there, at a restaurant that serves native Quechuan food. He would have loved this ceviche, which we have vowed to try to replicate at home, at least the shrimp one (there is also octopus and a fish one pictured here), but we never got the chance.

I think he would also have enjoyed the traditional Ecuadorian side dish that is served with ceviche--popcorn, corn nuts, and plantain chips! So good. I traveled south of the American border with my parents on a number of occasions and came away with a love of the food and the urge to be able to speak to people. At the time I did not think of it as the language of conquerors, which it is, but the silver lining is that often it is a second language for both of us, which makes it easier for me to keep up.