Andean Comforts

Phew. A lot has been going on lately, leaving me with next to no time for blogging. In the past week or so, I've managed to learn film finance, write two business plans, pick up a third project, secure local distribution, and get my film production company certified by New Mexico. I co-own a film production company. That's pretty crazy. If you would have asked me if I would be the owner of my own business 3 months ago, I would have maybe thought that you got the wrong person. But there it is.
Incredible, no?
Anyhoo, the food hasn't been particularly foodie the last few weeks anyways. Mostly because for some reason they left the deciding what to cook bit to my mother. And sadly, my mother does not cook any non-desert dish. So she thinks that some grilled chicken, and bare lettuce with some carrots added for zest constitutes a good meal. I keep telling them that vegetables don't have to be boring, that there are ways of making them interesting instead of sticking to the lettuce with carrots for 5 days straight. They keep telling me that they don't want to eat vegetarian. This irks me a little bit because I'm not asking them to go veg the whole time, but maybe try a vegetarian meal once a week. Maybe it is because I know how to make a lot of very nice vegetarian dishes that are healthy (and include all the protein you need to get from a meal) and delicious. They seriously don't believe me....even just adding a little balsamic vinegar and rosemary to a vegetable stir-fry side dish already spices things up nicely.
But on the other hand, we did have some nice meals. There was sushi from Noé two nights after my brother got home (try their Anguila Especial (special eel) and Samurai de Salmón (Salmon Samurai) rolls - they really are out of this world good), and then there was lunch/dinner yesterday with some American friends here that was really good. It was homemade paella with lots of good wine and sangría. In true Latin-Amercian fashion, we ate a lot and drank a lot. And it was all good. It was heaven.
Today we had a bit of a change of pace, which was nice. My dad and I went to the inauguration of this really big shopping mall in the southern part of the city. I went there hoping to find a bunch of people with deep pockets that might be willing to fund some of my film projects (I went armed with two business plans and a bunch of business cards) and didn't quite succeed since there were so many people. I don't know what to think of the shopping mall itself. It is nice, but I don't know if it will really last. I hope it does. Anyhoo, the inauguration itself wasn't that great though. They did the regular bow cutting and then had some entertainment. The Ecuadorian Philharmonic played an excellent rendition of the Star Wars suite which made me very jealous since it is a piece that I've always wanted to play ever since I've been playing in Orchestras. I've never had the chance to though...it makes me very sad. But anyhoo, the Philharmonic was beautiful and it made me miss playing in the Orchestra (leading to some interesting results later on...) but the rest of the acts weren't that great. The thing is, you could tell that the dancers and the acrobats were quite talented, but the show lacked the pizzaz of showmanship that most shows of the caliber you would expect at an event like this. They lacked the drama and the choreography. The thing is, I can be quite unforgiving for this because back at college I saw a lot of amateur performances of different arts that bordered on professional so I'm quite spoiled I guess. The thing is, my opinion is that if someone who has never grabbed a poi in their life can spin it in perfect synchronization with 5 other people while the thing is on freaking FIRE in 3 months after starting, a professional acrobatic act better know how to put on a show. Also, I've seen a marching band of high school students to learn and put on one hell of a fantastic show in the short span of 4 months. It really isn't enough to be talented at something, you also need to know how to present it, how to play to the audience, to show progression. They say that one of my best cello performances was the one I did for my electronic music final piece "Rage Against the Storm (for violoncello and electronics), mostly because I put a lot of soul into my playing that day. It was my performance that kept people enthralled - going from very calm to very agitated in playing the piece that I was half-improvising. I must say that that performance was also one of the most fun ones I've ever done (and also like the only solo performance where I haven't gotten stage fright) because I really played from the heart and really enjoyed what I was doing. The other two best performances were the one at Lincoln Center with the college orchestra (where I figured...okay, I'm probably never playing in a venue like this ever again, might as well enjoy it) and the last piece I ever played with the college orchestra in late April. I had a sort of solo in it too (not violoncello) which made me play my instrument a little more theatrically. And it is fun, losing yourself in the performance...because the audience tells that you're enjoying it too.
But anyhoo, the point is that I figured that we probably weren't going to be able to get any food and I needed some water anyways. We might as well leave. And after tracking down a bottle of water and a few Panes de Yuca (traditional little cassava breads) to calm our appetite until we found a place to eat, we left the place. After a 45-min drive back to our neighborhood (way at the northern end of the city) we were still hungry, but it was 10 pm on a Monday. Not much in the way of food choices. I was beginning to resign myself to have to eat something at McDonald's (which probably would just be fries...since McDonald's sort of goes against my whole I-don't-eat-any-meat-except-free-range-meat policy and also because ever since I saw Super Size Me and Food, Inc, and read The Omnivore's Dilemma, the fast food industry in general freaks me out a lot) when I remembered that my neighborhood's extension of the traditional Quito Café "Pim's" was still open. Already craving their traditional Andean hot chocolate (Hot Chocolate with cheese...yeah I know it sounds gross, but it is really really good) I thought that Pim's would be a good choice.
And it was. It absolutely was.
Overall I really like the atmosphere and the concept of the little café. Every time I go in, I think I'm in an hacienda somewhere deep in the Andes, away from the city. It is cozy, and inviting and its menu of popular, gourmet, and traditional food makes me feel very calm and part of the andean landscape for some reason. I had some breaded shrimp (a little taste of the Ecuadorian coast) and washed it down with their Hot Chocolate with Cheese. It was delicious. My dad is quite fond of the place too. He commented that it's been around for some time since he used to take my mom on dates to the city center's extension of the café for some hot chocolate with cheese. And it makes good ají (hot sauce). I think that the sign of a restaurant with good traditional Andean food relies heavily in the quality of their ají. Mostly because you traditionally smother all of your food in it. Haha. Not that traditional food is bland (it is not, by any means...) but the ají brings out a whole other array of flavors that don't really come out when you eat the plate by itself. It gives the potatoes in a Locro and some Llapingachos a little more zest, it brings out the lovely crunchy rich flavor of the verde plantain in Empanadas de Verde, and hides the remaining fishy flavor in a ceviche. It makes brick-oven pizza better too. This is all mostly because house hot sauce varies from place to place and everyone has their own recipe to use. Some are tomato-based, some add some chocho beans to give it a different flavor and texture. Some of the more interesting ones I've tried are actually tomate-de-árbol-based or mixed in with zambo seeds. My maternal grandmother has a good recipe for ají too. I can't divulge it of course, family secret! But I made it a few times when I made Locro and Llapingachos sometime in mid-february (both very very good winter foods actually) and it came out well. M and I also decided that it is excellent on popcorn.
After eating a very satisfying meal at Pim's, we headed on home, where I promptly proceeded to apply to audition for the Ecuadorian National Symphony. I'm beginning to think that I'm a bit crazy for trying...well...the worst they can say is no. Right?

Categories: ají, Noe, orchestra, Pim's, vegetarian