This past weekend Paul and I successfully recreated Cheesecake Factory’s Thai Lettuce Wraps! We were so excited to be able to make a favorite eating-out treat thousands of miles from the nearest restaurant. Ecuadorian food is quite good and varies by region – coastal, highlands or jungle. Rice is a staple and potatoes are often used in the mountain regions. One of our favorite sides is potato “tortillas” or pancakes called lapingachos. This is often served with small pieces of beef in a thin gravy and beets on the side. We’ve learned to pass on the beets and have a tomato, onion and cilantro salad that resembles pico de gallo. We have international options here as well - good Asian, Italian and Mexican food. We haven’t found anything that qualifies as “Tex-Mex” however. We were surprised to be served “fajitas” with a mustard sauce a few weeks ago! Paul is working on developing his own beef fajita recipe, experimenting with different cuts of meat. We have found American style burgers here; one place imports rootbeer syrup from the U.S. It’s probably the only place in the country that serves rootbeer floats! We live in close proximity to Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Domino’s and of course, they all deliver! Interestingly, these fast food places aren’t a bargain here since their prices don’t differ that much from what we’re used to. In a city where it’s easy to find a 3 course lunch for $1-2 and $10 can be a day’s wages, pizza is a special, expensive meal. Just in case you’re wondering, no, we haven’t tried guinea pig yet – we’ll keep you posted!