Veggie Food (Mostly) in Quito

I grew up eating peanut butter and jam sandwiches for lunch - I still love them. I moved on to bologna and sometimes egg sandwiches for special occasions. Eventually, I started 'roach coach' dining at construction sites. So, it might surprise friends and family of long ago that I cherish many types of food and that I have been primarily vegetarian for about 13 of the last 15 years. I have been fortunate to eat great food in homes and restaurants in many places and have sampled many types of cuisine. In that spirit, I will try to covey the occasional culinary experiences from our travels. I have already missed reporting on many excellent meals and I will continue to do so.  But here is a brief excerpt of our eating experience in Quito.

Our first cheap and delicious meal at a friendly local diner in Old Town - about $10 for all four of us.

Our first cheap and delicious meal at a friendly local diner in Old Town - about $10 for all four of us.

Our walking tour guide, John, suggested a set meal vegetarian restaurant in the La Ronda quarter. It was communal sitting with some genuinely nice folks. The language barrier wasn't a big deal as everyone was very accommodating. Maeve and Liam were a little uncomfortable with the idea so it wasn't our most relaxing food eating experience. It was another $10 meal for the four of us and included fresh pear juice and dessert.  

Communal veggie food in La Ronda - $10 for all four of us.

Communal veggie food in La Ronda - $10 for all four of us.

Kristin has made some great dinners too.  

Kristin's excellent creation - nearly free.

Kristin's excellent creation - nearly free.

Dinner at the apartment - Liam is trying to freak me out.

Dinner at the apartment - Liam is trying to freak me out.

We ate out a lot and really enjoyed Uncle Ho's pan asian cuisine with an Ecuadorian spin.

At Uncle Ho's

At Uncle Ho's

Kristin found something amusing.

Kristin found something amusing.

Since I am on an Asian theme, it is worth mentioning that Liam has adopted a 'crouching tiger' pose whenever eating outside. He finds it comfortable while everyone else finds it disturbing.

Liam just finishing the food inhalation process of a pastry - great bakeries in Quito.

Liam just finishing the food inhalation process of a pastry - great bakeries in Quito.

Delicious ice cream abounds.  

Ice cream shop in La Ronda

Ice cream shop in La Ronda

We had some great meals in Quito. One that was not so great was ironically a Mexican restaurant that I believe we will have a starring role in an upcoming marketing campaign. There was a professional photographer circling for our entire meal and he often had his lens trained on our table. It was a little disconcerting. On a possibly unrelated note, it was the only restaurant where I have ever been where the waiter had more difficulty reading the menu than I did.  His coke bottle lenses reminded me of my own experience growing up in the ‘80’s and his inability to read the menu mimicked my own difficulty as I often ask Kristin or the kids to read it to me.

On another positive note we found a great park where we could work off some of our caloric intake.





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