4 hours ago, cakewalk said:Interesting. Wouldn't have thought there'd be a demand for this, and I'd love to hear more about it if you have the time. I recently saw a documentary about Ecuador called An Unknown Country, about Jews from Eastern Europe who escaped to Ecuador during WWII. It was one of the few countries that would take them. But it seemed that most of the population left after a generation or two. (Very good film, BTW.) And great blog. A wave of nostalgia for that plastic milk container! (They were prevalent in Israel when I lived there.) Looking forward to more.
Ambato has a large enough permanent Jewish population to have a rabbi, a cantor, and a beautifully appointed temple. I may end up making hamentaschen for Moishe, the cantor, later this week - we'll see if he calls me. (He never calls, he never writes….) The community keeps me hopping around Pesach, because otherwise they're dependent on import matzoh which is expensive and can be hard to come by. I have a special toaster oven that has never seen yeast for this exact purpose.
If you want an idea of what Ecuador is about, philosophically, all you have to do is come to Ambato on a day when religious festivities coincide. The Temple is next door to the Mosque, and across the street from a Catholic church. The largest arguments between these three traditionally antagonistic communities are over parking spaces - otherwise there's a simple sense of immense and kindly curiosity towards other peoples' religious choices.
3 hours ago, kbjesq said:The staggeringly beautiful baked goods that come out of your kitchen, wow. I always assumed that you had multiple professional ovens, proofing boxes, many employees, etc (my American-centric background is betraying me here). I'm even more impressed after seeing your photos!
Also, I hope that I'm not asking too many questions or too personal, but do you have a lot of ex-pats as customers? Was it hard to start and operate a viable business as "an outsider" (for lack of better term)? Did you speak Spanish fluently before you moved to Ecuador? And last question, what made you choose Ecuador as your new home base? (I realize that I sound nosy, but I'm honestly considering moving to another country for at least a few years, and you've definitely piqued my interest in Ecuador)
My customer base is about 75% locals and 25% expats (you'll get to meet some of the expats on Wednesday, when I visit Baños); this varies within the year, but it's the general way it shakes down. I started off with 100% locals - as I've mentioned in other foodblogs, my business started kind of by accident! After about a year and a half of living here and eating crunchy biscuits, I started to miss classic, chewy oatmeal cookies - the kind every Canadian knows well, because every single one of our grandmothers makes them. So I went to the supermarket, got the ingredients, and made a batch or three, and then took some with me to a cafecito with friends who lived in the same apartment building. Those friends went crazy for the cookies! I started producing gift boxes of a dozen, and word of mouth started spreading. Seven years later, I have a fully fledged catering bakery. I have never advertised - my clientele comes almost exclusively by recommendation or by having tried my goodies.
I did not speak more than 10 total words of Spanish before moving to a Spanish-speaking country. However, I had two things working for me: I did speak French, and I have a talent for learning languages if I'm truly immersed in them. We were taking care of a friend's house in the deep south of the country, where there was almost no English-speaking presence at all. Because I like to eat and eat well, I learned quickly - although I'm sure the market ladies found this tall blonde gringa with her horrible patois of Franglish asking "What's this? And you eat it how?" quite amusing.
Finally, the choice was the culmination of quite a bit of research done by my folks as to where to retire. Mom's requirement was no more winter - summer and a rainy season would do quite well; stepdad's was a reasonably sane and stable government. Mine was affordability and work opportunities. Ecuador came out tops. We visited thinking to see Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the four months after Mom retired - it was our first vacation in about 22 years (my first vacation ever) and for reasons of flight availability and cost, we started with Ecuador. The country just reached out and grabbed our hearts - we spent 2 days in Colombia and 4 in Peru, liking each one less, and forgot Bolivia entirely. The return to Canada was only for the expedience of getting our documents together to emigrate, and to sell off our prior lives.
26 minutes ago, curls said:Thank you for doing another blog! Glad to hear that you now have a bigger kitchen and countertops at the right height for you. Those countertops look very interesting... are they a local stone?
Not to interject too many social questions but are you still living with your parents or would it be ok for a single female to be living by herself in this part of Equador?
So what fruits are in season now? I heard you mention figs!
My countertops are a laid aggregate of local volcanic quartz. Depending on the light in the kitchen they look anywhere from warm brown to pale pink; they're actually pale grey with chalcedonic banding. I love them to death - it's nearly impossible to damage a quartz countertop. Acid won't etch it, bases won't stain it, and it has all the properties that make stone such a pleasure to work on for pastry.
I do still live with my parents; there is exactly zero social stigma for this choice, and there would be zero stigma if I chose to live apart from them (but why would I?) If I lived apart, I'd be expected to come home every Sunday for a big family meal (cafecito) if I lived in the same city, and on every possible holiday or long weekend if I lived in a different city. Ecuadorian culture puts great emphasis on family - they're your support network, your business connections, the first people you turn to if you're in difficulty. It's perfectly normal for an unmarried son or daughter to live with parents until after they're married, and contribute to that household like any other adult would. Once you pass 18 years of age it's kind of understood implicitly that you cease to be a child and become a roommate.
Oh dear, what's in season now? I'm going to let my next entry, which is the market, speak to that one. Almost everything is the short answer.