SNL in Cuenca

Jan 17, 2011
Cuenca, Ecuador

A nice symmetry was achieved by spending the first and last nights in Cuenca at the same Mexican food restaraunt, `El Pedregal Azteca`, the best Guacamole I`ve yet found in South America. Thirteen, large, autotron Germans arrived and sat in the middle of the dark room at a long table. Silent, like they had just been repramended NOT to have a good time on their vacation. The Guide and host, a short solid Ecuadorian women with a curly mane of black hair, introduced the menu. As near as I could tell she spoke well accented impeccable German. (She was certainly very confident.) She stood planted like an opera singer (she knew her crowd) .
`` Aish glosh echt ek `` she seemed to say, in marching, clanking, clunking German sounds , explaining the menu. And then out of nowhere shot the crystal clear musical word:
`GUACAMOLE`.
Then more ``aich oon glock...``, the same harsh clunking sounds as she worked her way down the menu. Then suddenly, like a ecstatic parakeet escaped from its cage , out came the word,
``TEQUILA!`` . No movement from the Germans. I looked over at the waiter and involuntarily started to laugh, as he did also. He turned to the bar so the table would`t notice. But the Germans seemed as spellbound they were so silent. Thankfully I was in a very dark corner. I buried my face in a napkin and could`t look at him, or he at me, for fear we would both lose it, so odd and comical was this scene. The Ecuadorian explaining Mexican food in German to the Germans, like she were canting a German opera, ( requiem no doubt) and the piercing counterpoint of pure Spanish words.

Bless her heart. She deserves an award. Made my night, and I think the waiters.
Abrazos
Esteban