Blog Post 9: Mitad del Mundo/ Mama Clorinda's


1) The most surprising info I learned at Mitad del Mundo was about the shrunken heads. I have seen shrunken heads but to see one right in front of me was crazy; it made something that has always seemed like a fantasy very real and a bit gruesome. I thought the practice of sewing the mouths shut was fascinating, especially how it was done for both enemies (to keep their spirits from haunting people) and wise men (to keep their knowledge a secret). I thought the whole process was fascinating, although I wonder if it truly is unknown what people used to put in the water to shrink the heads (science and the curiosity of man leads me to believe otherwise). I also never knew that they put rocks inside the heads to let the skin form around and shrink. The process of replacing the rocks doesn't seem pleasant.

 2) Lengua was definitely the weirdest thing I tried during dinner; it took me out of my comfort zone for sure. I used to work at a Mexican restaurant that served Lengua tacos but I was always too scared to try them. I am pretty adventurous when it comes to new foods but meat is the exception. I don't like most meat in the first place and I can be quite picky about it: I especially don't like when meat resembles or reminds me of the animal it was (this is part of why I very recently decided to become a vegetarian, though I decided to put it on hold to experience all of the culture of Ecuador on this trip). Knowing that what I was putting into my mouth used to be the tongue of a cow was a little too weird for me but I did try the dish. I liked many of the dishes we had and loved the opportunity to try so many things. Some of my favorites were the soup, the ceviche, and the bread-like desert wrapped in leaves with raisins.

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