Guinea pig tastes like chicken?

This week has been all about meetings. I had district meeting and two zone training meetings and trainer/trainee meeting which is new missionary orientation.  It is enjoyable to go to locations where I can interact with the missionaries.  They are all great people.

Sister Wheeler at trainer/trainee meeting

Zone 4 missionaries

At Zone 5 training meeting I was entertained by this cockroach.
He was wiggling around. Actually I kept an eye on him so that if he managed
to get on his feet he didn't come my way.

I was asked by one of the Relief Society teachers to substitute for her on Sunday and then I attended the last half hour of the Spanish speaking ward Primary.  Sister Jenkins plays the piano for their Primary but she was on exchanges for the weekend so she asked if I would substitute for her.  Made me realize how much I miss Primary and the beautiful songs that are sung there.  Even though it was all in Spanish, the spirit is the same.

Sunday evening I went with Sister Anderson and Sister Frost, who is on exchange with Sister Jenkins, to teach a lesson to a mother and daughter from Ecuador.  The family had invited us to eat dinner there before the lesson.   It was good:  salmon, salad, roasted plantains, cauliflower, and a pastry type dessert.   They are from a coastal area in Ecuador so they eat a lot of fish.  They were telling us about some of the typical inland foods and how they didn't like them.  One they mentioned is cuy.  It is guinea pig!!  Sister Anderson says there is a street cart in Corona that sells cuy. 

Jim, I know how much you like to eat regional foods so here is one more for your "countries to go to eat the foods" list.  Couldn't resist Googling this.  I found an interesting review.

"What is cuy?

Guinea pig in Ecuador is one of the traditional foods you should try while visiting Ecuador, Bolivia or Peru. It is more commonly known as cuy (kew-y) in the indigenous language of Kichwa, because of the high-pitched bird-like sound the animal makes.

Many people wonder why Ecuadorians eat guinea pig. It's because guinea pigs were the main source of meat before cattle were introduced to the country. The number of cuy became a status symbol because it meant you had enough money to eat meat. It was never an everyday meal but a luxury.

It is much larger than what we know as a guinea pig in North America and is about the size of a rabbit. While many travelers think eating guinea pig is gross, I don't think you can really judge if you eat meat of any kind.

Guinea pig tastes like chicken?

The taste of guinea pig is difficult to describe and depends on how it is cooked. In Ecuador it is often cooked over an open spit; it reminds me of chicken wings or some other kind of dark meat.

I ate guinea pig again in Cuzco when a Peruvian friend took me to a local place to eat. It was deep fried and I had to admit in the cuy wars, Ecuador won the best preparation test as deep frying it seemed to enhance its already pronounced greasiness. Trust me, it really does matter how you cook this animal.

Where to eat guinea pig?

Guinea pig can be found in the Andes of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.

Although Colonial Cuenca is known as one of the best places to eat cuy, my first time eating cuy was in Baños with my mother and sister. Surprisingly my sister really liked it but my mother once had a pet guinea pig and the sight of little feet on her plate turned her stomach.

After Banos and Peru, I had to go back to Cuenca famous for its cuy.

How to eat guinea pig?

It seems like a strange question to ask but most people try to eat guinea pig with a knife and fork. Don't worry about being polite, just get in with your hands and eat it like chicken wings

I must admit it wasn't the best, as it had a really strong flavor but I have heard the age of the cuy changes the flavor dramatically. And while I can't say I loved it, I know I'll try it again"

I guess I should be more daring, but I don't think I'll search for the food cart in Corona to try cuy right away but if and when I am in Ecuador, I may be persuaded to try this.  (Hint. Hint Jim.  I'm available March 2017.)

The weather here is like Utah weather.  If you don't like it, wait 10 minutes and it will change.  One day it was HOT!  The next day it was nice.  Today it is windy, cold, and raining.  I'm not complaining as I know it won't be long until the hot, humid days of summer are here.  Then I may complain.

The temperature on Wednesday on my way home from Zone meeting.

As I mentioned earlier, I gave the lesson in Relief Society this week.  It was from the teachings of President Howard W Hunter.  We learned of President Hunter's testimony of Joseph Smith, his qualities and life and his role in the restoration of the Church as it was in Christ's time.  We all know the trials and hardships that Joseph and Emma endured with the persecutions, the loss of 6 children, and the difficulties of being driven out of their homes and living in and developing new lands and cities.  From Joseph Smith's example we can learn to endure well.  No matter the persecution nor the pain and suffering, Joseph never wavered in his testimony and teachings. 

Joseph Smith communed with Jehovah and many other personages of heaven.  He had a great diligence and capacity to translate and to receive hundreds of pages of revealed scripture.  It has been estimated that more pages of scripture passed through Joseph than through any other human in history.

I also discussed the terms prophet, seer, and revelator which are often used interchangeably.  I never really thought about it but each of these three terms have separate and distinct meanings.

A prophet is a teacher: he teaches truth as revealed by the Lord to man and under inspiration explains it to the understanding of the people.  He is a spokesman for the Lord.

A seer is one who sees through spiritual eyes.  Joseph was a seer.  In Moses 1:11 Moses explains this supernatural gift:  "But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him."

All men have spiritual sight but are not always privileged to use such sight unless quickened by the Spirit of the Lord.

A revelation makes known something unknown or which has been previously known by man and taken from his memory.  Revelation is received in various ways, but it always presupposes that the revelator has so lived and conducted himself as to be in tune or harmony with the divine spirit of revelation, the spirit of truth, and therefore capable of receiving divine messages. 

So Joseph Smith was a prophet, a teacher of divine truth, a seer in every sense of the word, and he was dependent upon the Lord and received help and was given his instructions.  His life was led by revelation.

As I've traveled and visited the sites commemorating Joseph Smith's life, these truths have been reaffirmed in my heart and mind.  As I've stood in the Sacred Grove and particularly in Carthage jail and have felt the Spirit testify to me, there is no question in my mind that Joseph Smith is a man of God.  He translated the Book of Mormon from the plates, through him the Priesthood was restored and through him, the church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth as it was when Christ lived on the earth and organized His church.

I know these things to be true through the power of the Holy Ghost.

I love you my family and friends.

My workout garb- I don't do selfies very well.

The story of the chocolate bundt cake:  I made this cake for the elders because they helped me
connect my laptop to the TV at the church so I could show some Joseph Smith videos.
As I was turning the cake pan over with the plate on top, the plate slipped in the turning over
motion and half of the cake fell to the counter under the plate instead of on top of the plate.
Don't ask me how this happened!! Anyway I managed to save most of the cake but you will notice
it is rather lopsided. I seriously don't think the elders even noticed.

One of the sisters brought me this cute gift. I do love sour patch kids. I had to quit eating them though
because my mouth has little sores from the "sour".  I learned I can't eat 1.9 pounds in one sitting.

A friend sent me this bouquet to remind me of Spring. Isn't it gorgeous!