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Ecuador Rice Fields – Beauty, Predators and Allies
Planting rice is not a joke Just bending all day long You can’t even stand still You can’t even sit down. — Traditional Filipino Folk Song Ecuador rice Rice is a staple in Ecuadorian meals. It is generally served with your main meal regardless of what the entree is. A typical meal might include soup, chicken, rice, green salad, potato salad, and juice. The other side dishes vary but rice is always included. On separate occasions, I have served chili and spaghetti to guests and been asked if there was any rice (I had not made any). When eating out, I have been served a side of rice with my…
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Imagination, Moats And Drawbridges
Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. –Albert Einstein When you were young did you dream of living in a castle with a moat and a drawbridge? Maybe you imagined you were a prince or a princess and your dog was your pet dragon, guarding your drawbridge. Some kids in Ecuador’s rice country have bridges over aqueducts leading to their homes. Parents build the bridge to get from A to B. Imagination turns the bamboo walkway into a drawbridge (albeit one that does not raise) over a moat protecting the family castle. I imagine kids who live here playing on the bridge, calling…