Climbing from the ancient Peruvian pilgrimage site of Chavín, we pass fields of quinoa flowering purple in a last burst of energy before they are harvested. There are bunches of maize hanging from the farmhouse rafters in shades of gold and red, and the small village plaza has plants that would not be out of […]
By Adam Marcus Russian homeopaths strike again (twice) in virology journal — and a skeptic strikes right back. Homeopathy may not cure disease, but it continues to give journal editors fits, particularly at the hands of a group in Russia that has managed to publish a slew of papers on the spurious practice. The architect […]
By R.S. Gompertz Of all the places we have lived and traveled, when it comes to possible places to settle I like Cuenca the best. On the list of attributes I look for, Cuenca scores high on every one except proximity. Getting in and out of here from the West Coast is a pain in […]
I’m back! It’s been almost two years since my last post. My husband and I decamped Cuenca for Medellin a while back for what we thought would be greener pastures. Well, it turned out they weren’t so green and we decided to come back. There’s a lot of reasons why –think crossfire– and I’ll explain […]
If you plan your time around what’s happening in Cuenca’s creative community, then this column is for you. Published every Monday, What’s Happening Under the Domes highlights the exhibits, concerts, workshops and other not-to-be-missed artistic events scheduled for the coming week. We cannot guarantee a complete listing, but we’ll try our best to keep you […]
My first contact with Jack and Diane was by email. They were planning a move to Cuenca, were daily readers of CuencaHighLife, and asked if I was willing to answer some occasional questions if the need arose. “Of course,” I said. When I asked where they hailed from they replied, “We have already been there. […]
OK, so maybe other people call it chicken stock, or bouillon. We call it Juice, and Jackie missed it very much when we moved to Ecuador. We used to buy a couple of six-packs of this organic stuff at “The Shrine” (Costco) when we lived up north. Jackie used it for practically everything, from home-style […]
So, last week I talked about letting go and I announced that we had decided to sell The Vegetable Bar. As you can imagine, that surprised a lot of people. But I think that’s a good thing, because the Cuenca expat community needs to have things tossed about every once in a while! This week, […]
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), in the U.S. it’s been more than 80 years since Congress last updated the federal law designed to ensure that personal care products are safe. Although other countries have stringent regulations about what goes into that tube or plastic bottle, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t […]
By R.S. Gompertz There was a middle-aged Venezuelan man walking through Cuenca traffic yesterday, going from car to car waving a wad of paper money. “He’s selling Bolivars,” our taxi driver explained, “probably his life savings.” “What’s Venezuelan money worth?” I asked. “Nothing.” The driver then reminisced about when the Ecuadorian currency, the Sucre, collapsed. […]
By Zoe Nicholson ‘Health at every size’ (HAES) aims to promote self-care through addressing health behaviours, acknowledging and tackling weight stigma, and being inclusive of human diversity in terms of body size, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identification and social status. When people feel better within themselves, they are more likely to engage in healthy behaviours […]
Editor’s note: Michelle’s Foods of The Americas series on tomatoes continues this week with a surprising account of the origin of everyone’s favorite condiment, ketchup. Click here to read Part I about the origins of the tomato, and click here to read Part II as the tomato makes its culinary journey across the ocean from […]
By Jeff Van Pelt “I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most – to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.” ― Audrey Hepburn “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.” ― Robert Frost “With mirth […]
