Cuenca events and notes: Pride parade is Saturday; Retired professor turns hobby into a business
Cuenca se sumará a desfile por el orgullo – The pride parade, announced by the LGBTIQ+ movement, is developing a nationwide schedule of activities. The march in Cuenca will be on July 5. The parade begins at parque San Blas at 2p.m. and arrives at the San Francisco Plaza about 5.
Thousands participated in Guayaquil’s Gay Pride parade on June 28.
On July 4, at 17:30, there will be an event titled “Rumbo al argullo25 <a typo? – orgullo?>” in which organizers will prepare the banners and posters that will be carried in the parade. The marches in Quito and Guayaquil were on the 2nd and 28th of June. <Never been to a Gay Pride March – are they colorful and flamboyant?>
Medardo Idrovo rescata la pepa de sambo para elaborar varios productos – Retired university professor Medardo Idrovo turned a hobby into a business. He would make natural products based on pepa de sambo and share them with his students. He picked the squash seeds because it is an Andean product, traditional, and nutritious with a unique flavor. <These pepas also get toasted — which involves seeds flying out of the pan and all over the kitchen — and put in fanesca.>
The products help support the countryside economy by buying directly from the producers at a fair price. His products include “chocopepa” which is a chocolate covered confection, “mishky pepa” which is a sweet cream made with pepa de sambo and panela <the blocks of brown sugar you can get in the markets>, and “choco-mishky” which is a creamy version with chocolate which is an alternative to Nutella. He also makes pepa de sambo oil which is valued in Europe but still not widely known in Ecuador. It is rich in nutrients, improves circulation and has anti-inflammatory properties.
In alternative medicine it is used to treat inflammation of the prostate. <Too many claims make it sound like snake oil.> He also makes dried pepa de sambo flakes which can be used instead of oats or granola. You can buy the products in the Precio Justo stores of the Prefectura del Azuay, see a catalogue on Instagram @chocopepa.ecu, or order on his social networks.
