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Testing your almond knowledge: Can you pass this quiz?

Testing your almond knowledge: Can you pass this quiz?

By Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD Almonds are a popular snack not just because they are nutrient-rich, but primarily because they are crunchy and taste yummy. In this day and age when snacks are replacing meals, you want to reach for good tasting, health-promoting snacks....

Cuenca Days are here! Eat this, instead of that!

Cuenca Days are here! Eat this, instead of that!

Cuenca Days are the most exciting and lively time of year in our adopted city. Cuenca's independence from Spain is celebrated on November 3, and the weather is typically fine — perfect for strolling around El Centro and enjoying artists, musicians, and dance. Of...

‘Scuffling Footsteps,’ a scary poem

‘Scuffling Footsteps,’ a scary poem

Scuffling Footsteps My feet scuff quiet, quite unnoticed, amongst the white stones, pale light ghosting. Not sun of day, nor moon of night, between perhaps, I’m filled with fright. Time elusive, not mine to count, waste not a drop, close tight the spout. Shadows...

The foods of the Americas: How the potato reached Europe

The foods of the Americas: How the potato reached Europe

Editor’s note: This is the second in a series on notable ingredients native to the Americas. In Part 1 we learned that archaeologists have discovered potato remains that date back to 500 B.C.E. in the ancient ruins of Peru and Chile. Today's column traces the journey...

Fruits and veggies, food waste, and a healthy planet

Fruits and veggies, food waste, and a healthy planet

By Ted Kyle, RPh, MBA What’s good for each of us isn’t automatically good for the planet. So says a new study of diet, food waste, and environmental sustainability. “Eat more fruits and veggies” lies at the heart of a lot of advice for healthy eating. But Zach Conrad...

A valuable guide for living a worthwhile life

A valuable guide for living a worthwhile life

As a certified introvert living alone for the past 20 years I have read a lot of books, even more after moving to Cuenca seven years ago and buying a Kindle. It is so nice to see a title, want it, and within a minute or two, have it. I have quite often read a book...

What’s flavor got to do with it?

What’s flavor got to do with it?

By Christine Stirparo The other day I was reading an interview with Mark Schatzker, the author of The Dorito Effect. Now full disclosure, I haven’t read his book or any reviews or even a synopsis of it so I can’t speak to what he talks about in the book. But I did...

Conscious Dying: ‘Freedom from the World’

Conscious Dying: ‘Freedom from the World’

Editor’s note: This is the second of a multi-part series on Conscious Living and Conscious Dying. By Louis Bourgeois The first "Face of Freedom" that we discussed in part 2 of this series is freedom from the past. We go a little deeper here in what could be called...

Juicing: What you should know (and the claims you should ignore)

Juicing: What you should know (and the claims you should ignore)

Author’s note: This is the first of three columns on vegetables and fruits. In the first column, I tackle the popular “juicing” fad. The second tackles the perennial question — what is the best way to consume produce — raw or cooked?The third column reviews what you...

A werewolf In Cuenca

A werewolf In Cuenca

I landed on the shores of what is now Ecuador with Francisco Pizzaro and Hernando DeSoto in 1532. At that time, I was twenty-two years old and hoping to gain fame and great wealth. I believed by accompanying these men and the other soldiers into the interior of the...

The foods of the Americas: The potato changes culinary history forever

The foods of the Americas: The potato changes culinary history forever

Editor's note: This is the first in a series on notable ingredients native to the Americas that today are influential and essential in cuisines around the world. By Michelle Bakeman I was born in Richmond, Virginia. My father is from Buffalo, New York, and my mother...

Are chia seeds really that healthy?

Are chia seeds really that healthy?

What is or are chia anyway? And are they as healthy as all that? Chia is an ancient crop, native to the tropical and sub-tropical valleys of Central and South America, namely in the countries of Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador and Guatemala. According to...

Behind life’s scenes

Behind life’s scenes

I used to own a window manufacturing plant. It was a sizable  operation and when I liquidated my position there, we were shipping to about forty states. The jobs we sold were all large and, most often, competitively bid government contracts. One thing that always...

What to do about our toxic world when you’ve had breast cancer

What to do about our toxic world when you’ve had breast cancer

Editor's note: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease. By Cathy Leman Positive action elicits positive change. While we’ll never completely rid our environment of toxins and other substances with...

Are you hung up on what you ‘should’ eat?

Are you hung up on what you ‘should’ eat?

By Julie Dillon The "should-eat" fantasy compliance How many diets have you been on? When was the first one? Most women (and many men) have been dieting in some shape or form … or coming off a diet…or preparing to go back on a diet … for as long as they can remember....

Of verities and lambkins

Of verities and lambkins

The gravel was loose and the slope steep and rutted. El Fantasma had  picked his way down a ridge in Ecuador’s southern Andes and dropped into a fertile valley a few minutes earlier. I let his engine idle down as Edie and I took in gorgeous views borne of seasonal...

Hogar Esperanza News

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The Cuenca Dispatch

Week of April 26

Reservoir drop renews pressure on Ecuador’s electric grid.

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New naval station aims to shut down drug routes through Gulf of Guayaquil.

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Ecuador turns to targeted tax changes to raise $1.5 billion under IMF program.

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Fund Grace News

Fabianos Pizzeria News