Made in Ecuador: Food Diversity at TU

I was standing in line for the Granary at Mabee the other day, and I decided to take notice of the types of spices people use to season their foods.

Salad bar
Taken by S. Ávalos

From the very beginning of the scavenging process, one can see that some are more careful about what goes in their plate than others. There are those who seem to have some sort of systematic approach to the amounts and the colors, others go down the line and choose only an item or two, and of course there are those who just take some of everything and hope for the best. Once you reach the front, you are confronted with a variety of spices, which you may choose to combine, and experiment with, or else you can just wait and have one of the pre-made sauces added to your concoction.

Spices
Taken by S. Ávalos

Among the spices available are: turmeric, salt and pepper, a five spice mix, oregano, cumin, curry, raisins, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest. Some are intimidated when confronted with the variety, others don’t enjoy unknown flavors, and then there are those few adventurous who mix and match. The safer choice is always salt and pepper. Cumin is strong and overpowering. Oregano is mild and blends in well with other flavors. Lemon zest is a never-go-wrong choice, but still has to be a deliberate choice. Curry is the bold choice; one must be familiar with it to known the proportions in which it can be combined. Finally the brown sugar, raisins and cinnamon are the ingredients for the detail-oriented palates, used only by those who know about proportions and can successfully maneuver the spices at the stand.

Many times it is hard to feel satisfied after eating a meal at Mabee, but if you explore the options you might find a way to combine flavors to get the feel of home or those that feel like you have traveled to an unknown place.