Better Than a Goat

With such busy days, Im usually not home in time to help cook dinner. If ever I am home, and ask my host mom if she needs help, I am almost always rejected. But on Saturday night she finally let me help. Just as I was about to ask WHAT we were going to cook that night, Paula came in holding a big blue bag. She let me look into the bag and in the bottom I saw a little ball of fur. A ginea pig. A live ginea pig. Of course the ONE night I get to help with dinner, we would be slaughtering a ginea pig... Luckly I didnt have to pull the knife, but they made me stand by and watch as Dona Machlovia slit its throat over the outdoor drain. Honestly, it was much better than watching a goat being killed during Dashain; less blood, the head didnt roll off, and it didnt kick as it was bleeding. Mostly my job was dumping and refilling the bloody water as my mother and sister worked to remove the fur. I wasnt upset that we killed a ginea pig. Actually, I am suprised it is the first animal slaughter I have experienced in Bolivia, considering all the meat that is eaten in this country. Take my word, Bolivia is NOT the country to visit if you want to be vegan. That is not to say that I have been starving, or that I have been forced to eat meat at every meal. Lunch is always soup (always some sort of meat broth, but they kindly exlude the piece of bone in my bowl). I eat a LOT of bread here, for breakfast and for tea time everyday, plus anytime I want a snack since it is cheap and easy to find on the street. For dinner it is usually rice, potatoes, or rice and potatoes. Vegetables are NOT in high demand in Bolivian cuisine, but the fruit here is amazing and easy to pick up at the market.