Sopa con…popcorn?

I've been eating ALL KINDS of new foods since coming to Ecuador. Like cooked carrots. I haven't gotten near cooked carrots since I was…well, since a long time ago. Muchos años. Coming to a new country, I determined to be open-minded about the foods here, to be willing to try new things. As it often occurs when one tries new things, I've discovered a lot of deliciousness. Cooked carrots, really, aren't bad. I don't know why I've avoided them so doggedly all these years.

Another food I've always kept my distance from is soup. (Okay, so maybe I'm a picky eater.) Soup breaks several rules of mine: it often has onions or cooked tomatoes and the ingredients are all mixed together. I do not eat anything mixed.

Well, it turns out Ecuadorians eat a lot of soup, and I have discovered it to be one of my new favoirte foods (behind crunchy peanut butter, chocolate chips and granny smith apples). A few days ago I was introduced to a soup called crema de espinacas. Being a fan of spinach smoothies, I had no trouble with the thick texture or delightful greenish-brown color.

I was, however, quite startled by one particular ingredient: popcorn. Yes, Ecuadorians sometimes put freshly-popped popcorn in their cream soups.

Sopa de espinacas (and, well, popcorn)

Years ago, my youngest brother soaked a handful of popcorn in a bowl of ramen then offered me a spoonful––while watching with adorable, wide-eyed aprehension. The popcorn was slick and spongy. I had to employ all my throat muscles in getting it down without gagging (nearly destroyed my ability to sing). So, now, when I looked into the bowl of crema and saw the popcorn…nope. I ate the soup––even took seconds––but helped myself to dry, crisp popcorn on the side. Just how I've always eaten it.

It appears my newly-found, liberating open-mindedness only extends so far.