Cuy and Me

Now as much as I mock it, there are things that I really do love about New York.  I love the city.  And pizza.  And bagels.  I also love that you can find almost anything here. 

Case in point:

 
This, friends, is a cuy.  A Super Cuy, apparently.  Look closely.

Yep, that's a guinea pig.  Known in Ecuador as cuy (pronounced cuh-wee).  It's a traditional food there.  Think about the noise that the guinea pig in your first grade class made.  You know, "cuy, cuy, cuy."

I'm sure y'all think I'm a sicko, which is true.  But I have a point.  See, Mr. Snoop and I were on a hunt for our Christmas Eve tamales when we found our friend Super Cuy.  We couldn't find the Mexican-style tamales that we wanted (skinny with goodies inside, not just masa, in case you were wondering).  But then we found the frozen Super Cuy.  See, you can find anything in New York.

The best part is that my brother just returned from Ecuador that same day, where he ate cuy.  So we sent him that pic to welcome him home.  My parents had just visited him and they ate cuy while they were there.  (We're a whole family of sickos, obviously).  In fact, my sister is now the only one, minus Mr. Snoop, who has not eaten cuy.

Here's little college age Snoop circa 2005, eating her very own portion of Super Cuy in Ecuador:

 In case you can't tell, I'm holding his little hand.

If you're still reading, I'm sorry.

cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy cuy