Food and Memory

As I have survived a few weeks now without bumping into a stomach virus (or greater corporal trauma), I am beginning to feel my days are numbered. (This feeling is based on a sampling of numerous travelers experiences in Latin America.)  That said,  I will reveal my plot to make the best of any situation to this regard that may confront me.

I have always found that, when traveling, its good to keep track of what I eat.  This way, when I hear my stomach rumble and evaluate the situation with my uninformed, amateur medical biases, I can blame the food I like the least.  I can then use this unapprised accusation as leverage towards the classical conditioning of intuitive responses so I am more likely to avoid these foods again, such as the street-side vendor selling ice-cream out of a bucket.

Following this rigorous personal philosophy, I am keeping a list of foods that I have recently eaten in my short- term memory to call upon in case of a demise in my health.  I am prepared to stumble through them in a crude, mumbly fashion while in a keeled position before selecting my least favorites for eternal bias.  Here is a short list:

• Maduros (fried bananas, these are my favorite!)
• Tortilla Maduros (yes, I have invented some of these names)
• Rice and Beans (staple)
• Bread and Butter (I made this one)
• Sausage in a sauce made of Coca Cola, Salsa and Sugar (traditional)
• Jack Daniels (is Tennessee an Ecuadorian province?)
• Bacon Chunks (by far the most popular, it was like watching those little birds follow the tractor around while cutting grass)
• Chicken Wings (Straight out of Florida)
• Fish-Throat Soup (this might be a bad translation)

(Note:  There are also some foods that I found very flattering on this list.  They are there because, just like many other human beings, I enjoy consolation in times of excoriating pain.  Hopefully my mind is not too cloudy (if such a fate is to find me) that I elect one of those foods dear to my palate.)