April 11, 2017 - Crockpot

Crockpot

One of my favorite smells is beans cooking.  After I learned how to make them right, there was nothing I liked better than putting a pot of beans on before bed and the smell filling the house by morning.  Except, I didn’t have a crockpot to cook them in Bolivia.

Since I returned in February, I looked around for a crockpot, with not a lot of success.  There were stores, I was told, that sell everything like that in Santa Cruz.  Yet not one of them had what I was looking for.

I posted on Facebook, asking my friends in Bolivia if they knew where to get a crockpot.  All of my friends in the States answered telling me they can’t live without a crockpot.  I can’t either.  That’s why I was looking for one. 

Finally, Fernando, the tech guy at the SCCLC, said he found one in the Feria.  I had not been there since the 80s and wasn’t sure how to find it even.  Santa Cruz has changed a lot since then.  Many places are now unrecognizable.  Luckily, modern technology enabled him to send me the location on Whatsapp, the social media that everyone in Santa Cruz uses.

Wednesday morning, I got up early and decided to walk the mile and a half to the Feria.  The first thing I discovered was the Parque Urbano.  I have been on the western edge of it, but never ventured in.  I thought it was a sport park, but it turned out to be a real park.  And it’s less than 10 minutes from my house!  I went back that evening after dark and discovered the beautiful fountains.  It has just entered into my list of places to visit regularly.

Just past the park, was a street that I have renamed Bird Street.  Let me explain a phenomenon that I don’t fully understand in Bolivia.  If you are looking for a particular item in Santa Cruz, there is probably a street dedicated to it.  Calle Ayaucho has dozens of shops that sell rubber stamps – I’m not kidding!  Calle Ballivian sells costumes, like for Dia de Santa Cruz or Carnaval.  I could go on with the list, but I don’t know the names of all those streets. 

It just so happens that this was Bird Street.  There were a dozen shops with cages filled with parakeets, cockatiels, and other colorful birds.  I intend to return in a few days, just to look at all the pretty birds.

I got a little confused after that and found myself on a dirt road, that was more dirt than mud.  After a few turns and stopping to buy a cheese empanada, I saw traffic moving in one direction and very slowly.  That often portends a market.  I was right.  I had found the Feria.

I thought the Ramada was a good market.  This is bigger, covering several buildings.  I spent about 30 or 40 minutes looking for the place they sell kitchen electronics.  Every conceivable item you might want for your kitchen is sold here… except crockpots.  I spoke to 40 or 50 different people.  They all tried to convince me that a rice cooker was better.  I explained how a crockpot will cook beans slowly, like in 4 or 5 hours.  They kept telling me that the rice cooker they were showing me could do it in 45 minutes.  They thought I was crazy.     

After two hours and drenched in sweat, I decided to leave.  I was too tired to walk, but escaping was not as easy as it looked.  I got in a taxi, but after 15 minutes we had only gotten a block away.  Which meant I had to leave the taxi and walk away from the Feria, where traffic was a bit calmer.  The one thing I don’t like about Santa Cruz is traffic. 

When I got home, I had a message from Ceci Ramsey, a missionary in Monte Blanco, west of Santa Cruz by a few hours.  She asked if I had found my crockpot.  I told her no.  She said she was putting hers in a car going to Santa Cruz the next day.  A gift.

Friday morning, I called the man who had my new crockpot and took a taxi to search him out.  Back in the taxi, I hugged the crockpot like it was a new baby.  The taxi driver had never seen one before.  I told him that I could put a meal on to cook in the morning, leave it all day, then come back in the evening to a delicious cooked meal.  He understood and asked why they don’t sell these in Bolivia.  My question too.

As I write this, my beans have soaked for a few hours and are now cooking on low.  I am eager for a bowl of beans!

My third book will be in print in a few months. Until then, you can purchase either of my two books in print.