Red, White & Blue: North American Style In Ecuador
Yes, we celebrate July 4th in Cotacachi, Ecuador. While we have left our beloved County founding roots are not forgotten. We had a group of around 50 folks celebrating at friends home. Bill and I were invited to help host the party. About a week earlier we got together to press out hamburger patties for freezing in preparation of the party. We were going to serve my copycat “What A Burger”.
If you are from Texas or Florida you know nothing is better than a good old cheese “What A Burger” which calls for a very thin hamburger patty. My secret to achieving the proper thin patty is to use a tortilla press between parchment
Our friends have the perfect setting for a party. Upon the guest’s arrival, they were greeted with “Old Glory” flying high and Lee Greenwood singing “God Bless the USA” from the magic music that host Danny provided. White billowy tents were set up for us to enjoy our picnic celebration. Bill and Danny were in charge of toasting the buns and cooking the hamburgers and I was given the assignment of grilling the USA Nathan’s hotdogs that were being kept warm in the sous vide. Everyone assembled their own burger and hotdog with the fixings that they liked. There was also potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, baked beans and a cake furnished by La Mirage. We were right folks went back for seconds! There was plenty of iced tea, lemonade, beer, and wine. Honestly, when we lived in Texas we never attended just a festive July 4th celebration. The only thing missing was the fireworks but the dogs were happy about that since nearly every weekend or holiday the sky is bombarded with fireworks. The Ecuadorians really know how to celebrate.
So why keep up the tradition of celebrating July 4th American style when you have become an expat? Maybe it is when you are away from family and friends the traditions mean a little bit more to you. Click on the link to view the youtube slide show of our Independence Day celebration in little Cotacachi, Ecuador.
Hugs to family & friends near and far
Texas Annie Ecuador
