Albondigas

Our friend, Carlos, stopped by the other morning. After the usual and customary greetings were over, he asked if we had any *insert unknown word here*. I usually understand him very well because he dummies down his Spanish so we can understand. Or he just speaks in English when all else fails. He knows we like him to speak Spanish to us so he exhausts that route first.

I asked him to repeat the word. He did and I still didn't understand it. I repeated it to him the same way he said it to me. It sounded like he was saying "two pair". I asked him to spell it. He didn't know how. But he went into the kitchen, snooped around and came up with a plastic "two pair" ware like bowl. Ah, Tupper(ware)! He asked if he could borrow it. He said he would bring it back later. Ok, then. Off with you.


About an hour and a half later he returned. He had used the bowl to fill with albondigas (meat ball soup) that his sister had just finished making. We had told him last week that we really like this food and it is hard to find on the island. He told his sister and she made a batch so that he could share it with us. He didn't stay to eat any. Just dropped it off and was on his way.



Whenever I get irritated by some of the things down here, I just remember moments like this and the world is fine again.