Cuenca Expats Magazine Issue 2 | Page 27

positively brian to rent and were settled in before David arrived January 16th. David: We came down in October 2013 to check out Cuenca. Sandy said she was just coming along to appease me; said she wasn’t going to move, but after three days here she said she didn’t want to go back. Sandy: When we left Cuenca I told everyone I would be back in 90 days, and I did just that. Q. You have taken on quite a project with this business you started. Tell me about it. David: Have you ever tasted the bacon here? I’m not sure what it really is. They may call it bacon, but I am here to tell you it isn’t what I consider bacon. Out of desperation I bought a pork belly and decided I would make my own. Sandy: David mentioned earlier that he was persistent, and he was this time too. The first attempt at bacon making, well, let’s just say even the stray neighbor dogs wouldn’t eat it. David: It took me about three-weeks and four bellies before I had really good bacon. What I thought would be a good six-months supply for us only lasted a week or two as all of our friends and neighbors wanted some. Sandy: Someone suggested we sell it, and so Carolina Smokehouse was born. We have a little tienda at Honorato Vasquez 6-26 y Hermano Miguel and sell our products there. Q. With all the work involved in running your business, are you able to carve out time for a Date Night? If so, what does that look like for you? David: I’d say a typical Date Night revolves around food. We service 8 or 9 local restaurants with our products, so we usually try to frequent them on a rotating basis. We love exploring the amazing food scene here in Cuenca. Sandy: It doesn’t always just revolve around food. We like wine as well. At least once a week we try to get out and just stroll into El Centro and take in all the sights and sounds. We enjoy the festivals and try to never miss one. We love the people and culture here and try to partake of it as much as we can. The Recipe for an Enjoyable Life By Brian Gary E xpats are often recognized by others as being a compassionate group of people. Other times we’ve proven to be quite the opposite, failing to be compassionate toward others. Living in Ecuador for the last 5 years has given me ample time to get a fee