Semana Santa. The week leading up to easter. The week of unlimited, endless amounts of freshly made chipa (not as fresh by the end of the week). Week of greasy, cheesy sopa Paraguay, mandioca by the kilos, scents of pigs, cows, chickens, and sheep BBQing emanating from every house in the country. Week of tortas, boxed wine and coke, or beer and coke, or cana and coke, as long as it's mixed with coke, and more chipa washed down with coke. Every gluttons dream. My fridge is stuffed full of gifts of sopa, cake, various barbequed meats, and did I mention chipa? Though the site of it makes me sick after all that I ate today (I write this March 20th, Holy Thursday. Day of the asado. Today we feast and tomorrow we must only eat chipa). I had a huge lunch. Two actually. First at Dalida's (The greatest woman in the world) after preparing together all morning, then immediately to my neighbor's house ( I was hoping they would have eaten already), because they invited me too and I didn't have the heart/balls to tell them that I already had lunch plans, but maybe I cuold pencil them in around 2ish. Give me time for a nap.... Well I arrived just in time for lunch #2, and ate the same thing all over again (just not as much in order not to explode). After going home and bathing the greasiness off of me, I went and visited another family, whom I adore. Immediatly I am brought chipa and forced to try it while the whole family watches. I insist that I am stuffed. I tell them that I am going to explode, but that gets lost in translation and I just got really odd looks. I try a bite, tell them its delicious and place it on my lap until I leave. Then it's off to Grandma's house I go. She is so happy that I "remembered her," because she has been alone all day, cooking and sweeping, she loads a plastic bag full of chipa, sopa, and cake, but doesn't make me try it in front of her ( thank god!). She's really busy sweeping her yard and sends me on my way. She says to come back tomorrow if it doesn't rain, because if it rains, she'll just have to sweep her yard all over again and that takes all day. She's great. A little nuts, but I effing love her.

So, moral of the story is, there is such a thing as free lunch (who ever made up that saying has never visited Paraguay), but it's not always a blessing. It can lead to wicked bad indigestions and an awful stomach ache.

And after the chipa is gone, you will have withdrawals. I swear the secret ingredient in that stuff is CRACK.

P.S. Chipa had her puppies!