Florida does not fail. The residents of this neighborhood the orotava they have thrown themselves back into the preparation of the popular puchero that this noon returns in its crowd versionafter two years of tradition confined in boxes and homes because of covid. Some 130 volunteers of all ages and the 137 students of the CEIP Leoncio Estevez Luis They worked hard this morning to prepare all the ingredients that on the morning of this Saturday, January 28, 2023, will be put on the fire with the intention of inviting a stew. to more than 5,000 people.
For the first time, the preparations for the stew moved from the Maninindra Neighborhood Association a the basement of the neighborhood church, a much larger and more comfortable space in which the work was completed a few hours earlier than usual. She had to work with thousand kilos of pumpkins, thousand kilos of shallots, 600 kilos of cabbages, 100 kilos of chickpeas70 kilos of beans, 70 kilos of carrots, 60 kilos of corn, 60 kilos of sweet potatoes60 kilos of leeks, 60 kilos of bubangos, 25 kilos of garlic, 18 sacks of potatoesfour sacks of onions, 25 kilos of parsley and 110 hens. In addition, they met 300 kilos of gofio to prepare the tasty escaldón this Saturday.
Agapito, better known as Antoniohas spent ten years in charge of chopping the pig of 300 kilos which is usually donated. With no more help than a hatchet, an “heritage” tool with more than a century of history, this 80-year-old neighbor expertly chopped ribs. Several older men were busy chopping the cabbages; a male majority also occupied a table for cut and peel huge pumpkins; young women and men helped by splitting and peeling shallots; there was full of women in charge of the bubangos; a mixed group to cut white and red sweet potatoes; more women with garlic, and older women, peeling potatoes sitting in a circle.
“More people have gathered this year,” they celebrated Chonchi and Toña peeling garlic “We do it with desire and with love. We love being here”, they wanted to make clear. happy as Benerandawho every year sits down to peel potatoes, “and that’s how we spend our lives, from very early on, collaborating.”
The Early Childhood and Primary students from the neighborhood school passed through the classroom during the morning and helped, to the extent of their possibilities, to keep alive a tradition that continued to be celebrated within the center during the pandemic. Your manager, Silverio Trujilloremember that in the years marked by the Covid, the students repeated the entire process “on a smaller scale and as a dining room menu”.
At 80 years old, Jose Antonioincessantly cut pumpkin, next to Flora and many other volunteers “from the neighborhood and some from outside.” Lawrence He donated parsley, cabbages and some pumpkin, and yesterday he did not miss to collaborate either, “as always since I retired.” Vincent and Servando They will be in charge of lighting the fire this morning, “better always with dry broom firewood.” They will have to keep the flame alive from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
the mayor Delia Escobar worked as one more neighbor, without hiding “the illusion and desire” that his neighborhood lives to recover the pot “in the usual way”. Despite the forecast of rain, everything is prepared so that this is not a problem. Also, the festival committee He has modified the program so that the day is dedicated 100% to the stew, without rushing for the ascent of the saint or the dance of magicians. Tomorrow it will be time to go out on a pilgrimage.
