In Bolivian, when you buy something from a vendor, they usually give you a little something extra at the end which they call "yapa." For example, you buy 25 mandarin oranges for 10 bolivianos (about $1.50) and after they bag it all up for you and you pay them, they throw in an extra orange for your yapa. Or if you buy a ridiculous amount of sugar and pasta from the same lady, she might give you a small bag of salt for your yapa. Or if you go to a little stand where they make fruit juice sometimes when you give your glass back they put just a little more in it. It isn't required, but it is nice.
Over the weekend I went to the market and into the meat section to buy some chicken liver for Chief (my doggy). I paid for my kilo of liver and the lady bagged it up...then paused and sliced a bit of nearby chicken off and slipped it into the bag with a smile saying "your yapa." It sat in the fridge for a couple of days while Chief finished his other food, but I was curious what exactly I had been given when it was time to open the new bag. And inside I found this...
A lovely little chicken head. Awesome.
No comments:
Post a Comment