Lomilita and Evangelica

This is my last Tuesday in Paraguay. Friday noon we will climb on plane and in less than 24 ours we will be breathing air in the US of A. In spite of all of the fun we've had and all of the wonderful people we've met, home is home.

Last night I spoke at Universidad Evangelica, which is a Mennonite school. I did this at the behest of Vincente Aguilar who is connected with the Comite Paraguay-Kansas. He is a native of Paraguay but received education at Emporia State. He invited me to give a mathematical lecture to his class and I responded with a collection of problems I've written on at my other blog . My thesis was using humor to make the teaching of mathematics more engaging. His class was to interpret what I said to the audience. In order to make a talk that could be translated, I removed the cultural references which removed most of the humor. The talk was in danger of seriously tanking until I said "the mathematical theory of sets" and the student translating translated this as "the mathematical theory of sex." A good laugh was shared by all.

Celeste drove us there, and I must commend her because this was over on the other side of Asuncion. She sat through the talk, and then on the way home convinced us to stop for Lomilita's.

Let me describe the lomilita warning you ahead of time to believe what I say as it is so incredible. Imagine if you will a hamburger, but then remove the pattie and replace it by a thinly-sliced piece of filet mignon. Yes, you read that correctly, filet mignon. I would say it was sliced between 1/8 and 1/4 in pre-cooked. But wait, my friends, there is more. Put cheese on it as you might expect. But I am not finished. Atop the cheese, which has been fused to the meat in the process of cooking, place a fried egg. Yes, you read that correctly, a fried egg. As you may recall from a previous entry, a fried egg topped the french fries served with another entry. I must say I hadn't known that the frontiers of fried egg usage had been pushed so far out.

Let me just say I ate one and a half of these at 10pm after have had steak for supper.

Yes, this might be my last Tuesday in Paraguay for a while, but parts of it I will take home in my arteries. And happily too, I might add!