By Ann Butler
Neighbors columnist
When former Peace Corps volunteers gathered for their annual reunion in late August, they certain of one thing – they would enjoy one of the most delicious and interesting potlucks in Durango.
They met at the home of John Condie and Wanda Ellingson (Nicaragua) and had worked in countries around the world, so there were some great stories. Among those countries are Tonga, South Africa, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa, St. Lucia, Chile, Ghana and Niger.
Attendees were asked to bring a dish from a country where they had served, so the menu was exotic, including Sierra Leone mangoes and dried fish; Nicaraguan gallo pinto (traditional dish of rice and beans); Kenyan ugali (cornmeal paste) and sukuma wiki (kale cooked with tomatoes, onion and spices); Tongan lu pulu (taro leaves with corned beef, onion and coconut milk); Chilean pastel de choclo (spiced ground beef with a puréed sweet corn crust); Santa Lucian acorn-squash soup; Kenyan goat stew, and rusks (twice-baked bread) and tea from South Africa.
Dessert was all-American as Tricia Zuber (St. Lucia) provided Zuberfizz root beer floats for all. Zuber, who brought her daughter Shelby, is the granddaughter of Sally Morrissey, who became a Peace Corps volunteer at 60 and was stationed in Guatemala. Morrissey was my predecessor on this column, so I have a soft spot in my heart for the Peace Corps cadre.
Other Durango attendees included Roger Ptolemy, Dennis Aronson, Jennie and Jaceson Cole, Gretchen Fitzgerald, Jim and Terri Fitzgerald and Vicki and Will Coe. Joining them from Farmington were Brian Kimmel, Mick and Amy O’Neil, Kyla Johnson and Peggy Neff.
Neighbors will move to its new home in the print edition of The Durango Herald on Sunday.
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