Today was somebody's birthday at the shop. The workers have an interesting way of celebrating here. They make soup. First, they built a fire right on the shop floor. They fed it with dunnage from the trucks. Next, a big pot came out which was filled with water for the broth. The water started boiling in a short time and the vegetables were added.

The guys found it amusing that I would be so curious about their cooking. It's just that I don't get to see many people making soup in a rebar shop. (Notice, the cooking pot is sitting on a stand made out of rebar) The chief ingredient was vegetables, although in the photo the guys are cutting up cassava to throw in. There were also a bunch of other tubers which I didn't recognize. It had a wonderful aroma, however, and was very pleasant to work around.

Next came the birthday cake and singing happy birthday in Spanish. I don't know the song, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. The cake was practically soaked in rum. I told myself that the alcohol burned off while it was baking so I wouldn't feel guilty about eating it at work. I doubt this was the case. Honestly, I'm surprised the thing didn't start a conflagration when the candles were blown out. Besides, I can't offend my hosts by not celebrating with them. Can I?