Call of the Kiosks

What would you say has been your best experience at a kiosk? And what is a kiosk, exactly?

My best, most enlightening kiosk moment happened one evening when the sun went down in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. It was there, in Puerto Ayora, the most populous town on Santa Cruz Island, that a row of low-key, nondescript, humble storefronts became a bustling, street-food smorgasbord.

A Street Transforms

No kidding! This road, known locally as Calle de los Kioscos (Kiosk Street), is populated during daytime by vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians. At dusk it becomes seating for approximately fifteen restaurants. Wafting over the tables from the kitchens and grills lining the street is a mouth-watering smell.

The local chefs prepare fresh fish, chicken, octopus, shrimp, and vegetables to accompany the traditional food of the islands — rice, beans, and plantains. The more adventurous eaters in our group ordered the fried octopus, but I went for the pollo encocado, chicken with a rich coconut sauce, that is a classic of the Ecuadorian coast.

Typical Tab

The cost of our meals on the street was between US$10 and US$15, quite reasonable for tourists given the amount and freshness of the ingredients. Our group, composed mostly of visitors from the US, enjoyed beers, sodas, and sweet fruit juices with our dinners. We felt lucky to have found delicious food with a pleasing, laid-back atmosphere.

Don’t Forget to Visit Santa Cruz Island

Take all of this in with the context of the island. Santa Cruz is 381 square miles, with over 90 percent of the land reserved as a national park. It hosts the largest population in the archipelago with approximately 18,000 inhabitants, most of whom live in Puerto Ayora.

The tourism industry is thriving in Puerto Ayora, and one of the highest sought-after jobs is as a tour provider or naturalist tour guide. For me, any job would be fine as long as I can eat once in a while at Kiosk Street!

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