During my first five months in Paraguay, I lived with two different host families, in two different cities. One thing about Paraguayan culture is that every family across the country, without fail, has asado on Sundays. Families gather and grill various meats, usually a mix of beef, chorizo and sometimes something special like blood sausage, or chinchulin (intestine), alongside heaping plates of potato salad, boiled mandioca (cassava), and sopa paraguaya (savory cornbread). Apart from the Sunday asado, Paraguayans eat a very simple, starch heavy diet, with lots of pasta, rice, potatoes and mandioca (cassava).
After walking by numerous curbside grills and being too intimidated to break through the circle of friends chatting in front of them, I eventually tried asaditos. The name basically means "little asado." They are essentially kebabs, but prepared the same way as Sunday asado in Paraguay. You can find asaditos stands on almost any corner in town. They become neighborhood gathering places. Normally people enjoy asaditos in the evening on their way home from work. It is an excuse to stop and chat with their neighbors. This is how I was able to meet many of my friends in town and stay conected with my community week by week.
