Marshmallows

Until moving to Guatemala, I had always thought that marshmallows were for eating. There are lots tasty ways I've used them. Melted with some butter and added to Rice Krispies...mmm, Rice Krispie treats! Sprinkle a few on your hot chocolate...that special touch mommy used to add just for fun...but be careful you don't end up with a marshmallow mustache! In the midwest, we've all had tiny marshmallows in red jello, right? Then, almost everyone's favorite...SMORES!! Oh yeah, now we're talkin'!! A little graham cracker action, a nice big square of Hershey's chocolate and an evenly browned roasted marshmallow all squished together...gotta love it!!!

Well, in Guatemala, marshmallows have taken on a whole new form. First of all, they're not white. They come in a lovely array of pastel colors. The unique thing about them is that there is a ring of one color around the outside, with a different color in the center! Now I'm sure that people here must eat these marshmallows, but I've never seen them do it. What I have seen is Marshmallow Art! That's right. People make things out of these cute 2-colored puffs. Last week for his birthday, Kevin received three little marshmallow animals on sticks. And Monday, I received a cute marshmallow flower on a stick from Sandra for Mother's Day. Birthdays and Mother's Day are very important days in Guatemala and marshmallow penguins and bears and flowers are very inexpensive ways to let someone special know that they are loved. But they're so cute you hate to eat them!!