History is filled with great combinations: Abraham & Sarah, Romeo & Juliet, Simon & Garfunkel, and peanut butter & jelly to name just a few.

Guatemala is also littered with combinations.

When the stock of a certain product runs high in our local grocery stores, the staff tend to use packing tape to attach it to a better-selling product. Some of these combos are great and some are, well, interesting. We’ve seen black beans and Tampico (orange drink), have bought tortilla chips with spaghetti sauce and heard of steak knives taped to children’s cereal.

This method of inventory control is but another example of the cultural chasm we get to enjoy every day as we serve here in Guatemala. This is not a nuisance, just a source of laughter in the midst of the mundane.