Comida Peruana

Quick news flash: Had to go back to the PC doctor and he took my cast off (again, crazy doctor experience). Limping, but able to get around with a brace. Good news. Also, my Peruvian boyfriend Panchito (the llama) has passed away of unknown causes. We are all sad here at the Center because he was a good companion for us. He used to like when we scratched his neck like a dog. One time we even played futbol with him! Poor Panchito, moment of silencio por favor. Bad news. Furthermore, the Peruvian mayorial elections has finally come to an end. Our timing for entering into Peru was perfect for arriving into the superbly passionate action that happens during election time around here. Every empty wall is painted for the candidates, every plaza is filled with campaign events, every night sky is full of fireworks. Sometimes they got so excited about the fireworks that it sounded like a war as we tried to go to sleep... not to mention all the dog fights that incited because of all of the action. It all ended this Sunday (election day), so I'm wondering what will be painted on the walls, fill the plazas, and light up the sky now that its all over! No worries, we still have over about 400 Peruvian holidays to celebrate per year. Count me in! Good news.

FOOD. We all .l.o.v.e. food. But here, not only do they love it, they obsess over it. And it's good too. Like really, really good. The food we eat here is incredibly different than what we consume in the States. Every dish is authentic PERU- all the food is not only grown here, but the dishes have also been traditionally made and passed down for hundreds of years. Whereas in the States, we have a wide variety of food types that are not necessarily even native or have any relevance to the climates that we may be in and the food dishes that we make are essentially a hodgepodge of various cultures. I have really appreciated the thick tradition that surrounds the food here though. I have tried more variety of food than I even imagine existed. Even just the Fruits! There's a bazillion fruits sold here that I never even knew existed, and tastes that I have never even dreamed of before. It's amazing! Oh and our meals- incredible. I literally finish every single meal smiling because it was so good. Lomo saltado, Aji gallina, Tomales, Carapulcra, Pacha Manca, Cuy, Ceviche, Papa a la huancayna just to name a few. Check 'em out. Cook a few of the dishes and let me know what you think!
Food is a huge part of the Peruvian culture. It is their way of showing they care and is their center piece of life. They share everything here-- one of our favorite Peruvian customs that us PCVs have caught onto is “Invitame”.. it means “Invite me”.. meaning “Give me some of that food ya got there!” More often what you'll find is the Peruvian that has the food will “Te invito” (“I invite you”) invite you to share in her/his food. It's awesome and really comes in handy when someones got some cookies you want. ;D
I will say, there are a few USA treats that I indulge in from time to time. As many people know, I am a huge fan of peanut butter. I thought ahead and brought 2 jars with me here. (PS- send more!) I was trying to save it 'til I got really desperate, buuuut it only worked for about 2 weeks in. (It's funny how when you don't have access to something, it kind of makes you crave it even more!) I was sitting at my desk studying after a long day at Training, and I couldn't stop thinking about the Peanut Butter (mantequilla de mani) jars that were sitting in my top drawer. Finally I caved in. I went over to get it in the drawer and I could feel my mouth already watering in anticipation of the peanutty goodness. Giddily I went to go sit down to open it. I could feel my heart beating fast, hands sweating- it was an adrenaline rush for sure. Just opening a jar of PB, who woulda thought! I sure am glad that my host family doesn't like it, invitame's on this one!
On the subject of food, I will be cooking for my host family tonight! Southern BBQ & Cole Slaw. I can't say that I'm not a little nervous though. The last time I cooked for them it didn't turn out so well and my host sister joked about it with me for days after... so let's see what happens this time!