I just might get fat.

One thing that I was most worried about while planning this trip was the food. I have never been a picky eater, but I had no idea what to expect. Would it taste good? How would my stomach handle it? Questions like this swam through my mind. However, after two weeks here in Lima my I can confidently say that I will be more than satisfied with the food here.

My first meal was breakfast the morning after my flight, and I was very surprised to find a box of "Captain Crunch" (one of my personal favorites) on the table. I thought, "Oh good, they eat breakfast cereal." But then my host brother explained that he had bought the cereal to help me slowly get accustomed to Peruvian cuisine. Not only did he not normally eat cold cereal, he didn't know how it was served. So we had our first breakfast of "Captain Crunch" out of shallow bowls with warm milk. Since then we've been eating Peruvian food for the most part.

For breakfast we always have blended papaya and oranges with bread. To go along with this we have eggs and ham or oatmeal and coffee. The oatmeal is very different from American oatmeal. It is really thin. In fact it's more like heated milk with few bits of oats and sugar mixed in. The coffee, is different as well. It starts with a cup of hot milk and one mixes in some concentrated liquid coffee and sugar. In the U.S. I never had coffee because I don't like it black, but I have actually grown to like it here. We start the day off eating well and I haven't missed my cold bowls of "Honey Bunches of Oats."

Lunch is the big meal of the day and normally we just have some left overs for supper. Most of my meals have been prepared by my host family and the maids and they are very good cooks. Lunch has to be one of my favorite times of the day and I have had some very tasty meals ranging from meat patties and rice to guinea pig. If I were to talk about all of them this would turn into a thesis so I will stick to the most memorable.

Ají de Gallina

One of my favorite dishes I've had so far was "Ají de Gallina." It is a delicious scoop of shredded chicken mixed in a sauce of peppers, nuts, milk, cheese and onion. On the side we had hard boiled eggs and like just about all of the dishes here it was served with rice. It was delicious and I enjoyed two helpings.

The most talked a out dish here in Peru has to be "Ceviche." This plate is raw fish drowned in lemon juice, peppers, and onions. With this we had baked yams and a side of something similar to pop corn. The combination of sour and slightly hot created an interesting flavor. Supposedly the acid from the lemon juice kills any germs that might be in the fish. I wasn't totally convinced and wasn't crazy about the texture, but managed to eat the whole dish. I had this meal in the indoor market near our condo. The atmosphere was very different as there was raw meat and bananas hanging on hooks overhead of all the little shops. We were able to witness the creation of these dishes as they were prepared right in front of us. I watched everything from the skinning of the fish, juicing of the lemons, to the chopping of the onions. Just because everything about the meal was different from what I am used to, I wasn't able to truly enjoy the food. My stomach handled the food well and I did like the flavor. So I hope to try this dish again with the confidence that I won't get sick.

Pisco Sour

The most American dish I've had was steak covered in cream of mushroom served with vegetables and grilled potato triangles. The steak wasn't quite like Nebraskan steak but it was still very good. The sauce was very tasty and went well with the meat. The vegetables here seem to be fresher and the potato triangles were scrumptious. Along with this meal we were served a Peruvian drink called a "Pisco Sour." Pisco is the liquor of Perú and my host family made sure to convince me that it was not first made in Chile. I believe that there is a little bad blood there. Anyway, the drink was made with pisco, egg white, sugar, and lemon juice. It was delightful. The plate with the pisco sour was delicious and I found myself wanting more when I had finished it.

Cuye. Head and two halves.

And now the fried guinea pig or "cuye" here in Perú. When my host brother first told me what we were having I couldn't help but laugh thinking of little pets back in the U.S. The rodents were brought home skinned and gutted from the market. My host grandmother did the rest by cutting the heads off and splitting the bodies down the spine. From there they were battered and fried. Served with the guinea pig was rice, potatoes, and onions doused in lemon juice. To me it tasted like the dark meat of a turkey. We ate them with our hands, but it was hard for me to get much meat off the bones. I personally did not eat the head, but one of the uncles at the table did. I must say that it was a little gross. That said, I did enjoy the meal and will probably have it again sometime.

To say that I have been eating well would be an understatement. If I don't cut down on the food or start to get some more exercise I could very well put on some weight of the wrong type. When I return home I will definitely miss my host grandmother Mamatere if for here hospitality and here wonderful cooking.   




       

My Peruvian Home Life

Things have been going really well down here in Lima. I've been here a week and I've got no complaints. However, just about everything is different than what I am used to; particularly my time in the home.

The main thing that's different for me is having maids living in the house. My host family right now has two maids staying with us full time because there are a lot of things to do to prepare for my host sister's wedding. They cook, clean, and wash the clothes. They are very polite, but seem a bit impersonal. My host brother Toño, whom I spend most of my time with, never formally introduced me to them like he did with his friends and family. When we have our meals it is in traditional European Peruvian style. We eat lunch and breakfast together at the dining room table. The maids bring out the plates to one person at a time and once everyone has been served they return to the kitchen and eat there meals there. I smile and say thank you, but rarely get any noticeable response from them. There is a bit of a language barrier but my Spanish is good enough to converse with other members of the family. Perhaps it is seen as a bit unprofessional to talk with house guests. I suppose hired help is just something I'll need to get used to.

With the wedding coming up I have had the pleasure of being with the entire Duarte family. There have been many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews coming in and out of the house throughout the week. The men introduce themselves with hand shakes and the women with kisses on the cheek. All have been very nice and I have tried to talk to just about all of them with my broken Spanish. The conversation usually turns to Peru, Nebraska when I tell them where I'm from. The small town is pretty famous down here due to a video of some Peruvian celebrities visiting it. The video is on you tube and the title is "Peru visits Peru" if you want to take a look at it.

Going back to the family, the children are nice to have around and keep the place lively. They are actually the easiest ones for me to speak Spanish with because they talk a little slower and have a more basic vocabulary. Elementary schools are also starting to teach in English half the day so one of the girls likes to throw an English word into the conversation when ever possible.     

Dancing. There were more people but I was late taking photos.

Earlier my host mother, Mari, had a big celebration for her birthday. Unfortunately I had class for the first two hours, but when I got back there were people drinking and dancing to salsa music. I made my way around the party and had some drinks and a little conversation. I did make it out to the dance floor for a song or two, but felt outclassed watching people three times my age moving their feet with more rhythm than I could.


Towards the end of the night we brought out the cake and sang the Spanish equivalent of "Happy Birthday." Afterwards there was more music, dancing, and conversation until about 1:00 a.m. It was definitely different than any birthday party I had been to before and I enjoyed the experience.

Toño and I (Daniel in middle)

I like the position that I am in with my hosts. I think that my family here is a good fit for keeping me out of culture shock, but at the same time having me try new things. I hope to get to know them and their traditions better as we make our way through this semester. 

The First Days

All the goodbyes had been said and I was ready to get on a plane to Lima, Peru. I knew that I would miss the friends, family and familiarity of Kearney, but I was very excited to go. The flights went very smoothly and I landed in Lima safely on last night. I made it through immigration and customs without a hiccup and was greeted by the smiling face of my new Peruvian roommate. We arrived at his home later that night. The condominium is in a little gated neighborhood with a man always at the entrance. I don't like the necessity for a gate and I guard, but I understand and definitely feel safe. It is a nice place with a location close to UPC. I have plenty of room and a bed to sleep on and that is all I ask for.
Today I met his mother and grandmother. They are very nice people and cooked us a very tasty meal of chicken, rice, and potatoes. I can't remember the name, but it is a traditional dish from Huancayo, which is a city in the central highlands of Peru.

We took a bus to downtown today and that was an adventure in itself. The traffic was insane. The rule was get to where you were going as fast as possible, regardless of other drivers.The attendant on the bus leaned out the widow yelling out destinations. The bus would stop for an instant for people to load then would take off again before the door was shut. There were children selling candy and another man preaching politics for money as far as I could understand. All that said however, I did find myself enjoying the ride. We walked around downtown and looked at some shops. We got to the coast and I got a nice view of the ocean.

If the remainder of the trip goes half as well as the first two days, it will be a great semester here in Lima.