OK!!!!!! I first want to apologize for not posting sooner. Needless to say this has been quite an adjustment and I can finally sit down, compose myself and tell everyone what has been going on. Some of this might seem repetitive from my lovely wife’s post but I will do my best to make this interesting.
In a word...Lima is CRAZY!!! The endless symphony of taxi cabs trying to find a fare and bus drivers yelling out the destinations on their still moving vehicles for people to hop combined with a density of people that rivals anything I have seen before (save Beijing) gives this city an energy that is incalculable. This combined with my complete lack of Spanish made the first few days here mind numbing. After two weeks, my mind is still scrambled but becoming less so and I am actually beginning to get into it. It helps that we are renting a fantastic apartment in a great neighborhood that is blocks from our Spanish school. Ah, espanol…I wish I could say that I am picking up the language quickly and beginning to write my first novella in Spanish as well as conversing regularly with everyone I meet on topics ranging from politics to philosophy and pop culture, but alas, its proving difficult for me to even say “What is your name?” (Como te llama? Creo?). I will persevere and tame this beast once and for all!!!
I just want to dedicate this section of the post to one thing that has amazed me here…THE FOOD!!!! Peruvian eating schedule is similar to most southern European and Latin American countries where the main meal is lunch. Restaurants serve lunch typically two ways, either with dishes ordered ala carte or as a combination placed off of a Menu which includes an small appetizer and main dish for one set cost (generally <$10 US or sometimes <$5). Given my difficulty with the language, it was easier to order the menu as I could just point to a starter and main dish on a instead of negotiate separate dishes. Typically starters include some sort of chicken soup or salad (or even seafood…I got some baked conches at one place) and the main dishes include chicken, beef or fish. Each main dish is generally served with large portions of both rice and potatoes (so much starch!!!). The popular dishes that people tend to recommend are the Lomo Saltado (Beef with vegetables in an almost teriyaki sauce), Arroz con Pollo (of course), beefsteak (exactly how it sounds…beef baby). Furthermore, the dish of notoriety down here is ceviche. Ceviche, for those who aren’t familiar is fish, typically a white fish such as grouper or other, cooked in lime and lemon juice along with hot peppers, cilantro, and onions. In addition, the fish is served with large kernels of Peruvian corn, called choclo and a steamed sweet potato. At first, after hearing story after story about how sick people got from jumping too quickly into the cuisine, I was definitely on guard. However, after trying my first proper ceviche at the restaurant La 57 in the Barranco neighborhood, I was addicted…my Jewish stomach be damned!! I expected, upon my first bite, strong flavors to jump out all at once similar to Mexican or other Latin/south American foods. I was shocked to find the dishes were all very subtle in taste. Don’t get me wrong, they had lots of flavor, and not only that but flavor from a variety of sources, including Latin American and Asian. The use of cilantro and cayenne pepper in combination with ginger and other non-western spices made for some surprising and super enjoyable meals. I am really excited to get out of Lima and taste other foods from around Peru, including, that’s right, Cuy (google it if you are curious). Expect a full post on that soon.
Peace out!!
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