In general the Peruvians continue to amaze me in all the different foods they have and the rich (rico) tastes that they all contain. The last two days have been full many new experiences when it comes to food and I have enjoyed them all very much! Growing up in the United States I don’t think I ever realized how sheltered I was to what happened outside of Alaska and the United States, so being liberated to learning a new culture and new cuisine is very exciting to me! The one food group that astounds me more than any other in Peru is the massive variety of fruits they have here. In the United States you can buy really delicious fruits in markets and other places that are very sweet (dulce) and fresh, but in Peru they have so many more types of fruit. Above you will see just one more example of a fruit that was foreign to me when I arrived and now is a normal ingredient in many juices (jugos).
Also on the food scene there is a trend to eat spicy foods. At my host family’s house we have a house keeper named Lucy who a very good cook and definitely knows how to pack a punch in the spices she mixes together for our meals! So far my favorite spice I have had is ají, which is a combination of peppers, garlic, oregano, onion, and probably a few other things that I didn’t pick up when she was describing the recipe (receta). Above you will see a magnificent dish the Lucy prepared that consisted of meat (carne), french fries (papas fritas), onions (cebollas), rice (arroz), and the delicious ají sauce!
The final thing I want to point out about my Peruvian diet is that everyone really likes ice cream (helado)! At my host family’s house we have a 5 liter container of ice cream sitting in the freezer waiting to be eaten at any time of the day! Also whenever you go to a mall or supermarket or other highly populated area there seems to be a gelato stand that has many sweet and rich ice cream choices, above is just one example of what one of these stands would look like!
Outside of eating some amazing food during the last two days I have been walking around my neighborhood (barrio) a lot with my host family as well as visiting other cites in Lima. Last night marked the first time I went on my first solo taxi ride without a Peruvian and my driver was so awesome that he told me he knew our address and then ended up trying to take us to some random clinic rather than taking us to the one in our neighborhood, luckily I knew enough Spanish to tell him off and let him know that I wanted to go home, not be fooled into being dropped off in the middle of nowhere. I had a similar experience on my first solo bus ride when riding to my university, University San Ignacio de Loyola, when the driver decided to cut their route short and turn around in order to get more passengers, thus telling us we needed to get off before the destination we paid for. Needless to say we did make it to our university today and we were introduced to some of the staff that works with international students as well as learn our way around the campus a little bit! I have a feeling that I am going to like the university a lot, it has a very warm feel and is very welcoming to internationals, as seen in my photo of all the flags (banderas) when entering the school.
One last thing before I call it a night for my blog… I LOVE how calm the life is around here and I very much enjoy the nap time (siesta) that seems to be very widely accepted after meal times! Everyday I am reminded how this trip was really ordained by God because in all circumstances I am learning new things about myself, the people around me, and how truly blessed I am!
No comments:
Post a Comment