Peru and food

So, let's talk food. Yeah, I know I have been mentioning food in many of my posts but let's really talk food. (There will probably be more food-related posts coming since culturally some of the most unique differences happen around food, and honestly, I really like food.)

By people near and dear to me, I have been told I will eat the weirdest thing on a menu especially offal; I have heard statements about the level of spiciness I like my dishes; and I have been called a food snob.  I claim I am an adventurous eater.  I like to try the new, unique, best, interesting, etc. When going to a restaurant for the first time, especially a highly recommended one or one that has some truly unique cuisine that I may not get back to often, I frequently order way too much because I want to try everything.

[Tangent Alert! You can take the detour to get back to the main storyline]

Paul Rumbach - Uncle Buzz

I attribute this adventurous food spirit to my Uncle Buzz (Paul). He was quite a character who has had a rather significant impact on my life when it comes to food and drink.  First the drink; when I was growing up Buzz lived in my hometown for a while. One day he was sitting in our living room relaxing and asked me to get him a beer.  I believe I was about 10 give or take a year. I went to the kitchen, pulled a beer from the refrigerator, opened the bottle, and brought him the beer. I must have had a curious look on my face because Buzz asked if I wanted to try the beer.  I said sure, and he gave me the bottle. I took a drink, and almost lost it on the living room floor. I had never had anything so vile in my entire, albeit short, life (except maybe cooked carrots and beets). I couldn't understand why anyone would drink that. And for those of you who know me, I cannot comprehend drinking beer. I even had someone tell me you get used to the taste, and I thought, Why?! But my distaste for beer began with that sip from Uncle Buzz.


Now on to a more positive influence he had on me, food! In college, I spent the Spring semester of my junior year in Spain. After the term ended, I travelled around a bit.  Uncle Buzz lived with his wife Monique in Paris at the time.  I went to visit them. On the first day I was there, we went for lunch. It was June. The weather was gorgeous and we sat at a corner cafe not too far from their apartment. I remember being at a small round table and looking over the menu. Buzz looked at me over the top of his menu and asked, "is there anything you don't eat?" My response, "No. I'll eat anything." That was my mistake. I believe I had steak frites and my uncle ordered kidneys. I was grossed out at the thought at the time. I recall his dish was about as deep as a pie tin but not as large. There were five or six oddly shaped pieces of meat (but not meat) in what looked like a buttery sauce. We began to eat and enjoy our meal. A few minutes in, Uncle Buzz looked at me and asked if I would like to try the kidney.  I scrunched my face up and shook my head, saying no thank you. Reading the look of disgust on my face, he said, "But you said you would eat anything." There it was. Stabbed in the back by my own words. My feeling at that moment was fear. Going through my head was "OMG! I am going to have to eat that stuff. YUCK!" I just responded, "Yes. I did say that."  He then cut off a piece of the kidney and put it on my plate. I stuck my fork in it and put the bite into my mouth. WOW! The flavors came bursting through. There was kid of a briny taste to it. The sauce which looked greasy was almost herbaceous. The texture was a little off but the bit was tender and juicy. The furrow in my brow turned into a smile on my face, and I recall saying in an excited but questioning tone, "This is good."

I wish I could say it was like a flip of a switch and I now love everything.  It takes time to develop a taste for odd things. It was six or seven years later that I could bring myself to even consider sushi.  Wasn't a big fish fan, and raw, NO WAY! Well, thanks to Tom Tarantino, let's just say I think sushi is OK now. Considering my favorite restaurant in DC is Sushi Taro, maybe its more than OK.  Needless to say that Uncle Buzz and that meal with him had a strong impact on my life, however, I no longer say I will eat anything.  I now say I will try anything at least once and most likely twice before turning my nose up at it.

[Tangent Alert over. Resume normal story line]

Varied colors of ajís used in Peruvian cooking

If I am a food snob, I learned it from one of the best, my good friend, Amybeth. Luckily, I am in a foodie paradise with someone so knowledgeable about food. Peru has some amazing food. With a long coastline there is seafood galore; this is a potato-lovers paradise with dozens of varieties; the rain forest and jungle bring their own offerings to the table like tropical fruits and fresh water fish; there is even a level of spiciness from the ajís (peppers) used in cooking.  Peruvian food has also had centuries of influence from diverse cultures including the indigenous populations, the Spanish conquistadors, and the Coolies, asian slaves/indentured servants brought to Peru beginning in the 1600s.

Cocona - a fruit from the Amazon

I have already talked about some of the unique food I have had since I arrived while going to various markets, restaurants, and having lunch with Julie's parents.  I am going to break this topic up a bit because I feel this post is getting long, and would be its own book if I just kept writing now.  My next post will be on more "traditional" or "typical" Peruvian dishes and the dining experience in Peru.  I will follow that with one about random finds and contemporary influences in the food world.