Abuelita Linda

As we prepared for the Pachamanca on Friday afternoon, an abuelita came in to the garden where they were working. She found her way to the wood pile and sat down. Similar to most abuelitas, she has a colorful cloth wrapped around her shoulders filled with secret things. From her shoulder pack, she pulls out a blanket to cushion her wood pile chair. After a few minutes she began to speak to me in words I did not understand, unfolded her cloth to reveal a square tupperware filled with what looked like chutney. She handed me the container coupled with some sort of instruction that again, I did not understand. I asked Jael to help me and she began to translate for the abuelita and I; she speaks Quechuan, I do not. She had given me mazamora de durazno to try. One more moment in which I wished I could speak in Quechua.

She later pulled off her hat only to reveal a handful of leaves. Many in the sierra chew on coca leaves, but I recognized that these leaves were not coca. I asked why she would carry leaves in her hat. Someone repeated my question to her in words she could comprehend, for my Spanish was foreign to her. She replied, saying they were for her nervios and cast a quick smile my way.

Feliz Navidad!!

Stores here in Peru have not quite caught on to the After Christmas Sale frenzy, much to my demise! Most stores were already marking things down before the holiday so that their stock would be depleted. So my Day After Christmas here in Peru is not quite as exciting as I might like. I missed 6am lines for the limited stock items and the 75% discount on Christmas items for next year.

Being that things are celebrated late on Christmas Eve, I did not arrive at my destination before 10:30pm and even then I felt I had arrived a bit early. At midnight, the air was full of firecracker smoke and popping sounds. It was then that we all headed down the hills to the home where we planned to eat dinner. Yet again, it was though we had arrived early.

Many here in Peru either have too small of an oven or no oven at all, so the turkey is sent out to bake. The turkey was brought home after 1am and then the tables were arranged, set and the plates served. For the second night in a row, I ate dinner at 2am. Dinner was followed by the very traditional paneton y chocolate.

Christmas morning brought about another helping of paneton y chocolate. Instead of doing more dinners on Christmas Day, I rested, relaxed and baked a blackberry cobbler. I enjoyed the movie Christmas With the Kranks along with a snack of chips and salsa. Most of the evening I spent on the phone with family and friends.

Ahora nos preparamos para Año Nuevo!!!

My Knees Went Weak

I was on one of my routine visits to Wongs which is my supermercado favorito. I wanted to pick up a few things I needed for the rest of the month. Semola took me down an aisle I usually frequent only when buying rice or the occasional lasagna noodles. Before I made it 10 steps, my eyes were drawn to an unbelievable sight.

There are many things one chooses to go without when they live in an another country. Granted, any of you who have shopped with me, packed with me or had the extreme pleasure of taking me to the airport while my suitcases go to the throne of judgment - the airport scale - you are the people that know I do bring the things I know I will want to use here and simply cannot buy. There are such favorites as: pure maple syrup, red lentils, brown sugar, peanut butter chips, and a variety of spices. But one thing I do not often tote with me from sea to shining sea is Mexican salsa.

Don't get me wrong, when I can, I visit all the Chipotle's, Baja Fresh, and Chevy's possible. I get my fill of chips and salsa; all the while remembering that I gave up those delicious chips as one of the forbidden frituras. When I was in Ecuador, my friends and I did everything possible to track down the Taco Bell that was said to be in Guayaquil. Laura even smuggled Pace Picante Sauce back across the border and served it as a delicacy at Bible Study one night.

But my friends, I must confess...Old El Paso Salsa has made it to Peru!!! And not even just a few dusted covered bottles grace the shelves of the supermarket. There are muchas! It comes in HOT, Medium and mild for the variety of heat tolerance. Sure, I know you know this, but I must remind you of the novelty of bottled salsa.

Hear me now, I don't think I will ever choose to live without my Peruvian food. I wonder if God has me move to yet another country, would I tote the treasures of Peruvian gastronomia across fronteras? I don't last three days in the US without craving my Seco de Carne with arroz and yuca, sprinkled with jugo de limon laced with rocoto. Yo amo la comida peruana.

But...Old El Paso Salsa?!? I confess, the $5 bottle did not sway me. The HOT salsa made a jump for my cart and the smile could not be wiped off my face. And when I thought about sitting with a good movie and a bowl of chips and salsa...my knees went weak.