More Peruvian specialties

I like going to the grocery store (at home, too). Here in Peru, it's an adventure. What will I try this time? Today I ate my first cherimoya, an oddly shaped green fruit native to Peru. I scooped the inside out with a spoon, avoiding the large seeds. It's sweet, with a taste like pineapple and banana. Delicious!

Here are a few other treats I've tasted. The Inka Corn is what we call "corn nuts" in the US. They're giant kernels of corn. These were spicy. Next to the Inka Corn is a bottle of the national soda, Inca Kola. This bright yellow soda tastes to me like bubblegum. I'm not sure I'll need to have more than that one bottle.

Next to the Inca Kola is a bottle of locuma drinking yoghurt. Locuma (stress on the first syllable) is a fruit that tastes a like maple syrup. Mmm.

I'm eating well, in case you wondered. Today I had two turkey sandwiches. The first was at lunch, at a place where Gustavo promised me they had the world's best sandwich. I admit, it was pretty great. Turkey with onion, lettuce, tomato, mustard, mayonaise. He told me that the world's second best sandwich was at Parque Kennedy, a short walk from my apartment. I needed a walk this evening, so first I went in the opposite direction, to Larcomar, the swishy mall that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. I went to the upper deck for a bit of sea breeze, then walked among the tourists in the open-air mall.

From there, I walked to Parque Kennedy. On the way I ran into a couple I'd met at the hostel where I stayed in the first week here in Lima. I'd also run into them on the street in Cusco. Funny to see familiar faces on the street!

In Parque Kennedy, I easily found the stand where they sold the turkey sandwiches. There were a few people in front of me. Gustavo was right, this was an excellent sandwich. It had the welcome addition of a bit of spicy aji sauce. Yum.

Food in Brazil, so far

I can't believe I haven't written about food. I've been eating extremely well, thank you very much. Tonight I decided to try the pizza place I can see from the hotel window.  I've had pizza a couple of times but none like this one. This is the piece I couldn't possibly finish and so brought back to put in my mini-fridge.  

I wish I had a picture of the whole pie, complete with the smell and taste, and maybe the sight of the clay pizza oven. It was delicious--and salty, with anchovies, olives, capers, tomatoes and mozzarella. The waiter served me the first piece, and when I began to serve myself the second, he rushed over and took the utensils from me. First he took the olive pits and a bit of crust I'd left on the plate, then he served my piece. I got the message: that was his job and he was not going to stand back and let me make a hash of it.

What else have I been eating? In the schools there has been a great buffet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Also lots of meat. Always rice and beans. I've eaten at some of the buffet restaurants where you pay by the kilogram. Very nice, very basic, and pretty cheap. I've had temaki a couple of times as well.

Best of all have been the fruits and fruit juices. Bananas taste much better here than at home. Had I ever tasted fresh papaya before this? At breakfast in the hotel there is always a big tray of papaya, pineapple, melon. At the British School last week one day I had a giant portion of mango. I've had acai pulp and acerola juice, as well as fresh lemonade, orange juice, passion fruit juice and a refreshing pineapple juice with mint. I had a few bites of Pati's pineapple mint ice cream last week. Yum. In Rio, we had coconut juice straight from the coconut, then scraped out the inside with a bit of the rind. Refreshing.

I've eaten a couple of unusual (for me) combinations: a banana and cheese toasted sandwich with cinnamon, and a Romeu e Julieta, which is a mango paste with melted cheese on top. Both were tasty.

I've been asking Brazilians who have been abroad how they manage without all the fresh fruits and juices. It must be a real hardship.