Maido- Lima, Peru

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: If they have a small supply of uni, take it all screw everyone else

I have not really explored Nikkei food, which Japanese cuisine with Peruvian influence. There is a big Japanese community here and access to fresh seafood, there are Japanese restaurants all around here. Though I love Peru’s homage to all things pork, I decided to try Nikkei food one night, to lighten it up a bit. I decided to try Maido which I heard about and also, it was within walking distance from my hotel and trekking for two weeks, I was starting to get lazy. Opened by Mitsuharu Tsumura, it one of the hot spots to eat at. I got there early and by early I mean in Peruvian standards so like 7:45. I sat at the bar where I was ambushed by a over-eager host that honed in on my Gringo vibe and was trying to up sell me hard, to a point where I was about to get up and leave and get myself a pork sandwich. However, thankfully the chef himself took over and smoothed it all out. Realizing that the head chef was personally attending to me, I decided to just go straight nigiri style, I told him to give me a couple pieces of sushi, whatever you got, give me your best omakase style. He smiled and proceeded to feed me some tasty food.  

I got a little I guess amuse that was chunks of salmon, slices of cucumber in a tahini lke dressing. It was good and no one told me what it was, but I just took it and went with it.  I started off with a Uni and to my surprise, it was really good. It is less briny and “ocean” tasting than I had from other places but there is this crispness that is different from any other Uni I have eaten before.  Onto the sushi flight!

Offal Good Eating in Arequipa

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: If meat is being grilled on a stick, immediately get it, you can ask questions later

Doorway to awesome

Sometimes, despite all the research I may do on a city, there are just places that you are meant to stumble upon. Not a place that is mentioned in guidebooks or chowhound, just somewhere you find while wandering around.  Arequipa has many great restaurants on the high end scale, but I walked by them and I they were kind of empty and cold and I was just not feeling it. After a momentary walk, snack of some street churros I found myself walking towards the San Camillo Market area and that is when I found this place. I call it this place because there was no name to the place, just a banner pronouncing “salchichas” and a grill cart that was wafting a smoky perfume into the street.  It had all the signs of a good place to eat: lots of people, meat on a stick, cases of beer and I was clearly the minority. Actually, I do not think they had salchichas, or at least any that I could see people eating. 

Wok of awesome

On the grill was anticuchos, beef heart skewers which was more than enough reason to eat here. But there on the side is a bowl slowly sizzling away got me excited, a wok of offal bits ranging from chitterlings to tripe it had it all. I immediately ordered a mix plate of all and hade one of the best meals in Arequipa. The mix plate came with potatoes without saying and a rocoto sauce that despite my usual rules of avoiding salsas that may contain water, I ignored and willingly accepted any consequences that may have resulted. 

Chitterlings

The chitterlings were soft, chewy and fatty and had a slight crisp on the outside. The barnyard essence was not horribly apparent but was still good. The Anticuchos on the other hand were great. The beef was tender, flavorful and I ordered an extra one because I just could not get enough. The rocoto sauce on the side was slightly peppery and sweet and great sauce to slather on everything. For the budget conscious the whole meal cost 15 soles and came without any after meal consequences that can result from eating such foods. Sure this place is not for everyone, I am one of these weird people that like to eat offal good, even the guy that sat down across from me asked if I knew what I was eating. When I answered affirmatively, and a quick interrogation on my background/ethnicity amusingly quipped not that many gringos would eat this. I take that as a compliment. 

Who says mystery meat is bad?

Chicharronera Cecilia

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: I love cities that have streets devoted to pork

On a strip, about a 10 minute drive from the Cathedral Center of Arequipa is a magical place. Pulling onto Avienda Arancota you are hit with a momentary panic. There seems to be nothing on this road as it extends out into the barren hills. You are pretty sure the taxi driver is wrong and you are about to get jacked but finally a gaggle of buildings appear and your panic subsides as you pull into Chicharronera Cecilia where the sheer amount of cars and people, have you wonder if the majority of the Arequipa population is here in this spot. 

Chicharronera Cecilia fall into the category of a picanteria technically in the sense that families come here mainly on the weekends and eat the afternoon away but it is more than that. It is a party pavilion and I mean pavillon literally. The main show of Chicharronera Cecilia is double dickered pavilions filled with people and live music and a dance floor. 

the band

I most definitely stood out here, not too many Asians in this part, especially here. But after I sat down, I was soon “adopted” Bragelina style by a family in which they tried to make conversation with me and feed me Inka Cola and beer, not mixed of course. Due to noise and having a long last name, I only really got the head of the family’s name Luis who insisted on me drinking multiple beers with him. For those following, I am not a big drinker but it was rude to not accept it. However later I wish I did, because it paid for it the next morning on my way to the Colca Canyon. 

The thing to get here is pork. If you do not get pork here, you have wasted your time. Fried pork goodness is what you get here and the only question is how much of it you want. It is or course, served with fried sweet potatoes, a fried potato (never can have enough papas) and salsa criolla. The pork is a cut of the belly with the lion attach giving you a range of cuts and the sucker is deep fried. The mixture of booze and fatty pork was almost overwhelming.

the ktichen

Cecilia is more than just a restaurant, it is a retreat, I mean in the back of the party pavilion was a big playground for kids. It is a place for families and all to come and relax on Sunday, drink, dance and have the odd chance of getting a gringo tipsy on booze and pork.

my regret- selling pork rinds, they were too big, like bigger than my head

Chicharronera Cecilia

Avenida Arancota

(If your taxi driver doesn’t know where this is, be wary)

Amor Amar Restaurante, Lima

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Stop taking the crappiest looking taxis. Splurge and pay the extra 4 soles for a nicer one

I am pretty sure that my taxi driver was trying to kill me when he made the most abrupt stop ever on Garcia y Garcia Street in Barranco. I was on my way to go eat at Amor Amar and when I told him, “para aqui” that apparently meant hit the brakes as hard as possible and attempt to fling me to the front seat. I guess for finagling the smooth price of 6 soles, I may have deserved it. Barranco is a working class area of Lima, at least this is how it was described to me but it is just a bit less residential than Miraflores. I was going to try out this new place called Amor Amar and walking down the street, there was absolutely no sign of a restaurant here. When I arrived at Amor Amar, it was just a sign and I almost had to force my way in through the heavy door. I guess they were trying to go for the Secret Garden or speakeasy theme because it worked I guess. Once you step in, you are completely transported to a swank, airy and sexy space. Sexy is the only way I can describe it, I expected there to be just hot women lounging around and given the way the hostess was dressed, my mind was not far off. Sorry, back to the restaurant. 

Amor Amar is fairly new and opened about the previous year. It is owned by the same folks that run Pescado Capitales and I was eager to try it. The start off, I got a complimentary shot of leche de tigre. Surprisingly, I think this the first time I actually had it given the amount of cevicherias I have eaten at. It is basically the run off juices of ceviche and it is suppose to get your appetite going. 

Tiger Milk

 This is obviously a more refined version but it was good nonetheless, acidic, slightly fishy (good thing in this case) and spicy I was ready and hungry. Rarely have I had a bread basket at any place I have eaten at here in Peru, I mean I guess if the majority of your travel diet is from street/market food you should not be really expecting one. The bread, a rosemary brioche, a wheat roll and grissini was hot, soft and tasty. The kicker was the “butter” that came with it. It was not just “butter” it was whipped butter with cheese, honey crumble, dehydrated olives and honey. I could have just eaten this butter concoction on its own, sweet, savory, salt and dare I say, unami? It hit ever taste bud.

I had a few tasty bites in the market that morning, and wanted something simple so I started out with a no shit ceviche of sole and octopus. The ceviche came out with of course, sweet potato and the huge mutant corn. The ceviche was the textbook example of what a ceviche should be. The octopus was sliced thin and the acidity tenderized it and did not have any gumminess to it. It paired nicely with the fish and slices of hot peppers added a nice spicy bite. Food after jump!

Picanteria La Capitana

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Does not matter where I am or if I am trying, I end up eating food off of someone else’s plate

Arequipa is known for Picanterias which are these eateries that serve up traditional eats. It is a typical place that families hit up on the weekends, specifically on Sundays and eat and lounge out. There are not really located in the Historic District where I was staying and require a short taxi ride or a walk to get to some of these places. I read about Picanteria La Capitana as one of the best ones to eat at before arriving in Arequipa. I later confirmed that this was the place to eat when I asked my new found friends at the market. 

From the Cathedral, it was a 4 Sole taxi ride. I walked back to the Cathedral center after my meal and it was about a 20 minute walk, at least for me. La Capitana is located in the suburbs part of Arequipa but the street it is located on is quite empty and nothing around it screams out food. It is the literal definition of a hole in the wall in which there is just a doorway and the words, “La Capitana” engraved above it. Even when you walk through the doorway, the only indication that there is a restaurant here is the posted menu and after going through a 10 foot alley way, you are transported to a busy restaurant. 

You seat yourself here however, Chinatown seating rules are in effect here in which if there are open chairs where you are sitting, when it gets busy a family or people will sit with you. The menu is not that big, but the portions are hefty and the food is heavy so I was unable to eat that many things from the menu. Most can get the set meal which is the dobIe but given I had fried pork in my future, I decided against it. I started off with the Rocoto Relleno and pastel de papa. The Rocoto Relleno is a stuffed pepper that is popular here and the pastel de papa is a version of potato gratin. The Rocoto Relleno is stuffed with meat (beef), cheese, potato and onion and topped off with more cheese. I read that it is spicy but I only got a hint of heat. The Rocoto Relleno was good and had some earthy spices in it. The pastel de papa was good as well, but it will fill you up and sits in you like a Ford F-150…driven by Paula Deen pre-diabetes announcement. The pastel de papa is covered with not just cheese but egg yolks as well, if the potatoes soaked in cream was not enough for you. It was really good and I had to control myself from finishing it off. Food After the Jump!

Pescado Capitales

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: So ordering a entrée for an appetizer is not common practice?

Lima is one of my favorite cities to eat in mainly because of their wide array of food and the fresh seafood. One cannot go to Lima and not eat at a cevicheria, and in my crazy mind that should be a priority. After finding a place to crash, find a cevicheria to eat at. Most of the well known cevicherias are located on Avienda La Mar in Miraflores which is an interesting street because it is just cevicherias and auto shops along this stretch. I do not know if there is a correlation, maybe while your car gets worked on, you can relax and eat some ceviche while you wait. Just an idea and something I would do. 

Last year I went to El Mercado which was great but I decided to try Pescado Capitales which is one of the places that locals and tourists all recommend. The name of the restaurant is a play on “capital sins”; pecado is the Spanish word for “sin”, hence capital sins. Thankfully, they do not do anything cheesy or gimmicky with the décor for it is modern, airy and relaxing. However, the menu plays a bit on the whole Capital sins theme, from have sections that a diner can eat from “indulgence”, “greed” and “virtue”, stuff like that. The themes plays sidekick to the food and does not interfere with good food. 

roasted corn

They start off with roasted corn that you find at a lot of places in Peru. It is roasted corn that gets a fryer treatment and sprinkled with salt, a great bar snack. When you first eat it, crisp and salty but the more you chew it, it gets dry. I personally like to use it as an organic crouton and sprinkle it in soups and such. At a cevicheria you have to get a ceviche or some kind of raw fish preparation. I started off with their namesake ceviche, the Capitale Ceviche. It had three kinds of fish, sole, tuna and salmon, and three kinds of peppers, aji, rocoto and lime. The ceviche comes with the standard accompaniment of a boiled sweet potato and boiled sweet corn. The ceviche was big and was topped with seaweed that was refreshing and crunchy. Though it was a mix of fishes, each one still had a distinct taste. The addition of peppers was present, but was not overbearing. The sweet potato and the corn are necessary I realized in order to balance and cut the heavy acidity of the dish. Also, I think it is also filler but nonetheless, they tasted great. Food After the Jump!

Colca Canyon, Peru

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Condors are ugly looking. Parental discretion is advised when viewing.

el Misti in the background in Arequipa

I did not start off well that first morning of my trek in the Colca Canyon. We had a 3 hour bus ride from Arequipa to the Canyon and I had too much pork (I know not possible right?) and booze in my system and 20 minutes into the ride, I had to pee, really bad. Oh yeah, it is 3:30 in the morning. I can do without that experience again. The Colca Canyon is located in the South of Peru whereas the ever popular Inca Trail and Cusco, is in the north. It is one of the deepest Canyons in the world so Grand Canyon, you are on notice, you have to step it up. The Colca Canyon is also home to many villages too as well as the Andean Condors. The Condors are the thing that busloads of people with SLR cameras and fanny packs come to see to get that one shot of the Condors. They are apparently endangered and have a huge wingspan and I admire its majestic qualities and all, but it is an ugly bird. We were lucky, going in late March which is usually a bad time to see the Condors but we were able to get a few shots of a couple flying around. Also while we were going back to Arequipa after the trek, another few by and I never seen people jump out of a van so quickly that was not on fire. Also, do not start shouting Condor at these tourist stop points, people do not appreciate it and apparently anger German tourist greatly as I found out. 

Condor

The trip starts out in Arequipa, where depending on whom you booked your trek with; you are picked up around 3am with others and driven to the Colca Canyon. With a stop for breakfast and Condor picture taking, we stopped literally in the middle of an empty road and that was the start point. Our guide Roy, was apparently not on the same bus as us and we had to wait for a good 10 minutes before he arrived, other than the awkward waiting around with two Frenchies that did not speak much English, Roy was a great guide. Roy was pointing out things about the Canyon and the plants and vegetation. He talked about the towns in the Canyon as well as how peopled lived there. 

The Canyon itself is beautiful and massive in which the cloud hovers in the Canyon walls. There is a mix of terrain from rich, fertile ground to dry cactus breeding desert. The people in the canyon are friendly as well as the kiddies who apparently after the 5^th or 6^th grade have to make the commute and stay in Cabanaconde for school. Coming home for the weekend is a bit harder when you have to climb in and out of the Canyon. There is this Oasis called the Sengalle in the Canyon that has pools that you can kind of relax and cool in. The water is from the mountains and besides the random waifs of mule shit, it is nice and refreshing to jump into. 

Sengalle- random swim hole and green stuff

The trek itself is a challenge and anyone that tells you otherwise is a liar or Ivan Drago. But again, a relative fit individual should have no problem in doing this trek. The only difficult part is the last day, getting out of the Canyon which is just a long way up. There is a bit of an altitude adjustment, it is about 3,000 meters so you need to watch out for that. Coca tea really does help and though it taste just as good as it looks: dead leaves. The taste is actually not that bad and it grows on you and the addition of sugar helps too. 

After the climb out of the Canyon, you do a bit of sightseeing and stop at a few touristy spots. I really say touristy because at one place, they were making pisco sours for the Gringos. There is also a stop at a hot springs but my group had no interest in it but others in our collective  bus did so be prepared to sit around for an hour.

Tips and Run down of the Trek:

1.       You can do this solo without a guide. But if you choose to go with a guide there are multiple tour companies that offer a trek in the Canyon. I went with Colonial Tours and I paid 160 Soles for a three day trek. You can do this trek in 2 days or if you want to go hardcore, do it in one. The three day is still a challenge and lets you linger and check out the towns in the Canyon in my opinion but to each their own.

2.       The trail is very Gringo friendly in which is nicely laid out and you have to be kind of dumb to get lost. Not much mud, but a lot of loose gravel and rocks.

3.       The canyon gets real cold at night and pretty hot during the day so pack accordingly.

4.       Similar to well, any trek a headlamp is a nice thing to have as there is no electricity

5.       You have the option of getting a mule to ride out of the canyon. Don’t. Everyone will laugh at you and call you a little bitch behind your back or to your face in multiple languages. Also if you are an American, don’t make us look bad.

6.       Food was okay. Lunch and dinner was soup and a plate of food. Nothing special, but not inedible, food to keep you going, I suggest snacks. Also, the last day you are horded to a Tourista Comida and have to eat at this all you can eat buffect place. You really have no choice, because there are no other food options around and you are 3 hrs out from Arequipa. It is 20 soles and the food kind of sucks. Lots of unknown fried stuff and watery stew thing and a disgusting rocoto relleno. Suggest loading up on the veggies and salad because they are made for Gringos and safe for Gringo stomachs.

7.       Went in late March, the weather was fine and rained one night for about an hour. Other than hearing land/rock sliding in the Canyon, thankfully on the other side of the Canyon it was fine.

San Camillo Market- Arequipa, Peru

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Lamb head soup in the morning, could that be the coffee replacer?

After spending another lovely evening in the Lima Airport, I took an early morning flight to Arequipa. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru but has a pretty small airport. However, it is probably one of the most beautiful airports to arrive to as you step off the airplane and greeted with El Misti in the background. I arrived hungry and the last thing I ate was when I was still in Colombia and I went into food finding mode and immediately went looking for the market. 

Mucho Papas

San Camillo Market is the oldest in Arequipa and the biggest and has lots and lots of tasty food options.

The market is actually well organized and has signs hanging over head, categorizing parts of the market from meats, juices, fruits and even menudo (offal). It does not matter if you are clearly a tourist or gringo, everyone will try and sell you what they got. Some are quite convincing when I walked out with a bag of fruit or others not so much when a meat vendor tried to selling me a side of beef. When I informed her that I was visiting Arequipa and posed the question to her of where I was suppose to cook it, she lowered the price by 5 soles. 

However there is of course lots of food to eat. One thing to understand is that it is cold in the mornings so soup or adobo is a logical choice for a morning meal. Plus it is hearty and keeps you going all day. One of the specialties of the area is the cabeza de cordero sopa. Those that have not rushed to the Google translate tab I will save you the trouble that is Lamb head soup. The lamb head soup section in located on the second floor and there are about 3-4 proprietors selling this lovely soup and I went with Maria’s lamb head soup because it had the most people there. One thing I must specify is that you can pick the part of the head you want. I cannot stress this enough and I did not realize this till afterwards but thankfully, I guess she wanted to play scare the Chinito, she gave me the right jaw and the tongue. For those that are wary of eating heads, you are missing out on some great soup. The Soup and more Food after the jump!

Peru: Assume the standing postion, Street Food Part II

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: You can not go wrong with Purple Drink...unless it is washed in a dirty water bucket

Not everything that I ate was completely cavity inducing. I did not however have a savory empanada that was a complete failure. My empanada catalyst was a carne filled, composed of ground beef and onions which in my eyes a standby and always had a good dose of cumin in them, bringing a great earthiness. Empanadas are a staple in Latin American cuisine but vary from country and region.

Mainly a snack, but eating one or two of these can easily be a meal. Most empanadas that I have encountered before coming to Peru were like over-fried dumplings filling sparingly. However the empanadas in Peru are baked and pack a curb stomping punch. Although I am a fan of basically anything fried, I like the baked empanadas better. The exterior is tender and is not dry at all and is a perfect blanket for the meaty filling. 

Speaking of meat, I could not leave Peru without sampling some antichuos. Antichuos is the general term for describing meat on a stick. The meat is generally beef, alpaca or if you are real special beef heart. Most people ask me, are you not scared that you will get sick or some weird meat disease? The simple answer is no. Most times that I have made the bathroom a base camp have generally been the result of fruits, vegetables and the local water.

Antichuos- skewered meat

next streetMeat is a safer option and street meat there is really no option for rare, it is usually well done and I also follow my general rule of if I do not see anybody eating from there, especially locals, I will not eat there as well. That is my greatest indicator for street food because if there are locals eating there, it is a green light for me, I mean think about it, if they were getting sick and dying from her food, how long is she going to stay in business? She can’t kill her clientele. The first antichuo I had was in Cusco, I was told it was alpaca meat but I honestly could not tell if it was but I just know it was heavily seasoned and it was good. The other time I had antichuo was in Aguas Calientes and it was mind blowing because this lady was grilling on a makeshift grill with a tarp for a ghetto awning and using one of those old fireplace pumps to keep the coals hot on the grill. Her antichuos were amazing that I sat, well stood there eating and letting the smoke and meat flavors penetrate every pore of my body. I was able to try beef heart, which I was able to identify and it was delicious. I am happy that beef heart is still not on the trendy offal train yet keeping the prices of hearts down. 

Love she is using the fireplace pump

Antichuos are great and the only bad thing I can say about them is when they slap a wedge of potato at the end of the stick. Although I am a fan of the potatoes in Peru, all the antichuos I had the potatoes were pretty cold and gummy and was not worth the stomach space. The meat was heavily spiced so naturally you will get thirsty which brings me to my treat…

This is just alpaca...at least thats what she told me

Chi cha and other drinks can be found all over the streets, just look for the buckets. Most of these beverage vendors sell what I call the core three of chi cha morada, chi chia and quinoa drink. I am wary about anything that uses the indigenous water because I know for a fact that my stomach is not trained for this. Me being me…well I had tried the chi cha morada. Here is a tip, as for the drink to go where they will pour it in a bag for you and give you a straw making it the most hygienic and safest way for you to drink it. I saw the water that the street beverage proprietor was washing it in and uhh…yeah it was not to pretty. Chi Cha Morada is a non-alcoholic drink that is made with purple corn and pineapple juice. For me it was refreshing, but tooth aching sweet. However I guess this is the original purple drank, sorry Kool Aid Man. The other drink that I had was straight Chi Cha. Chi Cha is an alcoholic corn beer/liquor and I had this on the first day of the trail. Our guide was offering it to us and told us to take a swig and pour a little bit to mother earth, not wanting to offended or look like a bitch, I of course took a swig of it. Chi Cha is fermented corn as I stated, but they way they ferment the corn would make a Health Inspector faint. Corn is chewed to a pulp and then spit out and mixed in order to encourage fermentation, so human saliva is involved in the creation of this drink, especially in the rural areas of Peru…like the villages in the Andes. Getting past the fact of drinking spit swapping, it does not taste bad, it just tastes like a light beer with a heavy corn taste. Note that not all Chi Cha is made like this, just in the more rural areas. Thankfully I did not experience any discomfort because that would stink…especially still had 3 days of hiking ahead of me.

Drink Buckets of unknown origin...actually reminds me any party in college

Lima had all of these street food vendors all over the place and the most notable was the ones that littered Kennedy Park. One of the notable ones was this guy named Don Fredy and he was selling turrones of all kinds. 

By all kinds I mean the suave and the crocantes meaning the smooth ones and the crunch ones. Turrones are generally nougat like candy but the ones that Don Fredy is selling are more like cakes. The suave turron is sandy on the outside and has a chewy layer of sticky sugar in the middle and the crocantes is a brick of crunchy, sticky goodness. Due to a language barrier and realizing that this treat made me a bee magnet, I was unable to ask Don Fredy more about these treats and what they are made of. I just know it was good and tasty. 

Suave turrone

Crocrante turrone

Lima in the morning is pleasant and on almost any corner, there are what I call sandwich breakfast carts. They are green carts that are dishing out some kind of beverages and multiple sandwiches. Me being curious and always being hungry, I snagged a random sandwich and found out in my game of sandwich roulette I got a ham and avocado sandwich. I unfortunately was unable to take a picture of the sandwich due to the insane amount of foot traffic. I also had fresh squeeze orange juice, sandwich tasted better than the juice; although fresh, it was not really that sweet but for a breakfast of 1 USD, you can not really complain. 

Tortas and more beverages of unknown origin...I'm down

Lima StreetThe last of the street foods that I had was hard boiled quail eggs. I mean, it is not even a cart really, it is a basket on wheels and one of the most minimal street food operations I have seen and impressive. In a pot of boiling water from an undetermined heat source, quail eggs are thrown into the boiling pool and in just a few short minutes in the middle of the busy you are snacking on hard boiled quail eggs. The quail eggs that I snacked were more like soft boiled eggs when gave them a soft yolk making them that much better. A sprinkling of salt and I was satisfied.

No idea how she is boiling the quail eggs

I always like eating street food in other countries because I truly enjoy it. I do not do it to be a knock-off Andrew Zimmer or to play the macho game. Okay, maybe I do eat street food to dabble in the food version of, “Can you top this” but I think street food is a great representation and best way to experience a country. Not only do I end up eating well, I always get to meet people, locals mainly that are passionate about food and are always willing to talk about themselves and lives. I would have not met Maria, the picarones lady in Aguas Calientes that have been making picarones for the past 4 years and is generally only there when her son is playing soccer. I have no problem paying top dollar for food or sitting down with a jacket and tie, but I found out the best experiences I have had while traveling have been around food that I have found in simple settings, outside, and on the street.

Peru: taking it to the streets, food that is! Part I

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: If it taste good and I do not get sick from it, street meat of dubious origins are okay by me

The good thing about traveling on my own is that I can create my own itinerary and by my own itinerary I mean, I get to eat wherever I want. Sure I like pizza and burgers but I am not that interested in eating the Cusco or Lima version of pizza. As much as I like sitting down and having a good meal, I like snacking which not only optimizes stomach space and allows me to try lots and lots of things. I think street food and snacking is a good way to learn, which I am always trying to do. For example, I learned is that we are busy people. We all got stuff to do and we get hungry and do not have the time to sit down and order something. Sometimes you just need a quick and tasty snack to get you through to the next meal or something late at night to soak up all that booze and get a good night sleep. It is food like this that you meet interesting people and have great experiences and also, 99% you are eating while standing or walking which I always felt makes food taste even better.  

Chips with Mayo and Inca Kola

 I of course start off with a bag or chips and soda. At home, I rarely eat chips unless I am downing a sandwich, and I prefer kettle cooked because I like the tooth-cracking crunch from the chips. When I travel abroad, I am fascinated by the awesome choices of junk food abroad and how they are so much cooler and better than what we got in the US. Okay, not that much better but if you grew up with honey bbq being the exotic flavors; having seaweed flavored Pringles in Japan will blow your mind. The chips cost about…5 cents US and were a step above Lays chips. They were less greasy and not overly salty. The chips may not be a big mind blower, but the chips came with a condiment, specifically a side of mayonnaise. Squirting mayonnaise on the potato chip was…interesting. I am not sure if I really like it nor do I hate it, but I can see why people may like it and it worked well with the drink of choice in Peru, Inka Kola. First time I saw Inka Kola it reminded me of the now defunct soda Surge due to its electric nuclear yellow color and was almost expecting it to be like Surge except for the XTREME part. Inka Kola taste like a grassy version if cream soda and I can see this pairing perfectly with pastrami on rye. Inka Kola is the most popular drink in Peru and bigger that Coca Cola. 

Prickly Pears

 One thing I kind of regret is not eating a variety of fruit while I was here but I did however eat a lot of prickly pears. Mainly indigenous to Latin America although actually has origins from Europe apparently, the prickly pears have a melon-like texture similar to papaya and taste similar to a honeydew but the sweetness is a lot more mellow. There are a lot of seeds in a prickly pear and the Gringo move would be to spit them out, but this is a waste of time. Just eat it seeds and all and hopefully you won’t have a prickly pear patch grow in your stomach. The prickly pears were everywhere and a nice touch that they were carting them around in a wheelbarrow.

Food Porn after the Jump

Lima Part Dos: Chilling in the Barrio Chino and chowing down Pollo la Brasa

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Bad Spanish and subpar mandarin lead to a hilarious time in Barrio Chino

Mercado Centrale Lima

I was only in Lima for a short time which is a pity because there are so many places…ok not place more like eats that I wanted to visit and eat. I visited the Central Market in Lima which is always a pleasure to see and do. Similar to the Central Market in Cusco, each area was separated from seafood, meats and fruits and so on.


I went there really early so it was a pleasure to see and walk around as fishmongers were cleaning scallops and fishes and butchers breaking down sides of beef and deboning chickens.

The Meat Aisle

Seafood

Butchering with precision

One of the impressive pictures that I got was a poultry guy that was burning the hair off of a skinned turkey using a fire in a wok. It was a spectacular site as well as a clear fire code violation. After awing at all the food, I decided to give my stomach a break from me constantly challenging it with market food and headed to Barrio Chino, the Chinatown in Lima. 

Burning off the hairs of a turkey

Food Porn after Jump!