Food in Peru
17 April 2014 | Nasca
Randy
The food in Peru is different. Last night after a 7 hour bus ride from Lima to Nasca we dashed out at 10 pm immediately for a snack of street food from the ladies set up around the active Plaza de Amas, the culture center of most towns. I stood in line behind 2 local patrons who bought what appeared to be peanuts with fine chopped meat over them. I asked the lady if they were spicy and she said no and pointed to the salsa sauce which I decided I needed. She served it up in a plastic sandwich size bag and poured salsa over it. Not getting a spoon with it I dipped my fingers in and scooped out a salsa covered portion, not peanuts! but large size kernels of roasted corn the size of the salt and spiced corn you by the snack shelves @ home only they were well done without salt. The meat was bacon chopped up the size that you find on ceasar salad, but this was the unsalted slab type you buy in the meat department. After 2 finger-fulls my taste buds stopped my fingers going for any more. I couldn't do it.
Be careful of hand signals as well. After booking our 10 hour bus ride from Nasca to Arequipa we crossed the street to a good looking local cafeteria. In line I pointed to an appetizing looking chifa. Yellow soup with chopped meat and vegies that goes over a plate of potato, pasta or rice. I asked if there was beef in it as it was sliced long like it may have been strips of octopus which is very good. I was told it was beef. I ordered some over rice and got a big surprize my second mouth full. The first one I was still thinking of octopus. My brain immediately flashed back to West Africa where I worked and lived for 2 years, 30 years ago. Sow's ear soup! I stopped a waiter whom spoke English and he said it was beef stomach! I realized the server had not patted his stomach inferring the food was good but doing as best he could to indicate it was stomach. I are the rice only hoping to settle my stomach which was doing the cautious thing after the late snack the night before.