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Ricky (a friend of my friend Daniel from DF) took me out last night to a parillada (Argentinian steakhouse) for an excellent, meaty dinner and conversation. This is so not a country for vegetarians. And while it isn’t the most romantic notion in the world, I couldn’t help but wonder how high the rates of heart disease and colon cancer must be here.
The last couple days in Lima have been spent looking at places in the north of the country to travel to while feeding my face with amazing dishes such as papa rellena, tiradito (below), ceviche, arroz con pato, and ocopa.
Although we have only been in Peru a few days, I have to stop and say a word about how fantastic the food has been. It certainly helps that we are being shown places by people (Ricardo and Julio) that know and appreciate good food. Of all the amazing things I have been trying (Tacu Tacu, Chicha Morada, Yuca, Lomo Salteado, Rocotito, Pisco Sour, etc) I have to say the highlight was today’s ceviche at Pescados Capitales.
I don’t wish to evoke as great a controversy over a food preference as the last time (ok, I do), but when I get my coffee in a restaurant, I prefer the milk (or better yet cream) that accompanies it to be cold. There is (to me) an annoying habit in “finer” restaurants to steam or otherwise heat the milk. Then I have to wait even longer for my boiling hot coffee to cool before taking a sip, not to mention this normally adds a foam I would rather save for cappuccino. Any thoughts?
It is great to be back in a city that knows good food of all kinds. The other night Sian and I had dinner at the fantastic restaurant Public, yesterday morning Jai and I had breakfast at a wonderful place in the village called Morandi, and just last night I had one of those oh so simple but oh so satisfying slices of NY pepperoni pizza. And let’s not even mention the chocolate chip cookies at City Bakery.
I have always been impressed by how much better milk products (and many other products for that matter) taste outside the US. This is especially true of yogurt sold in countries such as France and Mexico. I have always chalked it up to them using whole milk vs the US obsession with de-fatted milk. But the story is actually a bit more complicated. Yesterday at the grocery, I saw a brand and type of yogurt that I recognized as one I had enjoyed in Mexico (Dannon Activia with prunes). It had identical packaging to the one in Mexico and so I thought it was the same. This was not AT ALL the same yogurt I had enjoyed just a couple of months ago in Mexico. This was something that tasted completely different, disgusting in fact. A quick look at the ingredients showed all kinds of differences from the Mexican version of the exact same product. Basically Dannon in the US makes the product out of plastic. The thing is filled with chemicals and crap you would never find in the other countries’ products (high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, gelatin, carmine, and the already suspected reduced fat milk). I recoiled in horror after reading this. What possible reason could the company have for putting all this crap in their product? All I can guess is that the transportation and storage and manufacture is easier for them somehow, and they know that Americans have no sense of flavor or taste and will eat whatever garbage they produce if they think it is “healthy” (whether or not it is). What a disappointment! If you want to know why so many Americans are so fat and unhealthy, surely the way “food” products are produced and consumed (especially with all the high fructose corn syrup) in this country is part of the picture.
Was it the queso in the empanadas de rajas? The meat in the empanadas argentinas? Perhaps the slightly undercooked pollo Gerardo made for me? The pecan tarte? All or none of the above? Whatever the case, I have not been feeling well and made many (5, if you must know) trips to the baño last night and have been feeling a bit queasy all day. Although my sojourn in Mexico is destined to be bookended by food poisoning, at least this bout isn’t as bad as the last.
In case I haven’t mentioned it before, Mexicans are just crazy about soups and stews of all kinds. Me, I generally prefer solid food.
Last night I met up with two of Jose’s cousins that I haven’t seen since my first trip to Mexico three years ago. Eugenia and Alejandro and I caught up and had a great meal at one of Mexico City’s better taquerias, El Charco de las Ranas. And then tonight my friend Daniel finally took me to a Peruvian restaurant he has been raving about called La Mar. It was pretty amazing, although now I am feeling quite stuffed and can barely move my fat fingers to type this.
Sancocho is an amazing Colombian stew with a side dish (meant to mix in) of yucca, potato, beef, rice, corn and salsa. Yum!
