A Taste of Peru

As was already mentioned, Hermana Maria is a wonderful cook. She works so efficiently around the kitchen without having a refrigerator or an oven. It amazes me at how quickly a meal from scratch is put together. To a Peruvian, a meal is not a meal unless there is rice, therefore, with dinner at home, the rice is piled high with normally chicken on top and a vegetable sauce on the side. Besides rice, limones (limes) are a favorite. Limes are normally on the table or nearby to put in your soup, your drink, or over your rice. Some of my favorite things with lime are the fresh-squeezed limeade and raw red onions with lime and salt. During the week, the other ARRIBA students and I are responsible for making our own lunches, so each Monday, we get to go shopping in a three-story supermarket. Some of the things that I have enjoyed experiencing are drinkable yogurt (found in a half-gallon sized milk container), the seemingly endless supply of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the breads that are still hot when you stick it in your paper sack. After disinfecting the fruits, fresh fruit salad has been one of my favorite dishes. Of course, there are some things that are not my favorites, but are still good, like: drinkable oatmeal, large, strong black olives, and pica (a very hot pepper). I have been so thankful for God´s provision in helping me adjust to odd hours of mealtimes as well. During the week, supper is normally around 7:00-7:30 pm, but on the weekend, it is rare to eat before 10:00 pm. Eating at that time, though, makes you grateful for the amount of rice on your plate. After talking about all of this food, I hope your mouth isn´t watering too much :)