Food

I'm too lazy to write much today, but I want to post some pictures of food life in Peru.

Food here is super real - markets have fresh herbs (for cooking and tea), amazing produce, and locally made everything, every day.

Trips to my favorite markets are equally fascinating and enjoyable, though at some times can be rather disturbing.  This usually involves animals.  Sometimes theres an axe (please see photo on right for raised axe). Meats are distuishable by the skull located on the table.  Goat head means goat and cow head means cow.  There is no room for confusion.  Sorry for the photos but this fascinates me.  And by the way, Peruvians are completely weirded out that American eat meat that has been dead for days.

we are going to make a skin mask

piles of fresh chicken

please note raised axe

eggs.  little ones are quail.

Luckily for me,  there are also flowers, amazing fruits and vegetables, and various grains. Fruits are seasonal and only from the southern parts of Peru.  Interestingly, the price is firm, but you can haggle for a bit of extra produce.  People in the markets are warm and pleasant, and they certainly seem to like to hear me squeak out a bit of quechua.

Different grains are ground and mixed with milk for breakfast.

tikakuna (flowers in Quechua)

Higos!  (fresh figs)

There are also prepared food treats including roasted cuy (guinea pig), various beverages (including fermented quinoa), and fried donuts and the like.

does shopping make YOU hungry???

And then you can also buy plants and pots and sweaters and fabric and all sorts of stuff you don't need.  For luck, I bought myself a rooster piggy bank.  It has glitter on it.  My friend Alicia heckled me a price after I mentioned I loved it.  There was no turning back after that.

My first Peruvian pet.

I definitely want to discuss the food systems in more detail (in Peru there is definitely more than one) but here is a just a first glimpse.  Someone recently asked me if its true that Americans only eat food that comes in packages.  I had to say...yes, it IS mostly true.