QUÉ RICO!

Today I savored one of my favorite Peruvian foods, yet again... CEVICHE! Now that my days left in Perú are numbered, I have even more of an excuse to splurge on my favorite local culinary dishes. :) (Not that I needed one.)

Ceviche de Pescado:

White fish marinated in lime juice

Aji (spicy pepper sauce)

Cebolla (sweet red onion)

Choclo (big corn kernels)

Yuca (cassava - starchy tuberous root)

Camote (sweet potato)

Yes, the fish is technically raw, but it's cooked a little from the lime juice. Peruvians swear it's a great hangover cure. I think it's great for any day - and best accompanied by a big pitcher of chicha morada (juice made from purple corn). If you ever visit Perú, you MUST try this dish - (and on the northern coast! It's not as good in Lima!) 

RIQUÍSSIMO!!

Parasite Care Package!

Blastocystis Hominis

Blogger disclaimer: If you get grossed out easily, you may not want to read this. Sorry if this is “TMI!”

As medical practitioners, we spend a lot of time focused on the health of others and often not as much attention to our own bodies. I know I am a terrible patient and I hate going to the doctor (not to mention, the Peruvian doctor, who usually just tells me I am a gringa and therefore I have a weak stomach and just need to ride it out). We all know that I can be a big hypochondriac, so when I started getting some strange symptoms several months ago, I ignored them and just attributed them to my diet/ laundry detergent.

It all started back in March or so. Stomach problems have been a common part of my life in Peru with the changes in diet, water etc. But I began having more severe problems – diarrhea for days, then severe constipation for days, then nausea and absolutely no appetite for days. It seemed to be cyclical but also a constant- I never felt completely normal. I started having strange skin sensations. Whenever my skin was wet, I’d feel like things were crawling underneath it. (Yeah, I know. Gross.) I tried changes in water sources, water temp (Peruvians insist it’s because I was using the wrong water temp), lotion, shampoo, laundry detergent. Nothing changed it. I’ve been super fatigued, too, no matter how much sleep I get. Finally a friend mentioned parasite testing. Looking at websites I realized I had many of the symptoms:

Diarrhea – check

Nausea – check

Abdominal cramps – check

Bloating – check

Anal itching, worse at night – check, check (disgusting)

Fatigue – check

Itchy ears and nose – check

Pain in back, thighs, shoulder – check

Crawling feeling under skin – check

Forgetfulness – hmm, not sure if it’s any worse than normal

Arthritic pains – it’s strange, I’ve had these weird arthritic-like bouts of knee pain starting 4 months ago - check

Etc etc etc.

Even seeing these websites, I was in denial. But, once work slowed down, I decided to do the tests. One test involves sticking scotch tape to your anus and then putting it (the tape) on a slide. The other is a series of three stool samples. (It’s funny how you can poop all day long, yet when the week comes to give stool samples – nothing! Yep, in constipation phase.) Once my host family got wind of my stool samples, the jokes would not stop. (They are still waiting for me to leave one in the fridge for them! I’m sure that they probably all have some type of parasite themselves – they always have stomach symptoms.)

Anywho, I finally got one sample out and sure enough – positive for parasites. Lovely. Fortunately my wonderful parents have already mailed me a “parasite care package” full of herbal treatments for parasites, because it seems that the antibiotics are not extremely effective. Until then, I’ll try to avoid thinking about what’s crawling around inside me. (Internet pictures DO NOT HELP.)

Never a dull moment… getting another taste of the daily life in a developing country- the good, the bad and the ugly! According to a study done in 2008 entitled “Prevalence of enteroparasites and genotyping of giardia lamblia in Peruvian children,” (Cordón et al.) enteroparasites are extremely common here. In fact, this study was done in my very own neighborhood – La Esperanza, Trujillo! Researchers found that out of 845 children tested, 66.3% had enteroparasites, and nearly half the population – 45.6% - had multiple parasites! Wow. These parasites are strongly tied to poverty – poor hygiene and sanitation in particular. Another –quite personal- reminder of the vast health disparities in this world tied to socioeconomic status.

Stop and Smell the AJI

“I didn’t really grow until I learned how others live.” –Ben Sollee

I'm sure I've commented before about how the slowness of the Peruvian culture is simultaneously frustrating yet fantastic. I’ve had to adapt in a number of ways from my prior fast-paced western-culture ways – Here, several hours late is on time, and many aspects of life are not as efficient as could be – tasks that used to take ten minutes in the US can take hours or even days here, between transportation, procedures, communication mix-ups, detours, lines, etc.

But, there’s a glorious two-hour lunch here – generally everyone comes home in the middle of the day to eat with family, and lunch is the biggest meal of the day. And, at night, we sit around with a lighter fare- usually coffee and something small – and often stay around the dinner table talking for hours.

It’s a nice change from life as I knew it in the US. We get so caught up in rushing from point A to B to C to D throughout our daily lives – and how much of it really matters? Why are we okay with spending hours each day in our cars alone, yet unable to set aside more than 20 minutes for a rushed meal (often not even together)?

I’m still super busy as far as work goes here, but my spare time feels different – full of aimless but very enjoyable moments “doing nothing” with the people I am close to. In the book “Eat, Love, Pray” Gilbert talks about the joy of doing nothing. It’s something I’ve come to really savor about this culture. In fact, I feel like Perú is my own personal secluded island - it transforms me into a place where stress is all relative and I mostly just feel calm contentedness. (Okay, maybe the opposite of secluded, but you know what I mean).

I would even go as far as to say that my Peruvian island is slowly sucking the type A personality out of me. Really, you don’t believe me?! Exhibit A: walking speed. Just ask my sister- it drove her nuts that I was walking so slowly when she came down to visit... I now generally amble about, true to Peruvian style. Another example, I don’t stress out when I don’t have time to exercise as normally as I’d like – I’ve long ago accepted that with long work hours and few places to safely exercise, this one I’ll take for the team for a year. (Exhibit B: rice baby.)

Speaking of eating, I’m starting to panic as I realize that in 3 months I will have to do without my top ten Peruvian foods (to be announced- stay posted). At the top of my list - anyone who’s ever tried Peruvian cooking knows that aji (a concentrated liquid of hot pepper) is a staple to the diet – and it’s delicious. Peruvians take a great deal of (justifiable) pride in their Aji. I’m proud to say that I can now tolerate a moderate to strong blend of aji without batting an eye! (Another step closer in operation: become Peruvian).

Beyond the incredible culinary impact, I hope that this taste of how others live that’s led to so much personal growth will stick with me long after my time in Peru is gone. I think we could all use a little time to “stop and smell the aji”… What do you think?

(PS: visitors still encouraged!)

A Culinary Update

An update on one of my favorite topics, comida!

I’ve added a new food to my list, and please don’t judge me. It’s Alpaca. Down in southern Peru, Alpaca meat is a very popular dish. I was a bit skeptical but my mom ordered it three times and I was impressed with each different rendition! Mmm, mmm! Too bad they don’t sell it up here in northern Perú.

However, the ceviche up here is much better than in the south. I am definitely hooked on the ceviche made from pescado - fish (though I cannot attest to the kind made with mariscos - shellfish). Here they serve ceviche adorned with hard corn kernels, and sides of sweet potato and choclo (giant sweet corn). It is pretty amazing, and Peruvians claim it’s the perfect cure for the rasaca (hang-over)!

In southern Peru they sell choclo con queso- an ear of corn with a side chunk of white cheese – also at the top of my list.

I’ve become braver with the street foods. The hamburguesas here are terrifying - yet delicious at the same time. They usually consist of a hamburger patty (thin, strange looking unidentified meat), strips of pink hot dog, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, ketchup, aji, mayonnaise, and French fries all in between two buns!

Picarones remain one of my favorite desserts – a sweet sticky deep-fried sweet potato goodness, especially amazing after an afternoon of surfing! (Or just on the walk home from work).

I finally tried raspadillas – crushed ice with different natural fruit syrups poured atop. Great summer drink, but I still remain impartial to my marcianos – fruit and milk frozen and sold in a small plastic bag.

I remain very terca – stubborn – in regards to the patitas - fried chicken feet. They say it works wonders for preventing hair loss, but I just can’t bring myself to do it! (But- the bright pink hot dogs are growing on me).

However, my usual meals tend to be pretty simple –a typical lunch meal of white rice, beets, carrots, and potatoes – served with chicken. I thought I'd be sick of white rice by now, but I think my body is adapting - If I go more than a day without it, I get intense cravings for plain white rice!

And of course, no meal is complete without some type of aji – a (spicy) liquid concentrate of some type of pepper. As a whole, I'm continuing to discover lots of foods I love - it will certainly be hard to leave the Peruvian food (not to mention Peruvian people) at the end of my time here.
Buen provecho!

Carnaval en Cajamarca!

Last weekend I headed about 6 hours inland for a new taste of Peruvian culture in Cajamarca. Cajamarca is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains, filled with picturesque avenues and known for it’s delicious dairy products – cheese, yogurt, manjar blanco – as well as the ever popular “cuy”(guinea pig).

We arrived at 4:30am and headed straight to a place called “Los Baños del Inca”- a tourist spot that boasts steamy natural hot springs (previously visited by Inca King Atahualpa), private hot tubs, a pool, beautiful gardens, spa services, and ruins. Great (and cheap!) way to warm up for a few hours!

 

That afternoon we explored a culinary fair and climbed up to the top of Cerro Santa Apolonia for a great (though rainy) view of the city. I finally gave in and tried the cuy for dinner – and let’s just say that I am still not too impressed. May have been the fact that most of my portion was the head of the animal (see picture).

We also got soaked at one point as we explored town- one of Carnaval’s traditions is to dump water (via buckets, hoses, water balloons) on complete strangers! That night we hit the streets around the Plaza de Armas for the start of the festivities – which involved a whole lot of music, dancing, singing and chanting.

The following days’ festivities continued with much of the same, plus extra dosings of water and lots and lots of brightly colored paint! Massive crowds paraded around the streets, grouped in smaller bands, singing songs about carnaval and engaging in rowdy paint and water attacks. Being a bit competitive myself (ahem…) I joined in by dumping cups of red paint on anyone not in our group.

Residents of the homes dumped water and launched balloons from doorways and rooftops. Toward the end, it started to downpour, which did not seem to deter anyone at all (we were already completely drenched anyways). Miraculously my camera made it out alive!



We managed to catch a big parade on the last day before we headed back to reality. It was definitely the rowdiest weekend I’ve had yet, and a bit of unique, glorious Perú culture I will surely never forget.

The Pisco Sour

 

Perú’s most famous beverage is the pisco sour. It also happens to be a personal favorite. February 5th was an important holiday here, National Pisco Day! We celebrated with home-made Pisco’s and a game night (“Uno” was a big hit!) Pisco sour is grape brandy mixed with lime juice. It’s got a nice kick to it, and the egg white froth sounds strange but makes the perfect finishing touch. I’m pretty sure they sell bottles of Pisco in the US… try one yourself:


¼ cup Pisco
1 tablespoon sugar – dissolved with a little heat and water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites
3 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in blender. Serve with a wedge of lime and a sprinkling of cinnamon on top.
SALUD!

Feet, intestines and heart, oh my!

Since my first posting on the food here, I’ve had a number of different new culinary experiences to share. First of all,
Peruana Cosita Importante #7: When in doubt, always ask. (Especially when it comes to food). 

Every week, Monday-Friday, I have lunch with the nuns who live in the convent next to the clinic, who happen to have their own personal chef, Isabel. The typical menu includes some sort of chicken broth soup, and a rice dish with meat or vegetable atop. My first day in Peru, I lifted the soup ladle to find a large white bumpy mass with several stubs- yep, an entire intact chicken foot (a delicacy here). I’ve been able to dodge the bullet in regards to animal feet by selectively serving myself soup, but haven’t been quite as lucky in other areas. The other day I arrived at lunch late to find a plate with my name on it. I was starving and began eating without a thorough look-over. Mushroom stir-fry, I thought. But wow, I’d never quite had anything quite like it, and not necessarily in a good way. Mid-last-bite, one of the nuns walked in the room and asked me how I liked the chicken heart/intestines. Just another day in the life…

But, chicken internal organs aside, I’m really enjoying the food here. Here’s a small listing of some of the highlights:

-Anticuchos → cow heart, marinated and cooked on skewers- fantastic!
-Lomo saltado → beef marinated and served with onions, peppers and rice on a bed of French fries. (see picture)

-Las Frutas → I never realized how much fruit I was missing in my life! Peru boasts a number of unique, colorful fruits. “Tuna” is one of my favorites- spiny on the outside, red and soft in the inside, a cross between the flavor of a pomegranate and raspberry.
-Arroz con leche → Classic dessert of rice, milk, cinnamon, vanilla.
-Cerveza con gaseosa → beer mixed with Coke, sometimes Inca Cola… interesting combination!
-Pescado → This area of Peru is known for it’s fish, and I’ve tried a number of different types of white fish- all fantastic. Below, the “pescado frito” dish that a friend ordered.

My family’s been teaching me how to make some of the local cuisine/beverages:

-Chicho Morado → a delicious purple drink made from maize morado (purple corn) and flavored with cinnamon, lime and pineapple.

-Croquettes de Atún → mixture of tuna fish, onions, tomatoes, egg, flour and spices, served fried.
-Tortillas → Nothing like the Mexican version! We made them with a mixture of broccoli, spices (the Aji here is amazing), shredded chicken, potatoes, butter, milk, and egg, also served fried.
-Mazamorra Morada → a thick jelly-consistency dessert also made from maize morado and mixed with various fruits.
-Marciano → a cross between ice cream and shaved ice, this simple dessert involves mixing mashed fruit such as the lúcuma with milk and sugar and letting it sit in the freezer.

Of course, I’ve also dazzled them with my cooking skills. (HA. HA.) My family’s requested a random assortment of “American food” dishes. So far I’ve introduced them to…

-Lasagna and garlic bread
-Pancakes
-Banana Bread
-Macaroni and Cheese
-Peanut butter
-Cous cous
-Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

Whenever La Gringa cooks, it somehow turns into a small family reunion. Word travels fast here, especially when all of the extended family live within a two block radius! I’ve begin to double and triple recipes in anticipation ☺

Food is also a common gift brought to the PT clinic. My favorite surprise was a plastic bag full of choclo, ready to eat, from one patient. Choclo is a large type of white corn here that is absolutely amazing (I’m already plotting ways to get mass amounts past customs when I leave.)

But, I think that my favorite aspect of the food here is more of how it’s a centerpiece of family and culture. Every day families come home for a large two-hour (or so) lunch together. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day quantity-wise, as it’s common to skip dinner or have a light “sena” of bread and tea. And no frantic rushing out the door, or scarfing down a sandwich while doing paperwork at lunch - it’s very relaxing. I think we could all use a little more time mid-day to slow down. Think a siesta lunchtime will ever catch on in the US?

La Comida Peruana

Peruvian food is very rich and interesting, and it also varies according to geographical location. Trujillo is known for it’s seafood and ceviche is very popular here. (Sadly I am allergic so will not get to try it). Also, interestingly, “chifa” – Chinese food – is extremely common here.

My taxi driver in Lima told me that the people of Trujillo and the northern region are “really fat.” My first few days in Peru, Antolino said that “I am too skinny, he needs to get me fat” so he was doing his best to feed me constantly, but all he knows how to cook are eggs, so when we didn’t eat eggs, we had “fast-food” from the street. Street food I’ve tried so far includes fried chicken, french fries and salad. Plus mayonnaise- on EVERYTHING. I mean everything.

Peruana Cosita Importante Numero 3: If you don’t pretend to LOVE mayonnaise and treat it as a special luxury and put it on EVERYTHING you eat, people think you are weird.

In general, Peruvians tend to be a bit overweight, and I have yet to see the stark signs of starvation that I noticed in Africa. But, it’s also not nearly close to the level of obesity in America. The street food is generally unhealthy here but is cheap, so similar to the concept of McDonalds in the US, people seem to make choices based on necessity and financial strains that seem to be affecting their health.

My neighborhood has outdoor mercados everywhere. The mercados are fun to explore- they sell everything from brightly colored fruits and vegetables to bins of rice and spices, freshly squeezed juice, sugar cane and fresh coconut, “quick food” stops – tables set up outside around lunchtime, shoes, toys, and car parts. Many people also have small shops in their homes – bodegas - where you can find soda, crackers, candy, phone cards, etc. I’ve found one place that – to my relief – sells pasta! So, when I need a gastrointestinal break, I know where to go.

I’ve been to one supermarket but it’s about an hours commute one way with the public transit from where I am living. I felt like a little kid in a candy store- amazed at all of the familiarity I found (they have soy milk and cereal.. what?!!) But there were also some of my previous staples missing (yup, no mac ‘n cheese). While I enjoyed the options of the large chain, in general I will stick to supporting my neighborhood options. I definitely want to experience as many local foods as possible, and I’ve already purchased a Peruvian cookbook! Plus I enjoy interacting with my community here in La Esperanza in the markets. People here buy a little at a time and seem to utilize the market daily. One stand for bread, another stop for eggs, another for fruit... it’s so simple!
Some of the Peruvian food I’ve tried with the hermanas (nuns) include ensalata mista (beets/potatoes/carrots), chicken, various soups, maize, salad, and tamales. Rice is a staple of the diet here. Also, chicken legs in soup are a delicacy, as I discovered, much to my dismay on my first day! But I will need to braver, as there’s another delicacy here called cuy – guinea pig!

The postres (desserts) are by far my favorite part so far. I’ve tried picarones, which are donut-like fried dough pieces made of pumpkin and topped with a cinnamon syrup. The pastries sold on the street are also delicious. The most popular gaseosa (soda) here is called Inca Cola – kind of a cross between Mountain Dew and Bubble Gum! Very sickly sweet yet strangely addicting- I finished the bottle despite the instant stomach pains it brought on!