Panca, New York City

Last May, Alvaro and I spent a week playing tourists in New York City. Before arriving, we did our research and found a Peruvian restaurant in the West Village. After spending the morning at the UN (and buying the flag you see here) we went to Panca for the closest thing to authentic Peruvian food available in the US.

Causa- a cold, mashed potato-esque bottom topped with
avocado and chicken salad

Of course, I thought everything was delicious, the true test was whether or not Alvaro's more particular palette would approve of ceviche in the city. And it did, he loved it. We dined on causa, ceviche, lomo saltado and tres leches. We sipped on pisco sours and Cusqueña. All in all it was a success.

Lomo Saltado- steak, tomatoes, onions and aji cooked in
soy sauce, served with fries and rice

Recently, Panca earned a food score of 23 on Zagat. This is the highest score a Peruvian restaurant in Manhattan has ever received. Believe me, it's well deserved. Congrats, Panca!

If you or someone you know is going to NYC, send them to Panca. There's a reason Peruvians are so proud of their food.

Food Wars

Now almost seven months into my new life in Lima, the one thing that I simply can not adjust to is eating a big lunch. I can't do it. I have tried and tired and tired. It's customary to eat a large lunch (think American dinner) anywhere from 1-3pm and then to have a light dinner later in the evening sometime around 9pm. The first few months that I was here, I tried to eat large lunches with Alvaro's family. Big meals consisting of meat, veggies and rice or potatoes (but sometimes rice and potatoes) were put in front of me. I was polite and grateful for my new hosts, so I ate. Even though I had a huge lunch, when 7pm rolled around a little voice in my head said, "Ok, Meghan, time for dinner."

When I started my new job a month ago, the first question Alvaro's mom asked me was "What will you be eating for lunch?" I told her that the school offered lunch for all the teachers and she exclaimed that this was, "So wonderful! That's fantastic! You need to eat those big lunches because you are going to be working a lot now and certainly need your strength."

I neglected to tell her that I wasn't planning on eating those lunches, but instead was planning on bringing my own food. The thing is, when lunch rolls around, I crave a salad or fruit and a sandwich. Not a plate full of meat and rice. Nearly every time I see Alvaro's mom or aunts, the conversation somehow leads to my nutritional intake and what kinds of food I am eating and when. On a few occasions, when asked what I had for the meal in question, I have told the truth and been bombarded by four very concerned women fawning over my health.

It's an interesting cultural moment because I can't remember the last time my parents were so interested in the details of my diet. I moved into the college dorm when I was 18 and from that moment on, I was solely responsible for my own nutrition. When I wasn't eating in the university cafeteria, I was cooking my own meals. Admittedly, they were not always the healthiest, but when you live in a dorm with only a microwave as stove, you make some sacrifices. I ate one too many helpings of EasyMac, but I"m around to talk about it so I wasn't harmed too much. Believe it or not, I can feed myself.

In Lima, most children live at home until they are married. The average age for marriage seems to be closer to 30, not in the early 20s like most of my university peers back home. Because of this, parents are more intimately involved in their children's care and nutrition for much longer. I value this and appreciate the family ties it helps to create. However, there's a small part of my independent American self that struggles to fit into this mold.

I have found that my solution is to simply smile and agree. I tell his mom and aunts that somedays I eat at school, even though those days haven't come yet. I reassure them that I am taking my vitamins and eating my protein, all while remembering to drink milk with breakfast. I am doing my best to let them take care of me, while still holding onto me.

Point for Peru: Tamales

Before moving to Peru, I had only had tamales at Mexican restaurants. These delicious bundles of chicken and ooey, gooey queso were my image of what a tamale should be. They were served with rice and/or beans and maybe a small salad. I moved to Lima and found a completely different variety of tamales. Peruvians carry an amazing sense of pride in this dish, which can be eaten any time of day. I have become somewhat addicted to a Saturday morning breakfast consisting of a warm tamale, fresh bread, gouda cheese and homemade juice. My previous American addiction to pancakes with peanut butter is now long forgotten.

Peruvian tamales are made using a corn based dough and usually are stuffed with chicken or pork, olives, peanuts and of course, Peru's beloved aji pepper (super spicy, watch out for that one). 

There's another similar food called humitas which are close to tamales, but foreigners be aware, Peruvians are serious about the distinction. Humitas are prepared with fresh corn, lard, salt and an ample amount of queso fresco (a creamy, unaged cheese common in LatinAmerican countries). The texture and taste varies slightly between the two but I am just as happy to eat either one.

Mm, so good. And how many days until Saturday?

Ocho y cuarenta

I am working on my Spanish, one day at a time.

I studied Spanish in high school but to be honest, never put in that extra effort that is need to really learn a language. I studied vocabulary and did well on my tests, but I never attempted to actually use the language.

Most of my life in Lima is still in English. My relationship is in English, I teach English at a language institute and I work in a bilingual private school. It's possible to go through my day speaking minimal Spanish. My children at school speak to me in Spanish and I reply in English. It's my job to reply in English, which is a nice little shield from their overly critical ears.

Last week, one very sweet boy came up to me and asked, "Miss, what time is it?" to which I replied (in English) "It's 8:40." Unsure that he understood correctly, he looked up at me and repeated the time in Spanish, "Ocho y cuarenta?"

"Yes," I said, "ocho y cuarenta."


A huge smile came across his face, he turned to his friends and said through a giggle laced with a slight accent: "Ocho y cuarenta."

The next morning, we were lining up to go to our first activity of the day and this little boy was first in line. His round face looked up at me and he flashed an adorable smile, showing the gap where his two front teeth should be. His face lit up while he said, "Good morning, Miss. Ocho y cuarenta."


It seems that this sweet boy can't remember to take home his lunchbox but he can remember my American accent on "ocho y cuarenta."

Peru's Presidential Elections

In less than three weeks, Peru will face the second round of their Presidential elections and be forced to choose between two rather unappealing candidates.

The first round of elections were held on April 10th. The greatest percentage of votes were split between the top five candidates and now the country is moving to a second round in June. The two remaining candidates are Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori.

As the election results came in on April 10th, Alvaro kept telling me, "This is the worst possible outcome for the second round. We are now choosing between bad and worse." News sources from around the world were commenting on the difficult choice ahead for Peruvians.

Ollanta Humala ran for President in 2006 but lost to now President Alan Garcia. He's a former military man with no government experience and connections to Hugo Chavez. He's popular in the poor provinces of Peru because he represents a radical change. His main platform is that though Peru has experienced significant economic growth in the past several years, the boom hasn't reached the provinces. He is promising to channel economic growth to the outskirts of Peru. This is a worthy and just platform, but the rest of his government plan includes, among other things, the nationalization of all banking and retirement accounts and putting a stop to Peru's exports.

Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Alberto took over the country in 1990 when Peru was being tormented by a terrorist group and battered by massive inflation. In his term he was able to calm inflation, introduce a new currency and put an end to the terrorism. But his presidency wasn't without scandal. He also forcefully changed the Constitution and is currently serving 25 years in prison on charges of human rights violations. Fujimori didn't personally commit these crimes, but rather a separate group of government employees were found responsible. Peruvian opinions of Fujimori fall into one of two extremes. Those who praise his accomplishments and believe he had no knowledge of the crimes and those who claim that as President, there is no way he could have not been aware of what was happening in his cabinet.

It's making for interesting political debates as Peruvians from every background, struggle to choose their next leader. There are those who have chosen to strongly back one candidate, however, most of those that I have talked to have decided to simply choose, "the one that's not as bad".