To redeem myself in Nishchay's eyes

Since Nishchay called me out on my lack of culinary prowess (for which he can't be blamed, because I admitted to having been dragged to a Chilis (ugh!)), I am called upon to redeem myself by proclaiming all the Peruvian food I have eaten thus far.

In fact, I even made Anthony take me out on Saturday night so I could take pictures of Peruvian food I have eaten. I completely forgot to snag a quick pic of the sinfonia de causas, which was perhaps the most Peruvian thing I ate that evening, but at least I was not at an American fast food chain.

Nishchay, this is what I ate on Saturday (sea bass, papas amarillas, y arroz). So suck it (and I mean that with all possible love).

And I also wish it to be known that I have consumed a lot of ceviche, tried a pisco sour (tastes like tequila, only sweeter), eaten sushi, and tasted some other varieties of prepared fishes. My favorite still remains the ceviche, but I am working on it.

However, most nights, we do not go out. I still cook approximately five nights a week. Since we weren't feeling good when we first got here and we are sliding into winter here, I have made a lot of soup. I found a few Peruvian recipes (because, believe it or not, you can't find all the ingredients you need to make some basic American dishes) and tried them out. The most successful dish was a Peruvian chicken soup made with chicken breast, but I also tried a different sopa de pollo, plus a seco de res which is made with beef. The beef that I bought, however, was not all that tasty. It's a little difficult buying carne here, though, because their cuts of meat are completely different. And for those of you out there who really like hot, spicy food, Lima is not a great source of chili peppers. They have an aji amarillo, which is technically orange and is decently spicy, but nothing compares with the chipotle chilies at home.

Note to readers: this means that when you come visit, Anthony will not allow you in the door without an offering of IPA (beer) and chili peppers - dried or ground.