Raw fish and alpaca steaks!

Every time Sergio and another Peruvian ran into each other in the States, they always talked about Peruvian food. This regional dish. That regional fruit. This is how you make this. This is the best restaurant for such and such. 

I didn't really understand why until I got here. In a survey, Peruvians were asked why they were proud of their country. Top answers? Machu Picchu.....and Peruvian food!

Thus, it was only right that el senor Raul, a proud native of Arequipa, the city famous for its regional dishes such as rocoto relleno (stuffed hot pepper) and cuy chactado (deep-fried guinea pig), made sure we got to the local food festival yesterday. 

I didn't understand why they held the festival at Yanahuara's (pronounced jon-a-wara) plaza, all the way across the river and up the hill from downtown. But once I got there I understood. Look at this view of the city:

The plaza and the surrounding cobblestone streets maintain their colonial flavor, even after hundreds of years and a few devastating earthquakes.

The festival itself was incredible too, better organized and better priced than many I've seen in the States. A dozen local restaurants and cooking schools had booths, in addition to the various beer, pisco (Peru's rum-like liquor) and wine stands. 

I was hot and sweaty from walking around in the desert sun, so I picked a local beer and a light ceviche (chopped raw fish "cooked" in lemon juice and spiced with the local hot pepper, rocoto):

El senor Raul ate mashed potatoes and alpaca filet, which Sergio thinks is going to be the centerpiece of the next diet fad. I guess the animal's meat has little to no cholesterol. Time to start my alpaca ranch, you know, get ahead of the curve! 

Sergio ordered a seafish combo of sorts, with crab, shrimp and other boiled sea creatures included. He liked it, and liked my ceviche so much that he ordered one of his own. He's always happy eating, as you can tell in this picture:

If I had food this good, I think I would be proud too! In trying to include me, el senor Raul asked me what American food I liked. I couldn't think of one single American food that didn't come from somewhere else. Hot dogs?

I know I'm supposed to write about Peru

But I'm going to digress to the south a bit. I developed a lot of respect for Chilean President Michele Bachelet while I was there at the beginning of her term. 

The few months I was in Chile, Bachelet faced nationwide students protests calling for education reform. Student councils up and down the country organized simultaneous tomas, or takeovers, of their high schools. Soon many elementary schools followed suit. Bachelet was forced to respond directly to the students' demands and put education reform on the table. Not everyone was so sure she would come out of it on top.

But now she's on her way out of office, and could end up being one of the most popular leaders in Chilean history. Well done, I say, for being the first female president in a very conservative South American country.

Web cam? That's for teenagers!

He's makes $10 a day...

...as a taxi driver, but his three sons have traveled the world. 

After basketball practice last night, the taxi driver and I got to talking. When I mentioned I was from the United States, he told me about his son who had just returned after studying in nursing school in Los Angeles. Already, he wanted to go back.

His two other sons were also world travelers. One has lived in Los Angeles as well for about two years, and the other in Spain. 

For about $1.50, he gave me a 25-minute cab ride. I don't even want to think about what that would cost in NYC, DC or LA.

Yet on such a minimal salary, this man had sent all his sons off to developed countries. 

I asked him why his sons had traveled the world, thinking maybe their dad had encouraged them. He said that maybe the reason was that the economic and political situation in Peru had been so bad while they were growing up. In the 1980s, domestic terrorists killed 60,000+ Peruvians and inflation was 40% per month at some points.

I told him that when I left for Peru, my parents were worried I would never come back, and it made them sad. I told him I imagined it couldn't be easy having his sons on three continents. He gave me a quick nod of the head and then we were at my house in Miraflores.

Peru close to decriminalizing abortion

It's a big deal in a country whose population is more than 90% Catholic. The Peruvian Congress will soon debate a bill decriminalizing abortion, which was proposed by a Congressional commission evaluating the country's penal code. 

Currently, Peruvian women who become pregnant from rape or incest cannot have an abortion. 

I thought I'd cite old Amnesty International's response.