Lima

Hola a todos,

As you may or may not know, I came to Lima about two days ago. The journey took just over 24 hours because apparently Denver is not a major hub for flights to Peru. But I made it!

Our reason for coming was in order to do quantitative research through surveys for Chris' anti-human trafficking research project that we are doing in conjunction with a professor and grad student of the University of Denver. Our travel companions don't arrive in Lima until 12am tonight, so we have not started on the project just yet.

We have spent our first two days in Lima basking in its culinary genius. Our favorite thing about Peru is the food, so we were extremely excited to eat all of our favorite things and re-visit our favorite places (and maybe find some new things) before beginning our research.

First, we went to La Lucha Sanguchería Criolla, which is among our favorite places in the world. I have no pictures of La Lucha because we were pretty concentrated on our food at the time. We may or may not have gone there three times already since arriving.

We also went for a run on a park that runs along the cliffs overlooking the ocean where you see all the new surfers falling off their surfboards and the Limeños walking their dogs dressed in sweaters and skirts.

Later, we went to Mercado Surquillo, where we ate some amazing, fresh ceviche with canchita (puffed corn) and caldo de pescado (fish broth with lime and cilantro) while listening to a couple play huayno (traditional Andean music).

Favorite Perú food moments (Mis momentos favoritos de comida Peruana) - English & Español

If there is a food you come to Perú to experience, I'd have to argue that sure, while ceviche is great, if you want amazing food, it's a la leña. Perú knows how to slow cook meat over an open fire. Above you see chicharrones, smoky de-boned riblets soaking in their own grease, aka heaven. There's also lechón, a whole, slow-roasted suckling pig, that is served on french bread with sauces. Another must-do experience is trying cecina, beef or pork halfway through the jerky-making process, then grilled with lots of seasoned oil. The.best.beer.food.ever. Next, of course, anticuchos, or grilled cow heart, steals even the most doubting hearts. And finally, an old favorite, is pollo a la brasa, a whole slow cooked chicken injected with spice concoctions with incredibly crisp skin. Oooh....I'm drooling...

Si hay una comida que vienes a Perú para experimentar, me gustaría exponer que, aunque ceviche está bien rico, si quieres comida increíble, va a ser a la leña. Perú sabe como asar lentamente el carne. Arriba se puede ver chicharrones, que en Perú son costillas de cerdo (chancho) sin hueso, que vienen en su propio grasa, alias paraíso. También hay lechón, un cerdito entero asado por mucho tiempo, servido con pan francés y salsas. También debes tener la experiencia de probar cecina, carne de res o cerdo hecho a charqui (o charque), y asado con mucha aceite sazonada. Siguiente, por supuesto, son anticuchos, o corazón de res asado, que roba incluso a los corazones más dubitativos. Y finalmente, un clásico es pollo a la brasa, un pollo entero asado en el horno, inyectado con un menjunje de especias con un piel increíblemente crocante. Oohh...