Now that I am somewhat of an established resident of Barranco, Lima, I can actually recommend things to do, see and eat in this fine city of Peru. When newbies arrive in the bar, I love giving advice especially when it comes to things to eat because I am such a foodie and can appreciate fresh ingredients and the process of building flavors in Peruvian food. When 4 attractive strapping young men ask me where they should go to dinner and what time I get off/if i'd like to join them, I become giddy! I didn't hesitate to rsvp to this wonderful event! Yesterday I was supposed to work in the bar from 8:30pm-1am but Rob was too hungover to make it to his 4pm shift so I said I'd take over. Well the girl who Rob is training to be a bar manager at the hostel location in Mancora in northern Peru showed up in the bar at 6:30 deciding she wanted to work. So I was off the hook at 7! I took Jeff, Andrew, Jeremy and Bobby to Javiers, a delicious restaurant down by the Puente de Suspiros (bridge of sighs) where they trusted me to order dinner for them! This was an overwhelming task for me because there are so many delicious things to try in Peru so I finally narrowed everything down to 5 dishes we would share amongst the 5 of us; Mixto Especial (a variety of cow parts), Causa de Pollo (a delicious cold potato dish with chicken salad), Chicharron de Mariscos (a variety of fried seafood, kind of like tempura), Lomo Saltado (a hearty & carbalicious plate of beef cubes, onions, tomatoes and french fries sauteed and served with rice), and last but not least Cebiche de Pescado- probably Peru's most famous traditional dish of raw fish that has been slightly cured by the citrusy marinade of lime juice, cilantro and chilis served with sweet potatoes and canchitas which are like an inside-out popcorn! The boys got mojitos and pisco sours while I stuck to a frozen lemonade. I was so full from dinner that I didn't have room for picarones- a Peruvian dessert which is kind of like a beer battered onion ring without the onion/donut of dough that is dipped into honey. The boys appreciated my knowledge of Peruvian cuisine so much that they refused to let me contribute any money towards our meal of 215 Soles (about $80)! After dinner I walked the boys down to the beach to have (some of) their first look at the South Pacific ocean. Jeff walked right up to the waves, wobbled on a few rocks, and lost his left flip flop to the ocean! On the walk back up we heard a significant number of chuckles as people were watching Jeff and his incomplete set of shoes. Twas silly.
Later that night I met Anthony from Fairfax and we chatted about 495 and the Redskins! Anthony is 26 and owns a hostel in Cusco. He's been living in Peru for 2 years and flew home today to spend Christmas with his family. I love how small this world can be.
