sushi

This past weekend: Good Sushi and Good Conversation.

I don't eat sushi that often anymore so I do often forget how much I love it. Although I'm not too much of a fan of how much they love to put sweet potato in it here. Or dunk it in some kind of flavored mayo. But hey you can't win them all. 

Conversation: win. I met up with a friend that is one of those kind of people that you can spend 4 hours talking to and not realize that so much time has passed, look down at your phone and realize you have lots of missed calls from a worried husband. :/ oops. 

But we've always got lots to share. My friend is Peruvian and her husband is Columbian. I love to listen to their experiences living in Peru and as a mixed culture/country marriage. It's fun to see what we have in common and what is different. Often there is more in common than we expect. 

bananas tiny peppers and ants, oh my!

I have been learning a lot this year about how to use a big wooden bowl and a palm - sized rock correctly. And also not come away from it eating dinner with a throbbing palm. It takes skill, or maybe just repetition until you can't tell that it hurts anymore. Yep, maybe that's it. 

Upon my mother-in-law's second visit to stay at our place, she presented me with the rock telling me that she noticed that I didn't have one. I thought it was a curious thing. 

Then she showed me how to use it. 

We've made tacacho, fried plantains mashed (with said rock) with pork fat. I never imagined myself intentionally putting pork fat into my food to make it tasty. But I do now. 

Then I figured out that I could make hummus, which I don't have a food processor for and my blender is not up to. That was very difficult and I'm pretty sure Julton's mom that I was crazy. But she liked it!

Also, those little peppers are THE best. I usually don't like spicy things, but their flavor is magical. Just magical.

A 'typical' dinner around our house recently. 

It's ant season! Yes, ant - season. 

Our friend Kenedy explained to me that for this kind of ant they wait until night time, out at the farm, and go out and make a fire near the ant hill. Then the ants come pouring out and they scoop them up by the bagfuls. 

Julton's parents have come for a visit this week, which means... more and more jungle food. When they come to visit bananas, different kinds dried meats, juanes (banana leaf wrapped packages of green rice and meat), peppers and different kinds of sweets ... are all guaranteed to be lunch. 

media agresiva

Bit by little bit Peru, or grocery shopping experiences in Peru rather, have been turning me from my passive ways and a little more aggressive each day. I haven't figured out yet if that is a good thing. 


I'm really not a pushy person, and I am quite content waiting for what I want/need. Until it comes to the 3rd person in a row pushing in front of me to get in their order to the guy at the fish counter, then I start to get impatient. 


The first year I quietly looked on in shock. The second year I turned to giving the person dirty looks. This year... I've started speaking up.


And I have been surprised over and over again at how many people just look at me as though they haven't done anything wrong. Or like today when I told the impatient woman behind me in the check-out line that she was stepping on my foot and could she stop? She didn't say "sorry" she said... oh... "y como cocinas esa zapallito??" I started to get agitated and I caught myself catching her use the form "tu" instead of "usted" with me and all I could think was... excuse me? you don't know me and you've been stepping on my foot? what makes you think we are buddies? show some respect! 


I think it is time for me to spend some time in the jungle now, and get away from the city. 

they whisper too loud for me.

Apparently this song came out last year. But I just found it today and I love how fun it is. It's one of my new happy songs. I have no idea who she is or am sure if I like her other songs, but I love this one. 


You just can't help but swing your hips can you?

aerosmith

I love these girls. Last week we practiced Aerosmith songs to prepare for the Aerosmith concert on Saturday night in Lima. Some of my students from different classes traveled to Lima to see them. So we practiced lots of especially "don't wanna miss a thing" which by the way Aerosmith, NOT COOL that you DIDN'T play it. NOT COOL. When you go to a foreign country to sing your music, artists should send a playlist ahead of them so that ESL students can practice the appropriate songs. 


Also not cool that you weren't very polite to my friends that traveled all the way to Lima to see you, along with all the other people in the crowd. I think the newspaper must have been misguided or told to praise you for your performance, but I heard what really went down. That for your encore you only played one song and then you didn't even say goodbye. Or if you said good bye it was short and not sweet and not heard. That no one knew you were actually finished until the lights came on and the speakers were being taken down. Again, not cool. Or polite. And it's been said that Bon Jovi was nicer. And Metallica cooler. I wasn't there but I'm just sayin'. 




*I don't usually get like that on here but... I was really excited for my students that worked so hard to go to the concert and sing the songs they worked on and loved! And disappointed that they came back home disappointed. 

fresas and avocados

Today the clinic where Julton works took the day to travel off on an adventure to spend time together. I'm not sure how it went because Julton isn't home yet to tell me about it. I had been planning to go with them but as I told a friend last night... then we prayed that I would get more work.... then I did. So, I was a working lady today while Julton was off on his adventure. And tonight I have kept myself company while he is on his way back by reading too many food blogs, listening to A LOT of Maria Taylor and making a delicious smoothie. And now I will share it with you while I am inspired by all the food blogs I've spent my time tonight watching.

1. A little Milk

2. A handful of Strawberries

3. One frozen Banana

4. A teeeeny bit of Sugar

5. 1/4 of an Avocado

But seriously, an avocado.

I've heard about adding avocado to smoothies before... but could never get myself to commit. I jumped at throwing spinach in my smoothie... but for some reason stayed clear of the avocado version. I think it's partly because I was afraid of it and mostly because I like avocados too much, and could simply eat the 1/4 chunk of avocado whole instead of risking spoiling it.

But today I took the risk. And I recommend that you do too! It makes the smoothie super creamy. Delicious. 

And like I mentioned before I'm spending the night listening to Maria Taylor. LOVE her. I don't listen to her much when Julton is home (like most of my music) because he finds her tunes a little depressing. We'll have to wait until she makes a salsa or jungle folklore record for him to listen with me. hmm. I can't find a link so that you can listen to my new favorite song of hers, off her new album that was recently released... but there is a link where you can download her song, for free! So just go ahead and download it. Thank you Saddle Creek Records.

You can find a Paste article and also the link to download here: Maria Taylor: Bad Idea?

She's touring right now! You have to go if you live in a city that she is coming to. Gillian Baikie, I am talking to you!!!!   October 28 – Denver, Colo. @ Hi Dive Please go and tell her that she has a fan living in Peru that can't wait to come see her play live again!

Note: I don't always agree with the direction of her lyrics. But I still love her, and her music.

By the way Julton just arrived... explaining that he milked a cow today!!!

Juice

We have a favorite cafe. And they don't sell coffee. Juices. Every kind of juice possible, and its beautiful. And quite tasty. And only 2 blocks from our front door. Perfect.

We used to sit in this place all the time drinking juices and eating sandwiches with friends... then we realized almost every one of those friends have moved to Lima or the US. And also that it had been A YEAR since we had possibly stepped foot inside the door. Pathetic. 

So we started that tradition back up again. Even though we still miss our friends. You know how there are some ( a lot) of things that you can make at home that taste just as good as, if not better than you buy in the restaurant ? This is not the case. I don't think it would matter if the barrista came to our home and threw the fruits in the blender in our kitchen, it would still taste better there. They've recently expanded and redecorated their menu with lots of fun nutritional facts about fruits. And they've got a TV where we can watch Al Fondo Hay Sitio. A Peruvian television show,er, soap opera. That nearly everyone in Peru watches.