Peru is still recovering from its battles with the terrorist group Shining Path. "Using food to heal is very much about using food to show the world that we are better."
The whole reason we were
downtown was to attend Mistura, the national food fair held at Magdalena Beach.
This is the biggest food fair in all of South America. We got there about noon
and stayed until 5:00. It was certainly a cultural experience with various food
venues from all over Peru, north, south, the Andies and coastal. It was amazing
to see the outdoor cooking over fires with racks and racks of pork, chicken,
and fish feeding hundreds of people. The most well-known restaurants from all
the regions are asked to participate. We were eating dishes from the restaurant
in a plastic dish with a plastic fork that were just excellent flavors and
aromas. We had a fun new experience eating the picarones, fried batter and quinua or potato, something like a
funnel cake you buy at the state fair or carnival. The whole experience was a
huge affair, as big as any US fair minus the animals and rides. The people are
so friendly and whenever we sat down to eat a new tasty treat, we made new
friends around us. We attended a show featuring a percussionist group using all
the tools, pots and pans in the kitchen. They were very entertaining and fun to
watch. The day was very mild and pleasant right on the beach. Our report of a
great experience was so well received at the office, many of the other senior
missionaries attended the fair on Wednesday.
Yesterday we went with the Merrill’s to the Inka Market featuring all
artisan crafts in a few hundred stalls. Some of the favorite items are the
alpaca wool sweaters and scarves, silver jewelry and ceramics. I can’t go
without buying a few things. We had lunch at Kennedy Park, named after JF
Kennedy. What a great little, unusual park filled with lots of flowers, people
and cats . . . everywhere! Loads of places to sit, lots of food vendors and street
art. Good for a relaxing stroll. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant, a
greenbelt in an alley with little tables and umbrellas. Felt kind of European
with great Peruvian food. We visited the Iglesia San Miguel Mira Flores during
a well-attended mass. From what we heard, the words were well spoken about being a true Christian.
Kennedy
Park
Joe and I took a little
diversion away from the office. We left after work Monday to stay in a hotel
downtown in San Isidro. It is a very nice area of Lima and we enjoyed walking
through the neighborhood to the El Olivar Grove Park. There was a huge grove of
very old olive trees, fountains and walkways. A curious fact was after the
departure of the Spaniards in 1821, they cut down the olive trees before
leaving. In the pictures, you can see that the oldest trunks were roughly
chopped. From the stumps, new branches sprouted out and now look
disproportionate compared with the trunk from which they grow. We also went to
LarcoMar for the evening. This is a very upscale mall built on the cliff
overlooking the ocean. We had dinner at Tanta Restaurant with a wonderful
dinner and view of the surf and sunset. We also took in a movie right there at
the mall before returning to the hotel.
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The week was full of a variety of experiences, work in the office and experiencing a little of the cultural history of the Peruvian people. But probably the most important thing that happened to Diane and me this week was experiencing the tenderness of both of our anniversaries the 12th and 13th of September. It was very peaceful and sweet to take a night and day in San Isidro and Mistura. It's something we both would have both done with our spouses, taking a moment to enjoy life and each other. Our "perfect week" concluded with us "remembering Eileen and Jon, 40 and 38 years it would have been for us. I think by now we are all pretty good friends, eternal friends indeed.
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