Destination Peru #11: The Cuy Finally

Restaurant Pachatuzan
Pachatuzan Road, Agua Calientes
$16 for the cuy

If any of you have talked to me about my trip already, you'll know that I got a chance to try guinea pig. In Peru, guinea pig, or cuy, is usually served for special occasions. From what the guide said, it sounded like the equivalent of a goose. How often do Americans eat goose except for special dinners around holidays? Well cuy is an Andean dish, so I waited to get into the mountains before selecting a restaurant. Many of the places in Agua Calientes serve it to the tourist clientele. I saw a few of them skinned and sold in the markets, but none alive. I chose Restaurant Pachatuzan because we had been to plenty of fancy places and this one looked simple and somewhat less frequented. They featured a large wood oven in the back for roasting many of their dishes. Soon after we sat down, the lights went out. But the owners were quick to bring out candles and resume service. It occurred to me that blackouts were probably not too uncommon.






My mother had the cordero a la parilla. Looking in my trust pocket dictionary, I realized that it was roast lamb. It was simple, no fancy garnishes, but according to my mom, a great dish.



My dad chose the trout because of its ubiquity. Apparently, it is a regional specialty showing up on most of the menus around town. The skin was crisp, but the fish lacked much flavor of its own. Every dish came with a side of thin fried potatoes.

Finally, my order came.



I was hoping to see the whole guinea pig comfortably lain with its paws tucked underneath like a whole roasted pig. Mine came spatchcocked, which makes sense from a cooking perspective, but lacked the dramatic effect. Well if anything, it certainly looked more grotesque. It didn't bother me to see a whole roasted rodent on my plate, except when it stared at me as I was eating it. I turned the plate around so I could eat in peace.



Well that's the presentation, but what did it taste like? To be honest, there was nothing unique or distinct about the flavor of the meat. The taste and texture bore a striking resemblance to dark meat chicken, although the skin was very elastic and chewy. Perhaps I just had a bad cuy, but I was disappointed. Besides the novelty, I don't really see the appeal.

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Horray, Triumph for Taco Trucks

A Los Angeles County Judge overturned the unpopular ordinance regarding taco truck parking. I acknowledge that taco trucks may have lower costs and could be driving brick and mortar businesses out, but that's what competition is all about. Plus I would rather get a meal at a truck than many of the so-called taqueiras. Regarding the claims that taco trucks create noise and trash, I haven't seen it personally so I can't speak to that.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-me-tacos28-2008aug28,0,2873228.story?track=rss

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The VGT Omnivore's Hundred

Thanks to the investigative food blog browsing of my friend Audrey, I found this list. I figured it would be a fun way to fill an entry. So here we go.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison - at Josie
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile - Did you know Louisiana is the only place to have alligators and crocodiles?
6. Black pudding - as blood sausage, which Wikipedia tells me is the same.
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht - not big on beets
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich - Yes, but I don't understand the American love affair with this sandwich.
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart - One of the best hot dogs I ever had was from a cart in SF.
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle - I've had it shaved into other dishes, but often not in enough quantities to really tell what it tastes like.
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras - First time was actually relatively recently at Plumed Horse.
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - more for my own safety than anything else.
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - The best sourdough is in SF hands-down.
33. Salted lassi - I've had Persian doogh though.
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - only because I don't smoke.
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects - scorpions and sandworms; I don't know if I could do a beetle or cricket.
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk - Just tried it the other day actually; There might be an entry later.
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu - Thought I did, panicked that I would be paralyzed. I think I just drank too much that night.
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - For several year I actually gave up Krispy Kremes. But the first one I had after a several year hiatus was heavenly.
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - Strangely enough, I only eat Big Macs when I'm overseas.
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine - didn't know what this was, but looks appealing on Wikipedia.
60. Carob chips - Why would you eat these by themselves?
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads - at Restaurant 2117.
63. Kaolin - maybe as a part of a stomach Chinese stomach medicine
64. Currywurst - haven't heard of it, but from the name, it sounds delicious.
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis - I'm not adverse to haggis, but it just doesn't sounds very good. Usually things boiled aren't very good.
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho - Surprisingly, I don't think I've ever had it.
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill - Initially, I would've objected, but Dave's Cupboard suggested that a deer could be roadkill. I'd gladly eat that.
76. Baijiu - There's a reason they serve it in tiny cups.
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky - This is a truly odd list, isn't it?
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant - I've only gone as high as two.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare - rabbit? Is there a difference?
87. Goulash - not big on Eastern European, i.e. borscht from above.
88. Flowers - I'm not sure what this means since so many flowers are edible.
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - musubi baby!
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor - Why would you do that to a lobster that's delicious enough on its own?
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

70 Eaten

2 out

28 to go

Come on LA bloggers, lets see some lists!

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Why Locavorism is a Pipe Dream

I grew up in California and I've lived here all my life. While I don't necessarily want to stay here forever, I do love the state. As a foodie, California's appeal is apparent. The incredible bounty of the state is unparalleled by anywhere else in the Union. California's climate and soil conditions are so versatile and suitable to a wide variety of produce. Visiting New York, I hated paying a premium for fresh fruits and vegetables that look like they came from the bottom of the sale bin at 99 Ranch. Considering my love for the ingredients here, its easy to appreciate the utopian dream of the locavore movement.

Sure, eating local foods seems to be a great concept for building self-reliant communities. The food on your plate comes from no further than your nearest farms and ranches. The huge carbon footprint on that Australian rack of lamb is enough to deter some environmentalists. Why not have lamb from the farmers' market instead?

Well as Stephen Dubner and James McWilliams argue on the Freakonomics blog, the local food movement is just not very sound from an economist's perspective. When you emphasize small farms, you lose economies of scale. When you lose that, you create inefficiencies may have other undesirable effects. True, agri-business sounds pretty sinister these days, but mostly because these large companies are efficient at what they do. The Green Revolution has been credited with feeding groups of people with cheap and readily available foods, but perhaps at the cost of the environment. Yet how many people are willing to give up most of the foods on their local grocery shelves for the sake of the environment. I like to eat bananas, but they don't grow anywhere near me. How many of you are willing to make that sacrifice?

Not everywhere that people live is suitable for agriculture either. California is lucky in that sense, but ask the people in Arizona if they're willing to only eat locally. Would it be worthwhile to heavily irrigate Arizona for the sake of growing oranges? How can that be good for the environment.

On paper, the local food movement is quite appealing. But in practice, it just doesn't address all the complexities. Our agricultural system is flawed, but certainly not broken.

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Destination Peru #10: My Gripe with Dinner Shows

When I traveled as a kid with my family, I never liked our tour groups. Although I like the convenience of having everything planned out, I never trust the food provided on these tours. They always have some sort of deal worked out with a less than stellar restaurants to gouge the customers. Just the same, I'm skeptical of asking taxi drivers for recommendations. It was like this when I went to Europe. We were in a Chinese tour group and only ate at Chinese restaurants. Don't ask me how I went through France without eating anything remotely French.

On my trip to Peru, we booked a tour that took care of lodging, transportation and several tours of famous sites. Luckily, they gave us freedom for our meals. One of the few dinners they did provide was at Tunupa. It is centrally located in the town square, and better yet, there was live entertainment. The show consisted of an Andean band playing some traditional instruments and dancers performing native dances.



While the performance was good, the food was not. Though Tunupa has a menu available, the provided dinner was a buffet. In general, I don't mind buffets. I realize that the food is not going to be outstanding so I judge it on a different scale. Even though the alpaca stew and spit-roasted pork were tasty, overall I didn't think it was memorable or spectacular. What bothered me most though, was that it was a buffet. Simply put, buffets and dinner shows do not mix. The dancers frequently blocked the main floor of the restaurant, resulting in diner stuck to one wall while waiting for the routine to finish. At least with wait service the diners are not quite as inconvenienced, assuming that the performances are timed well with each course. If you're going to start a restaurant with accompanying show, please plan ahead. Don't leave me standing with a chocolate hazelnut cake in one hand for four minutes.

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Destination Peru #9: Inka Grill Introduction to Cusco

Cusco Cathedral

After our brief tour in Lima, we ventured up into the Andes en route to Machu Picchu. The town of Cusco was the capital of the Inca Empire at its peak, now its a major tourist stop. Around the main square, little shops and restaurants gave the scene the flavor of a quaint European village. The cathedral in the center of town had more bling than the last thirty gangsta rap videos I've seen. Gold and silver leafed altar pieces were stunning. I have to give it up to the Catholic Church, when they want to dazzle you, they do so in style.


That's a candle that's accumulated over ten years.



For lunch upon arrival, we went to Inka Grill, one of the restaurants on my Peru research list. The classy interior and experienced staff definitely took the restaurant out of the little town its in and placed it in a cosmopolitan city. Of course the prices also reflected that. During my trip, the exchange rate was roughly 3 soles per dollar. When my uncle went their before the Argentinian economy collapse, the exchange rate was one-to-one. At those prices, the country would not be any cheaper to visit than America.



They served us some chips with spicy, minty cilantro dip to start with, but they weren't that good. In fact, they had been sitting out and were no longer crispy. I couldn't tell if the potatoes tasted any different.


Aji de Gallina

I ordered the aji de gallina because of its popularity as a Peruvian dish. It's a shredded, poached chicken in a creamy sauce with nuts, parmesan cheese and mirasol peppers. As a dish, it's hearty, but beyond that, the flavor was simple. I can imagine people eating something like this on a day-to-day basis.


Alpaca Tournedos


Live alpaca for comparison

Of course I would've ordered the alpaca a lo tupac turin if my brother hadn't jumped on it first. This would be first of someone of the more exotic foods I'd be eating. Alpacas are so common in the Andes, although I suspect the people raising them tend to frequent tourist paths. They're dumb looking animals, but very docile and tame. Similar to llamas except they're not raised as pack animals since they're too small to carry anything. They're domesticated only for their wool. I bought several scarfs and sweaters made of alpaca and I'll admit that they are indeed soft and warm. Too bad their meat is not especially delicious. The tournedos were tender and slightly gamey, but nothing particularly memorable. I won't be disappointed if I can never eat alpaca again.


Inka Grill Sampler

My mom decided to go broad and order the Inka Grill Sampler, which consisted of tamales, potato empanadas, anticucho and papas rellenas. Everything on that plate that looks yellowish is potato. In my opinion, it was overwhelming, but the different styles of preparations with presumably different types of potatoes had radically different textures. Anticucho was a dish I had heard much about and was eager to try. It is a skewered beef heart. Sounds tasty...or maybe a little sadistic. Either way, it was indeed chewy and beefy. There was a slight taste of organ meat, but it was mostly just an overwhelming sensation of beef. Did I say overwhelming? I meant just right. How could you be overwhelmed by beef? That would be silly.

http://www.inkagrillcusco.com/

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Destination Peru #8: Chifas in Peru

Look familiar?

What about this one?

It's funny how Chinese restaurants look the same wherever you go. The same cheap furniture, tacky posters and paintings, and that ubiquitous bottle of soy sauce on every table. I suppose that you can say the same about any French or Japanese restaurant. But the frugality of Chinese decor will always be apparent. Chinese restaurants have taken a life of their own in Peru. Being such a diverse capital, Chinese have made their two million strong population felt in the Peruvian culinary scene. So much in fact that Chinese restaurants actually have a special name chifa, a transliteration of the Chinese 吃飯 meaning "to eat."


Sopa Wanton


Arroz Chaufa

Chifas are actually so common place in Lima that there's hardly a dining district without chopsticks and red walls. Wonton soup, or sopa wanton, often on the menu of even non-Chinese restaurants. As is arroz chaufa, fried rice. Just as Chinese food is in the States, the chifas in Peru serve a particular brand of cuisine distinct from its roots in the Orient. For one thing, sweet and sour seems to be big. A duck dish I ordered in Puno was peculiarly sliced and stir-fried instead of roasted whole. But given its uniqueness, I still found the food to be decent. The fried rice we had in Lima was particularly delicious. The chifas do have some strange habits such as serving jasmine tea with sugar (ack!).


Pato con ajo (Garlic duck)

We visited Chifa Parque Central in Lima and Chifa Nan Hua 南華 in Puno. Inca Kola has become a staple of chifas, much like the Belfast Apple Cider in Chinese restaurants in America. Still, I'd rather have my Chinese food with tea, but please, hold the sugar.

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