Jan and everyone,

Yes the small spoons are very much like demitasse spoons, except everyone uses them here. They don’t use teaspoons. (But if you are really a well-mannered person from the Sierras  (the mountains) you only use a large spoon, meaning no fork either.) Actually hot dogs are only rarely served here. White rice is served almost twice a day. The best cooking secret from here is to put your sweet potatoes in the full sun for 5 days and then in the shade or inside. They are very sweet that way you don’t need to add any sugar (if you ever did add sugar.) They also have a purple sweet potato, which is also very good, (only the outer surface is purple.) Of course, there are various types of potatoes, actually about 2,000 to 4,000, but I see 10 or so in the market every time I go there.

They grow artichokes and asparagus around here but rarely eat them. They are canned for export. In fact 100% or 50% (I don’t remember which) of Costco’s jars of artichokes hearts are canned about ¼ of a mile away from here.

There are several varieties of corn that are commonly served, usually on the cob, in soups. Tamales are usually served Sunday morning. The Tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and pieces of meat and olives and peanuts are mixed into them, rather than the masa wrapped around a filling.  The Corn masa is courser and more brilliant orangish yellow color than what I have had in the US.

mayacoba beans: I had to read a little in the Internet before I could answer this. I was served a dish of yellow beans, three kinds of yellow beans, this last week. Nothing especially different about cooking these but they call them either yellow beans or canary beans. Apparently these were crossed with another bean to arrive at the mayacoba variety.

I have had Quinoa here as well as the U.S. Mostly it is served the same as they serve oatmeal, a soupy drinkable breakfast with canned milk, or it is added to soups.

The food here is excellent, but I can’t really tell you why, the biggest difference I notice is that they use way too much salt, (and sugar) and that they really care about their food. They have a great deal of pride in Peruvian food.

I have had so much ceviche or cebiche that I have no interest in having any more for a few months.  But it also is very good. We only eat ceviche when we are close to the coast and I am about 30 minutes from the ocean. I also had excellent (to die for) goat yogurt last week.

Sopa Seca is the specialty of Cañete. Basically spaghetti with a spicy sauce. I will figure out the recipe and add it to my post one of these days. My father is more than glad to teach me how to make it.

The diets here on the coast generally lack vegetables, there are some but not many, except for the sweet potatoes.  Fortunately they are cheap as well as good. A truck was driving through town offering a sack (50 to 100 pounds, I don’t know but a large sack) for 15 soles (less than 7 dollars).  Fruit is easy to obtain and there are many different varieties, many can be found in the US some cannot.