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Pachamanca or BBQ?

The Association, with their newest members, Betty and Claude Ward, are hosting a Pachamanca/BBQ in Cieneguilla. I have been trying to write this article for the last week, deleting it in frustration each time I attempted to finish it. (My apologies, Mr. Very Patient Editor)

It has finally dawned on me why it has been so difficult to write. It is that the proposal of a Pachamanca, and as much as it was enjoyed by the members who attended it in the last years, the majority of the members either has had enough Pachamanca for the time being or has found that it is just too expensive for them to afford. A Pachamanca is great, and Gutarra and his crew do a wonderful job; good food, traditionally cooked, as well as the “show” that accompanies this Andean Feast. A Pachamanca is so Peruvian, something that all newcomers should experience it is part of living in Peru. The cost of the Pachamanca will be $20 per person. You can sit around and watch everyone cook their food while your own sumptuous meal is served.

Now for those who do not want to partake of this feast, we propose an alternative BBQ. Everyone takes their own meat, whether beef, chicken, or sausages or all of the above and cooks it themselves or inveigles someone else to do the cooking for them. We will provide the potatoes and the salad (can you guess where the tomatoes will come from?) You bring your dessert. We will provide beer, at a modest price, and free soft drinks, thanks to our sponsors, Backus and Coca Cola.

Betty and Claude have five grandchildren, so their property is geared to children and adult sports. There is a “sapo” game, ping pong, a foot ball pitch, a trampoline as well as their two pet alpacas. The property stretches down to the river with a very pretty deck built out over the riverbed. There is plenty of room to run around, with an orchard and spare acreage.

Call the office for reservations. With enough interest, we could easily hire a bus to take us there and back. It is close to an hour outside of Lima, or rather, an hour from the office in Miraflores. You hill people in La Molina and La Planicie will find it much shorter. Instructions as to how to get there will be provided closer to the date.

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