|
In a Strange Land
Food Glorious Food
By Larry J. Pitman
Last year I went back to the U.S. to attend a professional conference in Seattle. I stopped to visit my sons in San Francisco, and then I decided to drive up to Seattle since I love going through Northern California and Oregon. All went well, a very enjoyable visit, except for one thing- the food.
Little had I realized how Peruvianized I had become. Is that a word? As I anticipated getting on the road, I thought it would be nice to have some fruit and that way I wouldn't have to stop very often for food.
My first major shock was going into a Safeway Market and looking at the fruit section. The fruit looked beautiful, all clean and shiny. Lots of it was wrapped in plastic… convenient to carry, I thought. The prices stunned me. It was $3.99 a pound, not a kilo (2.2. pounds as I am used to in Peru) but one pound. It was summer so I bought some peaches and nectarines along with a few apples and grapes. I paid the bill of $10.00, thinking what I could have bought at our local market in Surquillo for thirty soles and got in the car.
Now came the next big shock. As I was driving along the freeway, I bit into the first of the fruit. Nothing. No taste. In fact your average piece of cardboard is more tasty. As I sampled each fruit, I became more desperate. I have always been taught not to waste food, but this I couldn't eat. So the floor of the car was strewn with fruit with one bite out of it.
Well, I thought, I will just have to stop along the way and grab something to eat. That became my next problem. And it relates to changes in my life style since I married my lovely Peruvian wife. Before, I think that I was your average American as far as food is concerned. My mother was from the Mid-west; she fried everything in sight. That was what I was used to. Lots of meat, cooked to a tough consistency, and potatoes.
Maria Luisa changed my life and the way I want to eat. Now I expect to have lots of tasty vegetables and delicious fruits with just a small portion of meat. Yes, I want it beautifully prepared and presented attractively on a plate. This is what I get in Peru, both at home and in the restaurants we visit. You can tell how spoiled I have become.
As I was driving on the freeway in Northern California and Oregon, I realized that it was not going to be easy to follow my usual diet. There were plenty of places to stop, but when I looked at the menu, something inside me turned over. The food seemed heavy, highly salted and unsatisfying. Nothing seemed attractive or enjoyable to eat. Even the restaurants that are not chains are oriented to fast service to travelers. They are not too concerned about the quality because most of their customers will never be back.
Things food-wise did not improve much in Seattle. The conference was held in the huge convention center in downtown Seattle. The food inside the convention center was exactly like that I had encountered on the highways. Only more expensive. It sustained life, but little more can be said for it. It should be noted that none of my colleagues at the conference complained about the food. To them, it was just the usual. I am the one who has changed.
The trip back to San Francisco was more of the same: gorgeous countryside, terrible food. The night before coming home, some Peruvian friends invited me over for dinner. Aahh, a tasty seco de pollo. I smiled in anticipation of my return to Peru and food, glorious, food.
<< Back
|
