The way to a man's heart...

I'm not sure of the origin of the saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," but I do know that depending on the man, it is often a much varied journey.

I really enjoy food. I don't often eat just to fill my stomach; my preference is to consume well prepared and fresh food. This is not an obsession, but I would say it is something I strive to accomplish. When traveling, my food objectives include the desire to explore a region, country, or culture by sampling the indigenous food. The food that is considered to be representative of that region, country, or culture. Most times it is the food which is not found at my local markets.

In the summer of 2008, I traveled to Iceland and Norway. I samples many dishes, some that I cannot correctly pronounce, today. One that stands out was the daily special in a restaurant located in the small Icelandic town of Laugarvatn. The special was Mienke whale steak in a white pepper sauce. It was great! Whale is an important protein in the Icelandic diet. There are strict limits on the number of whales that may be caught; so, the availability had diminished. Hot dogs (I sampled lots of them), rotten shark (I missed this one), and lamb's head (I missed this one, too) are also staples.

Where am I going with this tale of food? I am doing research on my upcoming trip to Peru. We will be in the Andes and ultimately at Machu Picchu. What do they eat? Potatoes originated in Peru; they have hundreds of varieties. I'm sure to have many types of potatoes. The one thing that I do wish to taste is an animal domesticated more than 2000 years ago. This ancient protein source is cuy. What's cuy? It is what we call guinea pig. Why do they call it cuy? The animal makes a noise that sounds like cuy cuy. I've read accounts that it tastes like rabbit; I've read too that the older the animal the tougher and stronger tasting the meat becomes. I'm hoping for a young cuy. Another benefit of smaller is that there is less to eat if the taste is offensive. I understand that it is best prepared by stuffing the body cavity with fresh herbs and spit roasting or roasting on in a wood fired oven. It is always served with potatoes, and the beverage of choice is chicha (but that's another story). In any case, I plan to sample the cuisine.

Buen provecho!