Tango in Buenos Aires

Written by Karen.
It's a steamy day.  The sun is brilliant against the blue sky absent of any cloud cover.  I am dripping with sweat.  It is hot.  Just plain hot.  We are walking around a couple of new neighborhoods today, La Boca and Barracas.  These areas are somewhat removed from the hubbub that is downtown Buenos Aires.  Our primary goal this day, like most days - besides exploring new neighborhoods - is to find a great local restaurant, preferably one with a good local wine list.   Gotta eat, right?

We Have To Stop Meating Like This...

La Rambla, Montevideo, Uruguay

Written by Karen.

Sometimes you know that you're going to have a great meal in advance. You look forward to the get-together with a certain sense of anticipation.  You might wonder what topics of conversation will be discussed or which bottles of wine will be opened.  After being seated, you are allowed plenty of time to salivate over the possible menu choices.  

But there are other times - every once in awhile - when a memorable meal sneaks up on you without you even realizing it and you suddenly look up and say, "Wow!" 

Eating in Peru

Zorritos, Peru

Written by Karen.
Peruvian food is seriously good.  Not only does it have spice, subtlety, depth and interest, but it has a history which invokes passion, a necessary component of creating good food.  Litha, a cooking aficionado and student of the culinary arts - and probably a chef extraordinaire someday - said to us one day when we were discussing the different Peruvian foods that we had tried, 'I love cooking Peruvian food because it is our history on the plate.'  It's an interesting and compelling thought.  The different types of potatoes, corn, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs tell a story of the past and the present.  The marriage of those various components make for some pretty tasty things to eat.  

Machu Picchu, Peru

Written by Karen.

We went to bed early the night before our trip to Machu Picchu.  I checked - and double checked - the alarm clock as we needed to be up, ready to go, and at the bus station before 6:00 am. We already knew where the bus stop was located in the small mountain town of Aguas Calientes and had already purchased our bus tickets to the top of the mountain and back down again earlier that afternoon.  Our small daypack was packed; filled with nuts, dried fruit and bottled water.  We had read that food and water was scarce and very expensive at the top. The weather was seemingly cooperating.  We were ready to go.