FSU Football

Not much new happening in Peru right now so let’s talk football. My very computer savvy brother-in-law, Greg, helped me find some websites to watch any football game live on the internet. Unfortunately, my connection is not the best so I am stuck watching the play-by-play as it is typed on FoxSports.com. That is okay though because at least it is something. As many of you know I am a Florida State fan and I must say I am a little disappointed so far. I knew there was not a great deal of hope for this season but after the big win over BYU I think we all were getting a little excited. And then the USF game happened. Even though I am a USF alumni and I should be very happy right now I was pulling for FSU because that is where football started for me. As far back as I can remember my Aunt Andy, Uncle Dean and Cousin Adam would drive up to Tallahassee late Friday night in order to go to the football game on Saturday. We usually greeted them, unless Karen and I were sleeping, and then off to bed to get rested for the big game on Saturday. Adam, Karen and I would then wake up early Saturday and get to work right away. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons we had our work cut out for us. We would rake all of the pine needles in the front yard and use them to spell out encouraging phrases for our favorite team. I do not remember exactly how they went but things like “Go Noles” or “Beat the Canes”. After the work was done we would clean up and off to the game. We always left early so we would have time to play a few downs on the practice field outside the stadium, we had to warm up just like the players. Then our parents would walk us to our seats. That is right, we had our own seats and we did not have to sit with the grownups, we felt so mature. After a long game of screaming for our Noles the game would usually end in a victory and then we would wait. This was one of the most important times of the game because something exciting was about to happen. All of the fans were clearing out and the people who collect the cups were starting to collect but we were all just waiting. Finally the time was right, the Police Officers were finally off the field and we were off to the races. It is our time now to show our stuff. We had our warm up on the practice field before the game and now it is time for the real thing. Uncle Dean would take the ball to play quarterback and we each took turns catching touchdown passes, spiking the ball and doing our victory dances in the in zone. We were playing on the same field where Deion Sanders just made an amazing tackle and Sammie Smith just ran for a 50 yard touchdown. This is where football began for me and I will never forget all of these great childhood memories of FSU football. Go Noles!

Peruvian Food

As most of you know, I visited Peru a couple of times before we decided to move down here. In that time I tried a ton of different Peruvian dishes and most were good but none were excellent. This was disappointing because I had always heard that Peruvian cuisine was some of the best in the world. It was not until we moved here that I realized this fact. I do not know if my taste bud had to adjust to the spices or what but I am really enjoying the food now. I know I have also told some stories about some of the “strange” dishes here and I am afraid I might have scared some people away from trying this wonderful food. For starters Chorizo is a type of sausage that is best grilled and eaten on a bread roll with aji de casa (a type of yellow jalapeno sauce). Another great dish is lomo saltado which is sliced beef cooked with onions and served over french fries.
The most famous dish is ceviche which is pieces of fish cooked by marinating it in lemon juice and served cold with sliced onions. I know this sounds a little out there but it is an excellent dish on a summer afternoon.

And finally one of my many favorites is papa a la huancaina. This is boiled potatoes covered in a yellow sauce that has just a hint of spice, but not too much.

These are just a couple of the over 400 dishes that Peru has to offer, some are a little strange but most all of the ones I have tried are fantastic. Now I know why Johanna missed the food some much. For those of you living in Tampa, and your mouths are watering, there is a great Peruvian restaurant called Terra Sur Café.