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Peruvian Hairless Dog Nap
Peruvian Hairless Dog Nap, originally uploaded by GitanoLatino. Photographer GitanoLatino knelt in the dry sands of northern Peru to capture this marvelous dog’s eye view of a sleeping Peruvian hairless (taken in January 2007). The little dog is sleeping near the ruins of Chan Chan, an adobe city built by the Chimu people around 1300 AD. It is the largest adobe complex of the pre-Columbian Americas. Peruvian hairless dogs roam the Chan Chan complex to this day. Wouldn’t it be remarkable if one of these ancient dogs, who sat on the laps of Moche and Inca rulers, were to take up resident in the U.S. Casa Blanca?
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Laura Bush Does Peru: Toilets for the People!
Laura Bush had an interesting itinerary this past weekend in Peru. I think it merits more public attention than does her husband’s hobnobbing with APEC leaders at the final summit meeting. Laura Bush looks on as aid worker demonstrates how to decontaminate drinking water in earthquake zone (San Clemente, Peru, Nov. 21) Of note: (1) She didn’t come with W. (He flew with Arroz.) Instead of arriving at Lima in Airforce One with her husband, Laura Bush flew from Panama to southern Peru. Some bloggers have read into the separate travel itineraries (strained marital relations), but I’m skipping those speculations because… (2) Laura Bush should be commended for visiting Pisco,…
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Overstressed Americans Binge on Junk Food, Drive up Sales, Cheers Snack Food Industry!
The slow-motion collapse of the U.S. economy is harming consumers and businesses across the country — well, almost every business that is. One industry is enjoying big sales gains thanks to the stress experienced by ordinary working people. North American sales of “savory snacks” (potato chips, Cheetos, etc.) by Frito-Lay are up 9% for the third qurater, reports Potato Pro, “your source for all things potato.” Sales rose despite hikes in gas and ingredient prices and lowered earnings for Americans. (Some companies made up for the higher costs by switching to smaller bags.) Potato Pro jefe Paul van Eijck thinks the trend is only going to accelerate. As the U.S. economy worsens, stressed-out Americans will binge…
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More APEC Poncho Outtakes: Bush & Friends Do the Free Trade Boogie
Now it's U.S. President George W. Bush in his APEC poncho get-up that's driving traffic to expat blogs like An American in Lima. Never say I don't oblige. These shots are all originals by El Fotografo, taken on Nov. 23. I let EF write the captions this time. (You can tell by the sexist joke above that EF wrote it, not me.) If you are going to reproduce the photos on your web site, please give him the proper credit line (photo c. Jorge Vera 2008) and link to this site.
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Climate Change Threatens Peru’s Native Potatoes
Here’s a timely article from Eliza Barclay on a topic close to many Peruvians’ hearts: potatoes. Cover photo from The Potato, Treasure of the Andes Extreme weather shifts caused by global warming are interrupting millenia-old agricultural cyles in the high Andes, reports Barclay for the Miami Herald. That turmoil is having a devastating effect on crops of native Peruvian potatoes, which grow at altitudes of 3,000+ meters above sea level. Barclay notes in “Peru’s Potato Farmers Adapt to Climate Change” (Sept. 11, 2008): For the first half of his life, Gregorio Huanuco farmed to a rhythm that dictated the survival of his grandparents and ancestors for thousands of years. He waited…
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Bush Stifles Urge to Wring Asian Leaders’ Necks at Summit (Just Kidding)
Bush towers over Japanese leader Taro Aso (L) and Korea’s Lee Myung-Bak (R), at the Official Group Photo for the APEC Leaders’ Summit, Nov. 23, Lima, Peru; photo c. Jorge Vera 2008 El Fotografo snagged this photo of U.S. President George Bush making an incriminating gesture with his hands behind the Japanese and Korean leaders at the APEC Leaders’ Summit, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008. Korea’s Lee Myung-Bak looks like he’s flinching in pain. If Bush did secretly feel like wringing the Asian leaders’ necks, I don’t know why. Nearly everything went his way at APEC, and he got to go home with a nifty $300 alpaca-wool poncho. The day prior to…
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(Not) Trailing Bush at the APEC
The Texas cowbow-turned-El Chalan, APEC Leaders’ Summit, Nov. 23, 2008; photo c. Jorge Vera It was 4 p.m. on the final day of the APEC Summit, and most of the leaders and the journalists had left the Minstry of Defense building where the summit had been held. El Fotógrafo and I were huddled in a cubicle in the International Media Center, trying to identify which Asian leader was which in a photo EF had taken earlier that afternoon. “Is that the president of Thailand? No, Vietnam?” We kept checking with a list of published photos of the leaders, most of which appeared to have been taken when the leaders were younger…
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Bullfighting Thrives Amid Growing Protests in Peru
Peruvian bullfighter Fernando Roca Rey, Acho stadium, Lima, Nov. 2, 2008; photo c. Jorge Vera My news feature on bullfighting in Peru appears on the front page of today’s Miami Herald (“Many protest bullfighting in Peru“), with photos by El Fotografo. The Herald edited the story and retitled it to put more emphasis on the antitaurinos (bullfighting protestors) than I did in my original version, which I titled, “Bullfighting Thrives Amid Growing Protests in Peru” (see my original below). The subject of bullfighting intrigued me because the tradition is undergoing a curious revival in Lima — curious because while attendance is rising at the Acho bullfights, there’s also a growing countermovement to end bullfighting in…
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Waiter, There’s an APEC Fly in My Ceviche Classico!
By Barbara R. Drake, with photos by Jorge Vera Ceviche Fuerza Asiatica, from Pescados Capitales, Lima, Peru Call it haute cuisine with a political bite. That’s what some foreign dignitaries are tucking into at a top eatery in Lima this week, when the APEC Leader’s Summit concludes with a special focus on the world economic crisis. Pescados Capitales, on the city’s gastronomic corridor of Avenida La Mar, is serving up a menu of original dishes that salute and satirize “Los Pecados de la APEC” (The Sins of APEC). Overseen by head chef Wilfredo Castillo and owner Nguyen Chávez, the APEC dishes feature “summit” gatherings of classic Peruvian foods like ceviche…
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Interview with Bullfighter José Uceda Leal: “Women like to see a man face death”
Spanish bullfighter Jose Uceda Leal before his first corrida at Plaza de Acho, Lima, Nov. 1, 2008: , photo c. Jorge Vera 2008 Born and trained in Madrid, José Igacio Uceda Leal ranks among the top toreros in Spain. Tall and slender, the 31-year-old bullfighter moves in the ring with an elegant, commanding presence. When he’s not dancing with bulls or stabbing them through the aorta, Uceda Leal is prone to giving introspective, rather philosophical answers to questions from the press. “In life and in bullfighting, there are moments that are real trials by fire,” he told a reporter in 1999, “some of which you cannot imagine, but which raise you up as…
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Peru Police Arrest Man with 36 Grenades (for APEC?)
Just two days ago, El Fotografo and I were talking with El Hijo about the beefed-up security for the APEC Summit, which concludes this week in Lima. “Are terrorists going to kill the presidents?” EH asked, as we drove by the LarcoMar shopping mall in Miraflores, which was swarming with police. “Probably not,” I told him. “But you never know, so that’s why they have roadblocks and police checking things. Sometimes it can be just one crazy person who throws a bomb to get attention.” “Oh,” said EH somberly. He looked out at a row of police in green uniforms guarding the entrance to the Marriot Hotel. One guy in combat…
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Best Cevicherias & Seafood Restaurants in Lima: Where to Dine During APEC Week
An American in Lima recommends… Seafood and rice at La Mar La Mar (Av. La Mar 770, Miraflores; 421-3365): Gaston Acurio’s chic cevicheria is sure to be on many APEC dignitaries’ “must eat at” lists. There’s always a line at this trendsetting restaurant, so expect even longer waits during APEC week. La Mar’s head chef tells An American in Lima he’s ordering 30% more fish than usual to accommodate the rush. Open 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. only.* Pescados Capitales (La Mar 1337, Miraflores; 421-8808): Top-notch, innovative ceviche served in upscale/rustic surroundings. I lurve, lurve, lurve this place, which is several blocks down the same street as Acurio’s La Mar. I…
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Vote Shows 87% in Favor of Peruvian Hairless Dog for Obamas
Two Peruvian hairless puppies on the right, with a third puppy of the same breed with hair on left; photo courtesy of Sweet Lucy’s Last night I tallied the results from Monday’s poll (“Should a Peruvian hairless dog become the new White House pet?“), and it turns out an overwhelming majority (87%) of visitors to this blog want the Obamas to adopt a perro sin pelo. An American in Lima Poll Results 83% voted “yes” 17% voted “no” As of 9:30 p.m. Friday night, 151 people had voted. (The poll has since closed.) Note that most visitors to An American in Lima can claim a direct connection to Peruvian culture. They are either Peruvians or foreigners living in Peru; Peruvians living…
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Photo of the Day: Female Bullfighter Milagros Sanchez at Plaza de Acho
19-year-old Peruvian bullfighter Milagros Sanchez kneels in the sands of Acho, Nov. 1, 2008; photo copyright Jorge Vera 2008 This year’s Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles) bullfight festival (Nov. 1 – 23), held in the historic Plaza de Acho bullring, began in a rather unorthodox way. (1) One minute prior to the start of the Nov. 1 novillada, at 3:40 p.m., an earthquake registering 4.3 on the Richter scale shook the city. (2) Two female bullfighters, Milagros Sanchez (Peru) and Lulu de la Vega (Mexico) took their places in the ring. It was the first time in 32 years that women had competed at Acho. Also in the ring that day was little…
