Woo hoo

Have bought tickets to Lima for a cousin's wedding in a few months!

Lima Greets the New Year

This is how Lima greeted the New Year, filmed from some family's rooftop in the district of Comas:

¡Feliz Navidad!

Video "Modern Meets Inca"

Added to the links at right:  PBS's episode of Moments of Luxury, this time showing the "softer side" of Lima. 

From the program blurb:

"Bill visits Lima's magnificent historic sites and discovers the lasting influence of the Incas on modern day Peru. Peruvian contemporary artisans and designers honor their Incan and pre-Columbian roots in creating some of the world's most fascinating art, textiles, jewelry, modern architecture and food."

Fuerza Godoy!

This is a bit off-topic but it's an important issue that touches the entire Peru blog community.

On Oct. 29, 2010, Peruvian blogger Jose Alejandro Godoy, of Desde el Tercer Piso blog, was sentenced by a Peruvian judge to 3 years of prison (suspended), 120 days of community service, and restitution of US$107,000, in response to a defamation suit brought by former congressman and gov. minister Jorge Mufarech. The plaintiff argued that Godoy had defamed him when he published links to online news articles referencing criminal and ethical accusations against Mufarech.

Peru's entire blogosphere, and many of its civil rights and journalistic communities condemn this as a farcical and illegal sentence, and a dangerous precedent.

Black clam cebiche in Jesus Maria

Conchas negras - black clams- are one of the most prized ingredients for cebiche in Peru.   Native to the warmer waters nearer the equator, where they grow amidst the mangrove roots, black clams are harvested and shipped daily to Lima, which makes them a bit more expensive than other ingredients - at the market one pays for them by the unit.  However, as their flavor is dominant, other blander fishes can be mixed in without significantly reducing the clam flavor in the dish.

However, the best way to have them is alone in a cebiche.  They have an almost effervescent quality to them which seems to increase alertness -no wonder they are reputed to have aphrodisiac qualities. They also are the only shellfish in Peru that is used entire, with no part other than the shell being discarded.    

Aside from the clams themselves, the cebiche included lime juice, chopped aji limo, salt, aji-no-moto (monosodium glutamate), and chopped onion, with some beans, boiled corn, and toasted corn (cancha) added on top.