Today, Sunday the 28th of July, was Peru's Independence Day (a public holiday). Right through the month of July, the Peruvian flag has been hoisted on buildings, and museum staff have worn on their chests ribbons and pin badges in the same colors as the Peruvian flag, called the "Escarapela del Perú (the Cockade of Peru)”. They say it is to celebrate Peru’s independence and to show their respect on Independence Day. There has been a lot of marching, musical performances, and dance practice for the Independence Day parade at schools too.



Of course, the national flag has been hoisted at Paracas Museum too.



You can buy cockades at markets or street stalls. I bought a pin badge for 2 soles (about 80 yen).


Well, this time I will tell you about the really amazing "choice of set lunches" called “Menú,” which consists of a Peruvian appetizer, main dish, and drink. First, please take a look at this photo.


Restaurants write that day’s Menú choices on a blackboard, along with the prices, and put the blackboard in front of the restaurant. For example, the Menú dishes at this restaurant are...

(1) Entradas (Appetizers)

Sopa de morón (Soup)
Cebiche de pescado (Ceviche)
Papa a la huancaina*1
Ensalada fresca (Salad)
*1: A typical Peruvian dish of boiled potatoes with yellow chili sauce

(2) Fondos or Segundos (Main)

Lomo saltado*2
Pollo al horno con lentejas (Roast chicken with beans)
Picante de carne (Spicy stewed beef)
Pescado frito con lentejas (Fried fish and beans)
Filete de pollo a la plancha (Grilled chicken fillet)
Chuleta a la parrilla (Grilled meat on the bone)
Milanesa con papas fritas (Milanese cutlets and French fries)
*2: A typical Peruvian dish of beef, tomato, onion, and French fries stir-fried in a soy sauce-based sauce

Although it’s not listed on the menu, most of these main dishes are served with piles of rice and salad. The price is written in the upper right-hand corner of the blackboard as 15 soles (about 600 yen).



You don’t get your choice of drinks, but refills are free, and you can drink as much as you like. Meals often come with a drink like “chicha morada” (purple corn drink) or pineapple water and other drinks made by boiling fruit and adding sugar.

Soon after I arrived in Peru, a quick look at these blackboards didn’t tell me what the dishes were, so I would first take a photo of the blackboard then stare at the photo inside the restaurant, and when I had time, I would look up the whole menu in a dictionary before ordering, but if I didn’t have time, I would just go with my intuition, my feeling, and say, “OK, I’ll just have that.” At times like that, what would be brought to me would be something completely different from what I had imagined, like a 2-tone plate with a big pile of brown beans and a mountain of rice, and I would be thinking, “Whaaat?”…“Is this what it was?” It’s fun, completely thrilling to wait for your food in anticipation like this.


For one month before I was assigned to the museum, I received training, mainly language training, in Lima, the capital, so my greatest joy was to go to the cafeteria during the break and enjoy a Menú lunch just about every day. Recently at work we have been making and eating lunch together, so enjoying a Menú lunch is now something for my days off.


When you come to Peru, be sure to try a Menú lunch at least once and enjoy a cheap, fast, and mountainous lunch. In Japan you don’t get the opportunity to experience the sensation very much of ordering something without knowing what you have ordered, so why don't you try ordering a Menú lunch based on your feeling alone, without looking it up on your smartphone?
Well, here’s where I say “Adios!” This has been Shoko Yamamoto from Paracas, Peru.