Viva el Lomo Saltado!!!

Siempre me pregunté el por qué de nuestras diferencias y luego de tanto andar y viajar por diferentes paises y conocer personas de diferentes lugares descubrí con mucho placer que si no fuera así, este mundo sería un lugar aburridísimo.

Creo, pensando con el corazón de una niña, que alguna vez en nuestra historia remota fuimos un solo pueblo, una sola cultura, una sola lengua… y que algo hicimos para merecer esta suerte de separación y terminar poblando el mundo y redescubriéndolo al mismo tiempo.

Y nos tocó pasar por todo este largo proceso de hacernos un lugar en esta tierra y conectarnos a ella, desarrollar nuestras tradiciones y expresiones, y comer, creo yo es claramente una de las formas de expresión cultural más evidentes.

Entonces, luego de estar por generaciones cada uno en su rincón, comenzamos a aventurarnos más allá de nuestras fronteras, claro unos para invadir, otros para conquistar y asimilar por la fuerza, pero al final, la mezcolanza se dió.

Y la mezcolanza tomó muchas generaciones, muchísimas! Y cuántos hubieron, y hay hoy en dia, que frente a este hecho se escarapelan y espantan de asco ante el hecho de que todos de inga y de mandinga tengamos un poco… o mucho.

Pero bendita sea esa mezcolanza!! Pienso que habría pasado si no hubiesen asiáticos, africanos, latinoamericanos, anglosajones, en fin, la lista es interminable. Estaríamos todos mirándonos las caras, las mismas caras, aburridos, probablemente peleándonos menos (aunque lo dudo…) pero eso sí, sin ningún desafío que enfrentar para evolucionar.

Todo este borbotón de ideas me vino a la cabeza justo en el momento que cogía mi tabla de picar, mi cuchillo de cocina y una buena carne para preparar uno de mis platos favoritos: el lomo saltado!!! Es que sonará a locura, pero digo yo, dónde más uno puede cortar una buena carne, adobarla con vinagre balsámico (bien italiano y a mi estilo), agregarle hierbas finas (muy francés), y sofreirla junto con cebollas y tomates ligeramente acaramelados en salsa de soya en una sartén tipo wok (muy oriental) para acompañarla de papas fritas (muy norteamericano) y darle el toque maestro con nuestros peruanísimos y deliciosos ajíes amarillos.

Y al sofreír y mezclar me regocijo en su olor a historia, a diversidad y tradiciones que vienen de todos los rincones del planeta para fusionarse y añejarse en ese pedazo de tierra bajo un cielo azul, bañada por el Océano Pacífico, en esa tierra buena donde se reciben con gratitud el encanto de todas esas gentes y mágicamente, bajo una tonada andina se cuecen los mejores manjares que nos unen en una mesa para reír, disfrutar y amar.

Eso es la cocina para un peruano, es una experiencia mística, es un reencuentro con esa identidad que creíamos perdida, es saber con el corazón que nuestra historia es magnífica y que nuestro futuro es mejor aún. Es reconocer en otros rostros diferentes al nuestro, el aporte que hoy nos da el regalo de esa individualidad de país que hoy encanta al mundo, y que al mismo tiempo nos convierte en un maravilloso ingrediente más de ese platillo fabuloso llamado Humanidad.

Viva Lomo Saltado!!!

I always wondered the reason behind our so many differences, and after this much walking and traveling to distant places and meeting people from all around the world and all walks of life; with great pleasure I discovered we are not that different, but if we weren’t different, this world would be a very dull place.

I think, with the heart of a child, that sometime, somewhere back in our distant history we were one people, one culture, one language ... and maybe we did something to deserve this kind of separation and ended up populating the world and rediscovering it at the same time.

And there we went on through this long process of making ourselves a place on this earth and connecting to it, developing our traditions and different forms of expressions, from which cuisine I think, is clearly one of those forms of cultural expression more evident.

Then, after living for generations each of our groups growing in their own corners, we decided to venture beyond our borders, ones to invade, and others to conquer by force or assimilation; but in the end, the mixture was given.

And the mingling took many generations, lots! And how many individuals or groups were there back then, and still are today, who faced this with horror and disgust at the fact that us all, of “Inga and Mandingo” have a little… or a lot.

But blessed be this hodgepodge! I think what would have happened if there were no Asians, Africans, Latinos, whites, etc. and all in between. In short, the list is endless. We would be looking at each other faces, the same faces, bored, probably fighting a little bit less (though I doubt it ...) but with no challenges at all.

All this gush of ideas popped into my head right at the moment I grabbed my cutting board, my super sharp knife and a good meat to make one of my favorite dishes: the Lomo Saltado! It sounds crazy, but I must say, where else you can cut a good beef, marinate it with balsamic vinegar (sounds very Italian), add fresh herbs (very French), and fry it along with onions and tomatoes in slightly soy sauce in a wok pan (very oriental), accompanied by a side of French fries (very north American); just to finalize it with our delicious sweet and spicy Peruvian yellow peppers.

I toss it and mix it, and rejoice in the smell of history, diversity and traditions that came from all over the world to fusion and age in that piece of land bathed by the Pacific Ocean where we all received, with gratitude, the charms of all those cultures, and where magically, under an Andean tune, we cooked the best dishes that today bring us together, to sit at the table to laugh, enjoy and love.

That is what our cuisine means for us Peruvians. Is a mystical experience, is an encounter with this identity we thought once lost. Is a deep knowing in our hearts that our history is magnificent and that our future is even better. Is to recognize in others the contribution that today gives us the gift of our country’s individuality that charms the world and at the same time makes us another wonderful ingredient of that fabulous dish called Humanity.

The Fate is Upon Us

Alea jacta est…. the fate is upon us…

After so many exhausting days campaigning for Peru’s presidency, finally we have a winner, the elected President of Peru is Mr. Ollanta Humala Tasso, who won by a very short distance from his competitor Mrs. Keiko Fujimori Higuchi.

But, what happened?, Is what most Peruvians and the rest of the world asks towards this results. A country that suffered the most horrible violence back in the 80’s and 90’s, the country that endured years of a military dictatorship during the 60’s and 70’s and the corruption left by the Fujimori decade in the 90’s. Why they had to choose between the options that represent nationalism and authoritarianism?

Is this same country that witnessed their own rebirth, and was considered an example to the world?. Example of what is possible amid the least favourable global economy’s conditions. A country that was redefining itself through a wide variety of expressions in economy, culture and arts, a country that was beginning to find pride in their heritage and hope in their future.

But, maybe something is still missing. Maybe, we Peruvians still do not know that our true identity comes from the heart of our people, from the place we started out as one of the most important expressions of culture in the ancient world. That is the Andes. Our Andean people: wise, strong and courageous. They, who are the heirs of the Incan Empire, the caretakers of Father Sun and Mother Earth, the sons of the condor; they, who lived upon simple rules such as “do not steal”, “do not lie” and “do not be lazy”, sustained an spiritual foundation strong enough to turn this society into a strong magnet for the known world those days. But, they, instead of being part of this new revitalized emerging country, they feel left out. All their traditions collided with this new world that never cared to include them; making them part, an important part, of their growth, by incorporating their spirituality and connection to the earth as well as their non-linear conception of time, something that is definitely showing magnificent results in terms of the philosophy behind Peruvian Cuisine, and that could be making this society something that truly reflects all the faces of their rich history.

Is that possible, that it could be the missing link? That part of the equation that is not letting us go from the past of oppression, violence, exclusion and racism. Would it be possible that maybe, if we try to understand, with the heart and not our egos, that embracing the Andean old ways to reconnect with nature in harmony and applying old concepts of “ayni” into our community will give us that sense of connection, of wholeness of oneness that we need so much. That idea that will make us realize how close we are to our neighbour, how important is to care for strangers living in the other side of the country; because in the end, our fate is interconnected, the consequences of individual actions will sum up and lead to a common result, good or bad, depending in our sense of connection.

When we all realize that sharing a common vision means being proactive in making that vision a reality, by giving back to our community, by giving some of our time volunteering, advocating, taking responsibility of the position that we have in our communities, specially if we had the opportunities of good education and developing other skills, by doing what is needed from us in order to make our surroundings a better place for us, our families and our children.

This way, we will show the next generations that we learned something valuable, that whatever decision we take in terms of politics, economy, culture, administration, environment, arts, etc. will be considering what is best for all of us, and not some of us. That competing in a free market by the rules of capitalism does not mean letting our peer live in hunger and despair. That introducing a system of education for our children that will give them the right tools to compete in the world does not mean disrespect or ignore their heritage but embracing it into this new identity; that by using our resources and serving us from them does not mean exhaust them, annihilate them or sell them to the best bidder.

Live in harmony, with ourselves, with our peers, with our community, with nature. That is what ultimately will give us back what we once had, long time ago, that intimate knowledge of true balance of the forces of nature from whom, we all are part, and one.

And maybe then, when we finally let go of fear is that we will be able to see each other as equals, as peers, and no longer we will see ourselves in the horrible situation of opting for the least instead of aiming for the best.