Friday, December 28, 2007

Christmas in Peru

A street in Ariquipa, Peru decked out for christmas made us feel a little more in the holiday spirit.
The girls built this little christmasy spot in the hostel the night before christmas.
Un Milagro! We got a kick out of this nativity scene in front of the bank in Mollendo, Peru. There was no baby until christmas morning, and then, complete with white fuzz, which perhaps depicts the miracle, baby jesus appeared!! we had fun looking for the change as we walked by it everytime we went back to the hostal.



After being awakened in the hostel by Maggie tap, tap, tapping on the door at 6am, we proceeded with checking our stockings and opening presents that were nicely laid out on our little christmas shrine or table. Then we walked a couple blocks to a large church and got in on the 7am mass. There were a couple of bars still rocking from the night before and mass was not well attended. We heard later the 7pm mass was a lot more popular.

Then it was off to the beach after a quick stop at the public market and comedor for the best hot chocolate made from scratch and cafe con leche. Here are the girls on christmas day. We were surrounded by Peruvian families enjoying thier day off with thier kids. Really fun. Mery Christmas!

Beach Seining in Chile


Saturday, December 22, 2007

Longest day of the year

Hey, we just made it through the longest day of the year... Yep as frances pointed out we get 3 longest days solistices in a row....6/21/07 in pilot point and 12/21/07 here on the coast of Chile and athird in june '08 back in AK.
The girls are all browning up nicely as we enjoy time on the beach here in Arica in the Atacama desert where they have years w no recorded rainfall.We´ve enjoyed sharing photos and fishing stoies w´ fellow fishermen here, I even pitched in on a beach seining operation yesterday...just one last set in '07... Tommorow we plan to prop ourselves up long enough to head into Peru...in search of other beaches then on to...Ariquipa...Cusco and around new years...Machu Pichu. All our love..tb

Friday, December 14, 2007

SALTEÑAS FOR BREAKFAST



SALTEÑAS FOR BREAKFAST

Thought I’d share with you all my favorite breakfast food here. I go across the street and get “Dos salteñas picante, por favor.” For less than a dollar. I think Two Sisters Bakery should make them in Homer. They are a good tasty nutritional calorie fix that will keep you going for hours. The filling is savory and the dough kind of sweet. Although after watching the Utube video of someone making one, it seems kind of labor intensive. Two Sisters would have to charge more.

Leave it to Wikapedia to have the scoop on the name and origin!
Salteñas or Salteña are a type of empanada sold throughout Bolivia, although they are also available in some other countries (such as the USA, Argentina, Brazil and Chile). They originated in the southern department of Tarija.
Salteñas are savory pastries filled with beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spicy or very spicy sauce, and sometimes also containing peas, potatoes and other ingredients.
Typically salteñas can be found in any town or city throughout the country, but each area has its variations; Cochabamba and Sucre claim to have the best version of this snack, and many will go out of their way to try the variation from Potosí. It is a tradition to enjoy salteñas as a mid-morning snack, although vendors often start selling salteñas very early in the morning. The pastries are sold anywhere from 7am to noon. What is astonishing is how quickly they are sold; many outlets are sold out by mid-morning.
Historian Antonio Paredes Candia states that during the early 1900s, Juana Manuela Gorriti was the first lady to create the current version of this product. This lady later married Presidente Manuel Isidoro Belzu. Gorriti was born in Salta, Argentina and was exiled to Tarija, Bolivia during the Juan Manuel de Rosas dictatorship. The Gorriti family endured extreme poverty, and they came up with the recipe in the early 1900s in order to make a living. A variation of these pastries was known at the time throughout most of Europe.
The product, nicknamed "salteña" (the term for a female citizen of Salta), became very popular. (from wikapedia)

I found this 2 min. U-tube video of someone making a Salteña, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUjkoFPdK6U

Below is a recipe. I don’t think they use the gelatin here as the gravy is runny as all get out. Anyone can tell if you are a true Cochabambiño if you can eat your salteña neatly!!

Bolivian Recipe for Salteñas

Its better if you make the dough and filling one day before and keep in the fridge. Wrap the dough in a damp towel and keep the filling covered to stop it drying out.
The dough:
6 cups flour
6 tablespoons lard
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cool water
1 teaspoon salt
Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt and sugar. Melt the lard and add to the flour, add the remaining ingredients and mix well and knead for 5 mins.
The filling:
3 tablespoons lard
2 cusp white onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups gelatin
1/2 cup of red chile sauce
salt and sugar to taste
cumin and oregano to taste (2 - 3 teaspoons of each)
1 pound finely chopped meat
1 cup cooked peas
1 cup cooked potatoes cut into medium-sized cubes
1/2 cup raisins
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
5 black olives (watch out for the pits)
Gently fry the onions and when soft add the cumin, oregano, salt and sugar. Stir and fry for a couple of minutes then add the meat and continue frying. When the meat is browing add the chile sauce and cook a little while longer then remove and let cool. When cool mix the gelatin, potatoes and peas into the mixture. Refrigerate until the next day.
Making the Salteñas:
Roll out the dough into a sausage and cut into pieces large enough to roll into circles about 7 to 10 cm (2 1/2 to 4 inches) in diameter and 1/4 cm (about 1/8 inch) thick.
Add filling to each circle, top with raisons, egg and olives as desired. Brush the edges of the circle with egg or milk and fold over to seal the Salteñas shut. Make an edge by pressing your fingers along the seal.
Place onto a well greased baking tray and glaze the Salteñas with milk or egg.
Cook for 20 to 30 minutes in a oven pre heated to 300C/572F- until golden.
Leave standing on a cooling tray for 10 mins before eating. Keep refrigerated if not eating that day.


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The plane papa the plane

Tom here....The stories from the orphanage Solomon Klein are plentinfull and this one warrants retelling. It was a scorching afternoon and the kids and I were seeking shade beneath the high roof of the covered court in the park, playing with jumpropes and balls.

From the treadworn fenceline comes Wilson with a request. Wilson is a 5 year old version of a prizefighter ,wideset eyes , pushed in face, scars and scrapes both old and new, and teeth too few to count. In his blunt hands he's holding two crossed matchstick size twigs and a yellowed piece of grass. His eyes pierce me, his arms outstreched as he begs, "Avion papa, Avion"

Beyond the need for verbs or more words of any kind, I can see he wants me to make him a plane. My fingers set to work. Wilson gazes on, cocking his head with every turn of the grass. The grass ...it holds up, not too brittle, not too short. Macrame style I attatch the wing, finish it off with a couple of half hitches, and spin the fuselage so that the nub at one end resembles a tail. As I pass the plane to Wilson, his eyes light and the engine starts and in his grip it banks and turns away.

Soon a line forms, other boys with other sticks and grass. For half an hour my figers weave, engines start and planes bank against the cloudless sky. On my way home that night I walked the cobbled street back towards our apartment, amazed by the creativity of Wilson and the others at SK. Humbled by the rich life they make with so little, and while not ideal it is so much better than a life on the street.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Frannies Sweet Sixteen

First time Frances has had a warm birthday since she was 2 in Costa Rica. Didn't Tom do a nice job on the cake? I jokes, its from the local grocery store. We are proud of our little girl and enjoying this year with her.

Sisterly Love

Maggie expresses birthday wishes while we wait for our duck to arrive at the Taquina beer factory resteraunt overlooking Cochabamba. I know, you might not automatically go to a beer factory for a nice fancy lunch with beautiful grounds over looking the city, but hey, theres a surprise around every corner here. By the way, a pitcher of tap beer is called a "chop".

Heading out for the evening

Here are some of Frannies friends from her grade who came over to our apt. on her birthday to study for finals this week, from left to right; Maria (or Bernie, as there are too many Marias) She has grown up in the US, but her Bolivian folks sent her down to live with grandma and grandpa this year. Anna is from St. Paul, Minnesota and is down here with her folks for the year, her mom grew up in South America and has been involved with the Mano a Mano NGO for years. Her dad grew up in Waconia, Minniesota. Will is from a family with 5 boys. Dad is Belgian, mom is from the states and works for the peace corps. They travel between Maine and Bolivia each year. Frances. Sam I believe is from France. Henry, Will's brother.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Tension in Bolivia


The top photo is shot from our kitchen window. If you look closely you can see how the road is blocked with tires etc.
The next photo is the front page of the paper, a funeral of someone who was killed during a protest.

There was a civil strike "paro civico" last Wednesday as 6 of the 9 departments (states) of Bolivia officially protested the first signing of the framework of the new constitution. The political party that is in power now wants to make changes, and the opposition wants status-quo. You have to understand that the governors of 3 of these states have run for president and lost to the current president, so they may not see eye to eye...major controversy. Hot topics include; more autonomy for indigenous people, the ability to be re-elected for more than one term as president, land reform, and moving the capitol.

During "paros" strikes, roads are blocked and businesses closed. (depending how close you are to the city center and how you feel about the issue) At crucial spots of transportation, like bridges and major intersections, there are usually crowds of people and if there are two sides to the feelings in that area, there are two crowds of people, one putting rocks and bricks and old tires in the road, and the other taking them out. (Depending on what side of the argument you are on.) And then there are the police to keep the two sides from getting too aggravated with each other. This paro was pretty peaceful, although of the 4 or 5 we have experienced since we got here, this was the most serious in our neighborhood, with the local intersection below the apartment blocked off . Its a great day to get out on your bike as there is no traffic, as long as you steer clear of the hot spots. I rode through one fairly major intersection on my bike and witnessed lots of national police standing around, and lots of loud firecrackers being shot off through large cardboard tubes in the middle of the intersection. About 50 people were hanging out to enforce the blockade? Hard to tell.

So now we will wait and see what the next move is on the constitution. I think if they get more assembly members to sign off on it, certain parts of the framework will go to the people for vote. Or the opposition may be able to continue to block it from going to a vote in which case the voices of the people might come out on the streets.... all is quiet for the moment and it is a great lesson in constitutional reform and how difficult it can be. Just try to imagine if the US were re-writing its constitution. It really is a big deal to change those basic rules that run a country.