As the week started coming to an end, so did the many group meals we shared and the various cultural dishes we explored. Venturing to a small local restaurant called "New Garden," I was pleasantly surprised to find two menus: a standard and a vegetarian option. During our time in Peru and Cusco, we had over 44 meals together as a group. One notable thing I observed during the trip is how valuable meals and family time are. In the various restaurants, cafes, and bistros we visited, Peruvians loved to indulge in their meals and conversations without the rush of asking for the bill, similar to a “sobremesa” in Spain.
The waiter who tended to our table was not in a rush to get us out, nor did he interrupt our meal to inquire if we needed anything else. Checking in on tables is not as common in Peru, unless you are dining at a nicer place such as Cicciolina restaurant (not the cafe). Initially, I was surprised at our first group meal at Tanta when the waiter did not come up to us after delivering the food. However, as more time passed, I realized that the norm here is to wave the waiter down if anything is amiss. A pleasant surprise was that many places brought a free appetizer to the table, including New Garden last night. In the United States, most people know that if you go to a Mexican restaurant, you will likely get tortilla chips and salsa, or if it is an Italian establishment, then bread with olive oil. Yet, this small gesture from the restaurants brought a more homey feel to it all the more.
Our last meal really made me think about the importance of sharing meals with others and the intimacy that is present with a group dinner. It made me think about the times I have walked past markets and a stick yard would block the entrance because the vendors and their neighbors would be having lunch together and did not want outside distractions. Although this might not seem like a trivial dinner, I think the attitude towards meals greatly differs in the United States versus Peru. In the US, workers often eat lunch and work at the same time or skip lunch if their schedule seems too packed. However, in Peru, even the most aggressive salespeople and vendors I encountered in Cusco and Lima take their alone or group time uninterrupted, even if it is just 15 minutes. Moreover, I think this represents the outlook Peruvians have on enjoying their life. Peruvians don’t live to work; they work to live, even though Cusco is tourist-heavy and centric.
As many finished their lomo saltados and tried to hold on to the presence of the Peruvian cuisine, I realized how much the atmosphere of taking time during our meals brought our group together. Various topics of conversation flowed from table to table, and personal experiences surfaced as there was no expectation to immediately get up and pay the bill when we were done with our meals. I will miss the humorous stories and reflective thoughts that were shared around the table during the multiple group meals we had. Whether it was through sharing plates or bites of platters, our last dinner together was garnished with bittersweet emotions as we prepared to bid adieu to a very dear place.
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