Follow the inca trail

This is so funny Jeremy. The hill was not offended. It probably thought you were giving it a big, colourful kiss. I can't see the video at present, probably because the vid players on this new laptop are not all loaded. The sound is wonderful though. Graham

Fascinating trip - would you go again?

At least you were in the sticks when the bug hit - I once had an utter shocker on a campsite...

I'm going to read on.

Pete

HOORAY!

Thanks Jeremy, this is what I've been waiting for. Absolutely fascinating and wonderful and revolting all at once. Although I suspect the Scot in me would have me trying some guinea pig.

I am glad, however, that my sons weren't home when I clicked on the photos!!!! How to explain ...

Carol.

[quote="SourYumMum"]
Although I suspect the Scot in me would have me trying some guinea pig. I am glad, however, that my sons weren't home when I clicked on the photos!!!! How to explain ...
[/quote]

Easy - just tell them that the people in that country eat them!

In fact there was a thread on trademe the other week where somebody asked if other people told their kids where the bacon and the chicken-leg actually came from...
And lo and behold - 80% of the parents did NOT tell their kids where the Xmas ham originated from.

Isn't that amazing? How far away from Nature are we going to go?? The water and electricity is already coming out of the wall and the waste water disappears into the wall, the steaks look as if they have been harvested from a tree and most kids do not know where milk comes from or where potatoes grow!!

In fact when they brought some school kids onto a dairy farm somewhere in the US to show them the origin of some foodstuffs - most kids were never going to drink milk again - as it was "yuck" where it came from!

Jeremy - absolutely! And some of it is, but only the badly made stuff. But I am still more than happy to eat it. Although black pudding is vastly superior! Especially when cooked up with bacon! As I said, I suspect I'd give cuy a try! Not sure I'd serve it to my boys with the head on, though - like WHOLE fish, I'll save that until they're bigger carnivores. (I still don't think anything in the whole wide world is as revolting as tinned asparagus - I fail to find any redeeming qualities in that.) I'm afraid I'm a bit of an offal fan generally ... there's a pub in Sydney in which the chef occasionally throws a 'fifth quarter' degustation and it gets booked out months in advance!

Carla - it's tricky, isn't it. You want your kids to continue to be happy to eat meat/fish/dairy - yet also be aware of where their food comes from - which is why we have a vegie garden.

I've never avoided telling the boys where meat comes from, but I must admit sometimes I worry that they'll go 'ewwwwwwwwwwww' and clamp their little jaws shut and that it will take me months to convince them to eat it again!

The most recent question from my 5 year old son was about how you get the meat off the cow without hurting it! TRICKY TRICKY! But I usually find that explaining a bit about the difference between PETS and FOOD helps a bit. And also your point about what people in other countries eat, that helps a bit, too - cultural differences in all forms are a regular talking point in our house as we want them to grow up to be accepting and open-minded. Starting with food is a great way of doing that.

Having grown up on a dairy farm, I guess I never had to wonder where all the food came from. If a beast was slaughtered, it was divvied up amongst the families on the neighbouring properties and even the small children had jobs to do with the animals.

But I will never, ever, ever forget the smell of slaughtered chooks when my mum was plucking them. Good heavens! Makes 'wet dog' smell like expensive perfume!!!

Yes, I just loved your adventure, Jeremy! I was keen for you to get home and starting writing and posting your pictures - it's real life and most of us fat, rich westerners have no idea what is going on outside our cocoons! I was actually following your holiday a little with Google Earth to see where you were off to!

My boys are quite used to nori rolls and a little bit of sushi - I just love the freshness and purity of Japanese food. Fabulous. On this vague note, I have grown perilla (shiso) in my garden for the first time this summer, and I was just putting it in salads until I read the other day about a lady who cooks it in a tempura batter!! It is such a beautiful plant.

A chef friend was telling me yesterday about an Italian sausage that is about 40% pork fat, I can't remember what he said it was called, but it sounds good to me!

I love the photos of the ladies in the fruit/veg market ... the pile of babaco/s in the background of one of the photos look just delicious. Bit more appetising that the pigs heads. But apparently the cheeks are the best bit.

gak!

Great trip Jeremy, loved it all, wish I could have tried some of the food. I have had the little beasties served to me in Thailand, loved them.
As one who lives by the saying, "So much food, so little time," being in reference to the variety of food not the quantity, I find it strange when people won't try something because it conflicts with their thinking. I have friends who nearly throw up at the thought of eating something as commonplace as goat.

My most memorable experience with food and children was when I had slaughtered "Henry the duck" for dinner. After the first mouthful my 6 year old son looked at me and asked, "Henry?". When I replied that it was, he just said, "He tastes good."

Your son must have a very practical sense Bill!

But a lot has to do with how the parents approach the subject. If the parents won't eat anything new and are picky themselves the kids will do the same of course.

Every couple of years we will get a mother hen with babies. The people concerned will not eat these chickens when they grow up so do not want to spend the food on them.
They'd rather go into the supermarket and buy these hormone-filled chickens which they don't know "personally", or even better chicken nuggets. Couldn't help but explain to them one day what chicken nuggets are made of...

So as soon as the chicks are "past the cute stage" as they put it, we get the whole lot! I am sure if the parents wouldn't make that fuss about it all and just matter-of-factly state that these can be played with when young, but they will become food when older then there wouldn't be that drama.

I always imagine how it would have been when the North American Indians would come home from hunting and the kids would have said: But I don't want meat, I want a salad!