First Day in the Kitchen

After a week in Peru I finally had my first day of work last night at the Otra Cosa Restaurant! What an experience! Where to start?

Well, if you don't already know, the restaurant is completely vegetarian and has mediterranean cuisine. For Huanchaco, the restaurant is a bit more expensive than normal--still less that $4 for a giant plate of food--and is definitely viewed as being a bit strange due to the absence of meat from the menu. It is also very small. The kitchen is about the size of mine at home and there are only three people working at a time--the head cook, the assistant cook (that's me in this case) and a waiter.

The cook I'm working with is Rosa, a super sweet older Peruvian woman who speaks maybe 5 words of English. I have to say though, I'm quite proud of my Spanish. It's not even close to perfect, but I got by just fine last night. Rosa even complimented my Spanish, saying she was happy to have a volunteer that could understand her. It sounds like volunteers are usually just an added stress for the workers there because of communication barriers. Working with Rosa, I will definitely learn A LOT of Spanish!

My tasks included chopping vegetables and washing dishes mostly, but I also got to learn how to make guacamole--the Peruvian way, which isn't nearly as good as the New Mexican way!--as well as falafel! And I have to admit, the falafel at Otra Cosa is incredible! During my shift, I get to eat whatever I want for free, and last night Rosa made me a giant plate of falafel. Best meal I've had yet. I might just gain a few pounds on this trip!