Ketchup

While visiting our school in Catacaos (a suburb of Piura, Peru), I went out with the pastor for roasted chicken and french fries (the most popular food in Peru). I asked for ketchup (also known as "Salsa de Tomate") to put on my fries. The pastor's wife had never heard of ketchup and asked him what it was. He spoke very authoritatively, explaining that it was a sauce that Americans use to garnish their potatoes. Interests were peaked. The pastor's wife tried it and immediately declared it unbelievably strange. The pastor's mother tried it and exerted great effort to appear polite. The pastor's daughter did not have the courage.

Peruvians garnish everything imaginable with "aji" sauce. It's a yellow chili sauce. (In the picture, above, it is the sauce on the upper right. But that's not just aji--that's Pardos' aji. It's the best!)

I like to mix my American ketchup with Peruvian aji sauce. It makes a spicy-sweet treat that's perfect for dipping your fries in. It's a great image of our lives--American and Peruvian--spicy and sweet--and sometimes, unbelievably strange.

Below is a picture of the Pastor, Walter, and his wife, Sonya, with their kids. I had the honor of dedicating their son.