Rawr! Today I wanted to share some of the foods I've had in different countries around the world. Well, today specifically two of them, Peru and Japan. I love the people, culture, and food in both these countries. First stop... Peru

CUY

Pronounced Kwee, Guinea Pig is a Peruvian delicacy. While in Lima Peru for a port visit we had a few days to explore the city. I think we were there late August, maybe September, and they had a huge food festival that we got tickets for. It was a lot of fun to try foods from all over the country. CUY was one of the most different dishes I tried there.

Guinea Pig isn't one that I'll try again. To me, it did taste a little like chicken... I know everyone says things taste like chicken, but this kind of did. The meat was really slimy though and the texture wasn't the best. But it was fun to try and say I ate it.

Alpaca

This dish however was pretty awesome. It was like a steak kebab. Very yummy flavor. I think I read there, that Peruvians use every part of the Alpaca.

Lomo Saltado

Lomo Saltado is a Peruvian style of stir fry. Instead of rice or noodles they use potatoes in it. The marinade or sauce or whatever they use in it is amazing. You can get it with steak or chicken usually. It is also cooked with Aji peppers. I've had several different dishes of Lomo Saltado and my favorite is the kind where they cut fresh potatoes and fry them. Some places use frozen french fries, but fresh potatoes are the best!

Cevichi

This has got to be my favorite Peruvian dish. So much lighter than the steak counterparts I have highlighted. Peruvian cevichi is a lot different than Mexican cevichi. I think it's more plain with fewer ingredients. There is some sort of spice added into the citrus that gives it a kick. LOVE IT!

Now moving to the other side of the world. Japan has some super good and different dishes that I've tried. The big one is...

Horse

Raw horse is amazing! These just melted in my mouth. Very tender and the ginger/horseradish stuff makes your nose tingle a little bit. I had horse at a couple places but these ones were my favorite done kind of like sushi. I ate with a couple people from my ship and my friend Nick and I ordered this. We got one of the females to try it and she talked about how good it was. We told her it was horse and she looked like she was gonna cry, she was so mad at us.

Fish

I can't say enough about the fish in Japan. There are sushi go rounds, fish restaurants all over the place. It is so good there. My favorite is Salmon. I found a place in Tokyo I wanted to go to but our ship had to leave cause a typhoon was headed that way. It was a restaurant they you pay 200 yen for a fishing pole and catch your own fish out of a pond in the middle of the restaurant. Then they'll cut it up sashimi(raw), bake, or fry it. However you want. And if you catch your own fish, it costs like 1000 yen cheaper than if you just order it off the menu.

French Fries

I know, I know... French Fries... There was a restaurant in the food court of a mall in Okinawa that sold nothing but fried potatoes. They had fries, wedges, and chips. They cut and cooked them all fresh at this place. I don't know if the oil was different than what is used in the United States, but these were the best fries I've had anywhere. They had a bunch of different sauces for dipping that you could choose from as well. From ketchup, to basil based, to salsa, there were sauces you don't normally use with fries. I decided if I was in Japan, I was going to get the weirdest one. I chose the Pickled Cod Roe sauce... IT WAS AWESOME!

Desserts

Desserts in Japan were pretty amazing as well. They have lots of bread shops in malls with some amazing artisan breads. I got this pastry from one in a mall. It was cream filled and had grapefruit all over it. It was a mess trying to eat, but it was super good.

Doughnuts in Japan are also very different than in the US. They have the restaurants Mister Donut and Jack in the Donut that sell pretty much the same kinds of doughnuts. I always got the same kinds of donuts from these places, and my brother told me that his favorite were the bead looking ones. I hadn't ever bought those ones because I thought it was just a normal donut shaped different. I was so wrong. Inside each of the beads is a different texture and sometimes flavor. They became my favorite one to get from the stores.

These are just some of the different foods I've had from around the world. When I move to Japan, I plan on trying and showing off some of the other foods that you can get there. Hope you enjoyed this and thanks for stopping by!

(All photos taken by me @yomikibagami)