South America

14 Feb 2018

I was Kidnapped and Held For Ransom in Peru, Part 2

GUEST POST BY ROBERT LOUTHAN. Read Part 1 right here We left off watching Looney Tunes, which would have been a brilliant closer, except that’s not where the story ended. That same night, the villagers got together and agreed to advance their protest to the next level. I woke the

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08 Aug 2014

Organ Grind: A South American Food Journal, Part 11, Buenos Aires is Red Meat + Red Wine in Large Plastic Bottles

San Telmo’s Parrilla de Freddy Buenos Aires, by most accounts, is a city. Those accounts also attach various adjectives to it such as world-class, cosmopolitan, even Argentinian. One of the many criteria that I petulantly demand a city check off its scan-tron test sheet is the presence of a set

Fatt Mink 0
10 Jul 2024

This New Literary Magazine is a Gift to the People of San Francisco

I’ve got some awesome news! We received a grant from the Civic Joy Fund to put out a literary magazine celebrating SF and acting to counter the stupid “Doom Loop” narrative. It’s a gift to the people of San Francisco. And after months of working on this project it’s now available

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03 Feb 2014

Organ Grind: A South American Food Journal Part 6, Arequipa’s Frontlawn Restaurant

Clockwise from left: heart, corn, rocoto The flower of Peru’s glory is at its highest peak of florid magnificence when the traveler steps outside the bounds of urban settlements.  This can be difficult at times; the central yolk of most Peruvian cities is broken here and there and allowed to

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11 Dec 2013

Organ Grind: A South American Food Journal Part 4, Beef Heart of Darkness

Grill master working the heat As the latter part of the above title flat-footedly implies, this weeks article has me journeying into savage, humid environs redolent of the morally queasy atmosphere of Joseph Conrad’s most famous novel.  Instead of the Belgian Congo, however, I find myself in Peru’s Amazon Basin.

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06 Dec 2013

Organ Grind: A South American Food Journal Part 3, Cock Soup at 11,000 Ft

Cusco’s Central Market Large, central markets situated in cities with lax or non-existent health codes always make a strong impression upon the senses of smell and sight, and, if you’re  somewhat brave, taste.  Peru boasts many markets and most I’ve frequented are loose affairs; no one blinks an eye at

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06 Nov 2013

Organ Grind, A South American Food Journal Part 2: The Eerie Charms of Mompox, Colombia.

Mompox, Colombia   When traveling in a strange land with only a hazily defined sense of purpose to guide you, you find yourself pointed towards destinations based on some fairly whimsical pretexts.   The one which inspired me to make a long, harsh journey over unpaved roads perched in the

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24 Oct 2013

Organ Grind: A South American Food Journal, Part 1

                Cartagena’s Plaza de Trinidad   For the last three years I´ve been scraping tips into a pile large enough to finance  a relatively thorough exploration of the lower half of The Americas.  For the purpose of this article, I’m primarily intersted in

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12 Jan 2011

Brush Up On Your Guitar-Making Skills at Bazaar Cafe

Pretty soon it’ll be too late for New Year’s resolution references (if it isn’t already), so I better use them all up while still appropriate. New Year’s Resolution No. 3:  Appear devastatingly attractive to members of the opposite sex.  For mating purposes, obvi.  This is a purposefully open-ended resolution that

Christy Jovanelly - Cheapskate Commentator 0