Supper Time!

This past summer two of my friends took a trip to Peru where they spent 6 weeks living with native Peruvians. Once I was reunited with them I heard enough stories that could fill an entire book! One particular story that sticks out to me was their experience with culture shock. One of their first nights in the Peruvian sacred valley of Maska they were introduced to a farm of guinea pigs. Before they knew it an elder of the village picked up a guinea pig and quickly snapped the neck of the animal (method which caused the least amount of pain for the animal), skinned the rodent and began to cook it over an open fire. Soon my friends found themselves eating guinea pig for supper, or what is known as ‘cuy’ to the locals. What particularly stood out was the way that they described the Peruvians emotion—the locals were so ecstatic to share their guinea pig food and felt proud serving it. What I think of as a simple house pet, the Peruvians thought of as a sacred meal, one of their finest meats to offer to the girls. This story is an example of how culture can shape what your food preferences are. My particular culture has shaped my own preferences of food, where for meats, I tend to eat primarily beef, poultry and fish. Another point that I take from this story is how highly the Peru natives thought of meat, it was very valuable to them. Certain cultures may find different things valuable while others may not share that same feeling; it all depends on the culture that you are brought up in, and how your attitudes become influenced through traditions and beliefs shared among your culture.