Pachamanca - A Peruvian Clam-Bake

Loading the pit of hot rocks with food

The Pachamanca Completed - corn, potato, camotes, meat and beans

Cleaning and painting the water system at Ayas (11,000ft)

Yet another amazing week here in Peru. Monday, our language group did a complete Pachamanca, the traditional “meal-in-a-pit”. We started by clearing the pit of all previous debris and scrubbing all the softball-size rocks. Then, a fire was laid in the pit and a grid of “re-bar” steel rods placed over the top, onto which was carefully placed the clean rocks. The fire was lit and allowed a hour or so to heat the rocks, after which the hot rocks are dropped to the bottom. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are placed in the rocks and a bed of mint and rosemary hold the seasoned chicken. This is topped with banana leaves and a sack of Habas (fava beans in pods). The whole meal is then covered with burlap sacks and fresh dirt, to seal in all the heat and steam. Then we had our Spanish class on the lawn under mango and avocado trees which the food was cooked to delicious perfection. The mint and rosemary permeated the chicken and the potatoes were crisp on the outside and creamy smooth inside. Fortunately, we had a Zen/Pachamanca Master guiding us the entire process, which made for a marvelous start to the week.

Lots of clean water related technical training about water system maintenance and Non Formal Education techniques, which we practiced live at an elementary school west of Chaclacayo. My group had second graders and we presented skits, interactive games and other non-lecture methods to teach proper hand washing techniques to the youngsters. Hard to believe, but simple handwashing is THE best way to decrease diarrhea and other parasitic diseases in rural areas. At the end, the whole class washed hands. The rinse water was – well, it wasn’t pretty.

The water & sanitation crew visited the Catholic University in Lima, where they are doing some wonderful work, developing low cost water, sanitation, and construction solutions for the rural areas. There was a clever water ram pump made of PVC and a soda bottle, for lifting water up to a holding tank and another pump that looked like a StairMaster machine that pumps water and provides a work-out at the same time, as well as a “teeter-totter” attached to a water pump – allowing kids to play and work at the same time. I’ve always dreamed of hooking up the gym work-out equipment to a generator like this.

One of the innovations told a profound tale : In many of the rural areas, cooking is done on an open fire in the home. This results in Horrific air quality and a high rate respiratory problems. The solution was a Dutch oven, made of adobe, with a simple vent. The oven used much less wood and seemed like a brilliant solution. But, no one would use them. The engineers had designed a unit that was rectangular and women cook in a corner of the home. In addition, the fire box required smaller pieces of wood and the men were not used to cutting the wood so small. A classic example of social custom and norms blocking an improvement. The stove had to be redesigned to fit in a corner and handle larger bits of wood. A further adaptation was the insertion of tubes inside the adobe body to heat water and cubby holes at the bottom to accommodate the cuy (guinea pigs) and rabbits, which are staple meats in the Andes. The little guys love a warm spot.

We had our first Spanish evaluation – results on Monday. Everyone has improved at least a level or two. Much of the technical material is now presented in Spanish, which is a huge vocabulary builder. I can actually read the newspaper and understand all of the gist and most of the details.

I’m starting to really ENJOY the cold morning shower – a great, eye-opening way to start the day. It sure cuts down on shower time – a wonderful water saving device. Also, all my clothes seem cleaner and fresher when hand-washed and sun-dried on the line – no fabric softener required.

Finally, another traffic observation : While the system is INCREDIBLY energy efficient here, the drivers seem totally insane, swerving in and out and around other vehicles – often passing within inches of the adjacent vehicle. Amazingly, I have yet to see ANY accident despite the roads being FULL of vehicles. The only explanation I can offer is that these drivers (unlike US drivers) are ALL professionals. They are totally focused on the road and other vehicles at all times. They NEVER talk on cell phones or eat or apply make-up while driving. And (I hate to say this, ladies) they are ALL male. Perhaps there is a lesson here in how to reduce – even eliminate – traffic accidents in the US.

OK, next week FOR SURE, I’ll have photos.