Eating (more than) sushi in Bolivia

Believe it or not, Sucre has casa de sushi! ¡que rico!

The persistent question Z and I have had to grapple with in traveling to South America has been, But what can we eat? Afterall, El Sur is no vegetarian paradise like Southeast Asia or India. I was lucky to have a kitchen in Buenos Aires to gain respite from the culinary dominance of Italy, but here in Bolivia it would be slim pickins.

Or so I thought.


This is something akin to chili con carne (de soya)

Turns out you can buy leche de coco as well as a healthy sampling of carne de soya (TVP) at most markets here. Doña Margarinos has been extra-attentive, making sure I get enough to eat. El almuerzo (lunch) is the primary meal of the day and it´s a doozy. We have a new soup each day then a healthy piling-up of mixed veggies and potatoes, or rice and potatoes and pasta, or a delicious hand-made hamburguesa de lentejas (lentil burger). Suffice it to say, I´m not losing any weight in Sucre! The Margariños, on the other hand, eat a daunting selection of los carnes Bolivianos while amusing themselves with the estudiante flaco.

Today I returned the family´s generosity and cooked up three of my own dishes to share: an Indian curry (no se la nombre, ¿porque no ´curry de martín´?), a fritatta with hearts of palm (tortilla de españa con palmitos), and a Thai eggplant (berengena de Tailandia) concoction with three types of peppers in a spicy peanut-coconut sauce (salsa de coco con picantes).


With Señorita Margariños and one of the family´s cooks

Not to be outdone, Señorita Margariños also just happened to have a fresh helado on hand. How does this woman do it? She literally lives for her sons, Erik and Freddy, daughter Magary, and grandson, el bebito Octavio.


After she retired from the university where she taught Biology for 20 years she turned her attention to a perfection of the sweet arts, and does it with flare. The night I arrived a birthday party was underway and she´d made no less than eight types of galletitas (little cookies) and a sturdy selection of dulce de leche treats, each with a different topping (coconut, almonds, etc.)
Hypo-glycemic overload was quickly reached and I sank into my bed with a healthy smile.

Good thing I packed my toothbrush!


¡Muchas dulces!