Photo Gallery, Remote Year

That Time I Spent An Entire Week’s Food Budget on A Single Meal #worthit

that-time-i-spent-an-entire-weeks-food-budget-on-a-single-meal-worthit

This weekend I saw a sign that said (in Spanish), “I want to be the lime in your ceviche.” Considering how much it resonated with me, I realized that Peruvian food might just be my love language.

You say “cebiche,” I say “ceviche.”

So when I had the opportunity to join some friends for a dinner at Maido, the eighth best restaurant in the world (and the second best in Latin America), according to people who know these things, I jumped at the chance. And then proceeded to eat PB&J sandwiches for a week to make room in my budget for the $230/person meal with beverage pairings.

Many people are surprised to learn that there is a really strong Asian influence in Peru. You can barely walk a block in the Miraflores or Barranco neighborhoods without running into a “Chifa” (Peruvian Chinese fusion) or a “Nikkei” (Peruvian Japanese fusion) restaurant, and Maido had been on my radar for months. “Maido” means “welcome” in Japanese, and their 13-course Nikkei Experience is certainly a welcome experience. I borrowed a pair of high heels from my friend Becca (the first time I’ve worn heels on Remote Year) and joined Jen, Gina and Lauren to ooh and ahh over every morsel during our nearly 3-hour meal. Our dinner conversation wasn’t so much a discussion as it was a series of prolonged sighs punctuated by exclamations of delight.

Top 8 Exclamations Spoken at the 8th Best Restaurant in the World

  • 8. My mouth is so happy right now.
  • 7. You guys, it’s like 8th grade science class!
  • 6. If it’s not dusted in gold, I’m not having it.
  • 5. Wait, is this a bubble bath?
  • 4. Did y’all eat the rock yet?
  • 3. This is magical. It’s like we’re at Hogwarts and real food just will never be the same. Muggles just don’t know. It’s magic. It’s fucking magic.
  • 2. Suddenly I’m not full, and I could do another 13 courses.
  • 1. So, you all wanna come back again tomorrow?

To get even more context from the night, you should totally take Lauren’s quiz, Sex or Food? Which Was I Talking About? And now I will return to eating PB&J for 80% of my meals until my parents arrive for a visit next week.

Dessert or 8th grade science class?
The world’s cutest tamale soup

Also published on Medium.