Cooking and Salsa

Learning about Incan mythology and visiting historical ruins has given me a larger perspective of architecture and religious beliefs during that time period. However, some of my most memorable experiences while in Cuzco have been the additional classes offered as a part of our program such as cooking, chocolate making and most importantly salsa dancing. The hospitality at Casa-Elena was incredible but having the family there teach us how to make some of their traditional dishes such as stuffed potatoes, lomo saltado y chichi morada further assimilated our group into Peruvian culture and dining. I like to consider myself a semi-expert of how to cook rice but I had never seen it cooked dry in a pan with a touch of vegetable oil followed by a small cup of water. Regardless of the differences, it was savory and rich. Unlike my vast knowledge of rice cooking, I had little to no dancing experience but the allure of a new city and encouraging presence of Daniel’s ridiculously smooth moon walk convinced me to give salsa lessons a try. At first my moves were rigid and robotic but after enough repetition, I began to loosen up from my waddling penguin dance. I was so hooked to Salsa that I came back whenever lessons were offered and got to learn basic steps and even more advanced twists, turns and shuffles. Coming in at different times during the week allowed us to experience different salsa flavors such as Puerto-rican or Cuban, dance with different instructors and try different levels of beginner or intermediate. Over the course of the week, I probably learned 20 or more new moves and there is a new found confidence that comes with knowing that when music is playing and a circle of people forms around me that I have some fundamental footwork to fall back on after erratically flailing my arms around and bopping up and down. Salsa and dancing in general is fun, not because it makes one look suave, but because it one of the body’s most basic forms of expression. After all, “El que no baila Salsa no sabe hacer el Amor.”