Sobras.

"Sobras" is Spanish for leftovers. Leftovers in Peru is a funny concept to me, and I'm still trying to grasp it. Here's a feeble attempt to explain to you what I've learned/observed so far.

I'll start with how leftovers became a popular topic in my house. When Marta lived with me in January, I was a cooking maniac (I think because I had someone to cook for). I wanted to make spaghetti, and I thought I would just use some meat that had been frozen for...some time. I can't even tell you how long. It was a long time.

"Por que no botes eso?"

Marta repeatedly told me to throw it out, that it had gone bad. But in my stubbornness, I kept it in the freezer, thinking I would use it "soon."

Well, Spaghetti Day finally rolls around and I take out the ancient meat and sure 'nuff, it was disgusting. I even thought for a moment that I could salvage it, but that would have been unkind to my Peruanita's estomago.

Soon after this incident (in which Marta reminded me over and over that she was right about the meat), I continued on my cooking tirade and made a ton of every dish I created. I mean, ridiculous amounts of food. I don't know why I have this tendency to cook more than is needed, but I do. I should work on that, especially as I continue to cook for one (pause with me as I lament this sad fact).

I made beef stew, chicken and potatoes, and all sorts of other things. We even invited other people to come over and eat. Alas, leftovers became my middle name. Marta ate them with me out of kindness, or perhaps pity...

...Until one day I pulled something out of the fridge that had been there about five days. Here's my theory: If it still smells good and looks good, then it probably tastes good and is not going to kill you.

Marta, however, looked at me in shock, asked me how long whatever-it-was had been sitting there, and refused to eat it after I revealed the horrific number.

She proceeded to tell me about Peruvian dislike of leftovers. As her papi says: "Voy a comer para que no se malogre."

Translation: "I'm going to eat everything because I'm a good poor man and don't want any of it to go to waste."

That's legitimate. I will say that in my North American Leftover Hell, I do throw away a lot of food.

Here's something to take into account though: Peruvians won't eat "old" food (a day or two) that has been stored properly in the refrigerator, but they'll leave all of it sitting out for a day on the stove/counter. Hmm.....

My Peruanos probably think I'm crazy. I feed them all the food I've prepared, but some of it is old. Here, if you give someone your leftovers of anything (basically anything you don't want anymore that you've half-used), that can be an insult.

I suppose then the multiple times I've asked some guy friends to come "clean out the fridge," they've been semi-offended as they stuff their faces with my perfectly fine leftovers.

At least this cultural difference brings a lot of laughs: Now when I offer Marta and other friends some food, they usually laugh and look at me like "how long has the gringa kept this food around?"

I tell them a lower number of days than is true, throw the food on a microwave-safe plate, type in a minute or two, and press "ON."