Of Sheep's Heads and Fat Thieves...

On Monday we had our supervisor David Tirado, from Lima here, along with Bryan Michaelis from Family Search in Salt Lake City, Utah and a contract worker Edgar?? from Puno, Peru. We had a nice visit, learned some new things and fortunately for us, one of the problems we’ve been having with the computer program happened while all of them were here. They had never seen anything like it, for some reason the program wouldn’t let us take images. We (rather they) spent a lot of time talking with Salt Lake trying to figure out what the problem was.  At long last they got the program working again, fingers crossed that it keeps working!

We’re getting more confident taking the images.  We just got our latest audit report and we have to redo 1 volume out of 16, so we feel pretty good about that.

Rich started his Quechua classes. He goes on Tuesday and Thursday this week. He enjoyed it and it’s fun to understand what some of the signs mean around Cusco. Rich taught the Book of Mormon Institute class Tuesday night, he does a great job and it is so wonderful to hear it in Spanish and be with the members here.

Rich tried to find restaurant that our friend Jorge told him about. They serve “Caldo de Cabeza” (Sheep’s Head Soup) and only in the mornings for breakfast. He didn’t have any luck finding the restaurant, so on Wednesday; we looked for it during lunch. We didn’t find it but found another location of our favorite ceviche place and had that for lunch. It’s always delicious!

It started raining Wednesday night and continued all day Thursday. It is cold and wet here. Rich finally found the restaurant on Thursday without Julie. See the photo. Weird, but he sometimes just gets this hankering for the grossly unspeakable.

On Saturday, we attended an art show of the local art school. It involved booths and demonstrations of all of their activities. Masses of people showed up. Later in the day we went to a party where Julie and I are taking language classes, Spanish and Quechua.  Being German oriented, they served the best bratwurst, locally made by a guy who calls himself Engineer Pedro. I had not thought of sausages being, “Engineered” but I guess it must be a German thing. Anyway, they were awesome!

We got there under very cloudy skies and not long after it got underway, the sky was fairly split asunder by a flash of lightning and deafening thunder. It had sprinkled a little before, but the skies opened up. What a storm. It had been a long time since we had experienced such fury.

Today, we went to Izcuchaca and had safe travels. On our way home however, our driver told the passenger in the back of the station wagon to lie down. We could not figure out what was happening until we saw the motorcycle cop coming up the road. Though they may not respect the authority, they seem to at least fear the new traffic laws. Part way to safe driving…

Once back from Izcuchaca we had an invite to a baptism of the daughter of a friend. We showed up at 4pm when we had been told it would start. Stupid us! We waited for an hour and a half before they got underway. Still it was a very nice occasion.

 

One of the new things in Peru has been the adoption of Halloween customs. Before, they celebrated the Day of The Dead by going to the cemetery, leaving little food and drink offerings for their ancestors. While at the cemetery, they would also have a little lunch with their dearly departed, well, in their presence, so-to-speak. This, they did on November First. I am sure some still do this but now, there are Halloweeny things in the stores and TV has all of the nasty scary movies that we have but with bad Spanish dubbing.

 On the Halloween note, many years ago, we heard of a strange belief among the mountain people. Rich asked his counselor about a rumor that gringos came here to steal children for their fat...  He affirmed that this was true and not just children and that not all gringos were guilty. Over the years the story only got better. We came to refer to these suet bandits as fat vampires. Sort of the Peruvian version of the Mexican, Chupa Cabra, and the stories even made it into such news feeds as Reuters and the BBC.

 

The counselor told us about his father whose business involved travel between Chivay and Espinar.  He ran herds of llamas carrying chuñu (freeze dried potatoes), dried corn and charqui (dried meat) to trade for fruit.  One of his work associates was reputed to be a “fat man.”  He was involved in the same work and once upon arrival in Chivay, he was offered a drugged herbal tea.  When he came to his senses, he realized that his belly had been slit open.  Upon a review by a doctor he was told that his suet had been removed.  This was the first of the stories of the Pishtacos, suet dealers. 

Next he told how his dad explained that ever after hearing the story he always slept with his arms folded across his abdomen.  He told this in absolute seriousness emphasizing by folding his arms in a protective posture.

The story is quite complete and even includes an economic aspect according to the legend; these alleged suet thugs steal the fat with intent to sell it to Germans or to North Americans.  They explain that this grand market for human lard is generated by a need to lubricate, “their” machinery. When Rich asked what kind of machines, the answer returned, “Special…”

Over the years we have heard many versions of this story always with different levels of conviction. Several years ago, Rich went to Huancavelica, the poorest of the Peruvian departments to look at some exemplary social projects run by an arm of Catholic social services. During the visit while being chauffeured around by one of the young engineers there, Rich could not help but notice the gape-jawed stares he got, especially from some of the women walking along the road. There are not many bald gringos that wander around Huancavelica.

When the engineer realized that Rich noticed the glances, he asked, “Where you are working, do many folks think you are a Pishtaco?”

Rich responded, “To my knowledge, no one thinks that.”

The engineer said, “Well, they do here…”

This legend has strengthened the lack of trust of white people, especially non-Spanish or Quechua speaking ones.  There is no question that it hearkens back to the period of Spanish oppression and atrocities. The suspicion is that we are here to steal children for their fat and the language inability amplifies the lack of trust.  The counselor also told Rich that these Pishtaco stories are used to frighten children in classic “Little Orphan Annie” or boogey man fashion.  “If you don’t eat your chuñu or your quinoa, the Pishtaco will get you…”

Anyway, at my suggestion that this is a legend, another friend took immediate umbrage.  She said it is not a legend, and while it “does not happen here, in Espinar, it does when some people go to Cuzco.  They come back with a hole in their chest and their suet is missing.”  She went on to tell how they are really never quite the same after having this done to them, saying, “they are always a little on the sickly side ever after having their fat stolen.” It kind of made me think of Joan Rivers and some of the other face lifts I have seen on Hollywood greats lately.

She then told Rich that this is related to another practice that goes on…supposedly.   When an especially bright person dies from natural causes and has been healthy, it is the practice to take a piece of their muscle from them.  This is then cut up into small, bite sized chunks, and cooked up in a soup.  Those who are involved then eat this soup, and it makes them smarter because the intelligence of the departed one is passed on through the soup.  She told me that she knows that this works because she personally knows young people who have done this before going off to University from here and who have done well. Anyway, Happy Halloween!

Saturday Morning Bus Station Gang

Sheep's Head Soup

Street Bread Dealer

The Boys In Blue, school boys near our work

School boys at the art exhibit

Peruvian Charros?

Herb Dealer on the Street

A Campesina at the Art  Show

Sculptor in the Art Show

Traditional Ceramics Demonstration

The Language School Party