Cuzco pic

This pic was taken outside a roadside cafe where they serve chicha de jora (fermented beverage made with maize) and frutillada (chicha with strawberries added). Note the red flag, that tells the passerby that this place sells chicha de jora. (There is another chicha, chicha morada, which is made with blue corn and is very refreshing). You see them everywhere in Peru in the countryside. I had a frutillada and found it very refreshing and tasty. I was cautioned to drink not all of it as it may have an adverse effect on my bowels. This stand is an example of a tradition that is thousands of years old. An elderly woman was the proprietor. She made the food, fermented the beverages chicha de jora and frutillada. This is how women survived for thousands of years if they had been widowed or lived alone. There are no pensions for elderly in the third world. They survive by being part of the economy and providing a service. Women have brewed since the beginning of time. They cooked and the brewed. At this point in time, we reap the benefits of thousands of years of fermentation and cooking. Here's to women, God bless them all!