Inca Kola

To: Tanya,
Publisher: My Wealth Log

Dear Tanya,

This morning I was trying to type the word "Eweuu...Eyuu...Eeeuuu."

You know, when you're walking along and you step in something yucky,
you go "eeeyuu." But, as you can see, I can't spell it AT ALL. Then I
remembered that you, Tanya, had spelled the word perfectly in one of
your blog posts, so I started cursoring through looking for the word Eyeu.
(Boy! Can I ever NOT spell that word!)

While looking, I came across a post of yours that I'd somehow missed
entitled "Peruvian Gastronomy." I stopped to read it and found it all
interesting and informative and I wanted to be there, etc., etc. AND,
I read the part about INCA KOLA. First time I'd ever heard of the stuff.

Fast forward about four hours. The Man and I joined a friend who
caters dinner parties for the American Embassy and other lucky
executive types here in Rome. Since today is the Chinese New Year
(Year of the Ox, in case you were wondering) he took us on a tour
of the ethnic food markets in the Chinese district of Rome near Piazza
Vittorio. We were in Chinese, Korean, Bangladeshi, Indian - southern
and northern, Thai and finally Peruvian markets.

It was great. Now I know where to get frozen duck feet the next time
I have a hankerin' for a plateful. What a relief!

During the gastronomic tour, I watched The Man slowly vaporize into a
big, hollow blob of nothingness with the conversational input of asphalt.
A shopper he is NOT. But, he perked up at the Peruvian market stand
because they had pistachio nuts for sale (from Iran, actually, not Peru
but...whatever...) and while The Man was making his purchase and our
friend/guide was buying something else, I looked up on the counter and
saw a huge bottle of INCA KOLA!!!

It was so strange. I'd never heard of it until this morning...and there it was!

Then, I started thinking how maybe I've slipped into some 15th dimensional
vortex and everything YOU write about I'M going to experience! And, this
made me twitch with excitement because I really want to be on that beach
in Baja, in that beautiful house overlooking the ocean, where you stayed with
your brother and his dogs. I'm hoping that I get to go there next and NOT to
a plate of cooked guinea pig...Ewyeuu!

Ciao,
Meridith

P.S. I was also thinking that everyone in the world who comes across
INCA KOLA should publish the photo on the web...sort of like those
traveling gnome pictures in the film "Amelie."

So, here's mine: