Bolaseca, Tachitos, Duo Rolls, & Yupanqui’s Revenge

      While at first glance this title may seem to refer to some enticing Peruvian gastronomic delights and a highly potent Peruvian cocktail, this list actually captures some of the mundane life changes we’re adapting to in Peru.

      Bolaseca is a commercial dehumidifying product that looks like white aquarium gravel, but is actually calcium chloride. You place a cup of Bolaseca in the ventilated dome top of a dehumidifier container and stick the apparatus in your closet. A few weeks later, the granules have melted away and the collection base is filled with almost 2 cups of water! Our apartment has abundant closet space, which is convenient, but because the air is so humid (Lima’s average annual humidity is 84.2%) clothes trapped inside get stinky and mildewed easily. We place 2 dehumidifiers in each closet and leave all the closet doors open all the time; while this choice detracts from the sense of order one feels when all our stuff is behind closed doors, this strategy has allowed us to triumph over the humidity.

A tacho is a bucket, bin or trashcan and yes, a tachito is a small garbage can. While any bathroom in the U.S. is likely to have a tachito, here tachitos usually have lids and because plumbing is rudimentary, all toilet paper goes in the tachito and not down the toilet. For those accustomed to decades of routine toilet paper flushing, it takes a concerted effort to remember to dispose of paper in the tachito.

     While we’re on the subject of bathrooms, it’s worth mentioning that many public restrooms do not have stalls equipped with toilet paper or toilets seats. In order to be prepared, one must always carry a small roll of TP. Savvy to this need, Peruvian markets sell Duorolls -- a roll of toilet paper in which the standard cardboard cylinder is replaced with a second transportable roll of toilet paper. In theory this is a great product, but when it comes to unfurling the bigger roll at home, the paper tends to get tightly bound around the dispenser making extracting paper less than speedy.

     OK, I know I’ve been this entry is already potty heavy, but for the record Yupanqui’s Revenge (YR) is NOT a cocktail; it’s Peru’s version of Montezuma’s Revenge. Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui was the ruler credited with vastly expanding the Incan empire and many archaeologist believe that Machu Picchu was built as his estate. For gringos like us daring to take up residence in the former land of the Inca, the fates demand that we cautiously ingest local foods and avoid tap water. Our family has gotten used to teeth brushing with bottled water, but none of us has managed to escape YR. A bout with YR makes one thankful for duorolls, but frustrated when the TP isn’t exactly unfurling with ease.
     These are just a few of our daily habits that have changed since taking up residence here. All of these seemingly small changes remind us how much we take for granted at home, while also reinforcing the joy, laughter (and periodic discomfort) to be derived from encountering something foreign and different.