AND just like that, I'm up to my last night in Peru.
This calls for a final meal and a nod to the diversity of the region so it's off to a small piece of Australia in the guts of Cusco – Jack's Café (also known as Jack's Australian Restaurant).
It's not serving meat pies, kangaroo and VB, but a menu rich with plenty to choose from.
It may seem odd to go to a Western-style eatery when overseas but that thought quickly diminishes when a potato-related menu item catches my eye; cottage pie.
I'm reflecting on all I saw at the Potato Park, as well as the refreshing taste of the Inca Kola I'm consuming (still no word on that sponsorship) when placed in front of me is a towering meal which looks anything but a regular cottage pie.
It's tall and dripping in goodness, complete with mashed potato on the top.
It's a fitting way to end a stay in a town that has been heavily touched by tourism but maintains its authenticity and foundations.
The size of this meal puts to rest any idea I had of returning to a café I stopped in a few days earlier upon seeing the sign declaring "best chocolate cake in town".
I'm glad I tried it once. It certainly got my vote and is one of the cherished memories stored away.
- Ashley Walmsley travelled to Peru with assistance from the Crawford Fund and with financial support from DFAT Council on Australia Latin America Relations.
Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
