Anatomy of a Moose-stache

I love Australians (Kiwis included). Nothing against French, Belgians, Brits, Americans, Malaysians, Spaniards, Dutch, Danes, Scots, Brazilians, Israelis, Colombians, Germans, or Canucks (I think that covers the nationalities I've met), but the Australians are an extremely friendly bunch. Yesterday I met Matt and Tali, an Aussie couple on a 6 month (!) vacation around Latin America. She has worked intermittently in both makeup design and neuropsychology and he manages the North Shore Gym in Pymble, Australia. I enjoyed hearing about their travels and telling them about my experiences, but they really won me over when they both complimented me on my mustache. In addition to this affirmation, Tali also revealed to me that she is actually attracted to mustaches (which she pronounces "moose-stache"). Finally! I found a female who is not only not repulsed by mustaches but LIKES them. It only took coming to Peru and meeting international travelers for three months. Matt was sporting long golden locks and a healthy red beard, and I was puzzled why he didn't shave the beard and favor his maiden with a regal mustache.

I only had to wait until this morning. While eating a cheese and jam sandwich on Bembo's Doble Fibra bread I saw Matt and Tali walk into the kitchen, and I was immediately spellbound. Matt had shaved his unwieldy beard into a sleek and professional mustache, not unlike my own. Here is a picture of us pondering the mysteries of life and mustachery:

After a lot of back-patting and congratulations, they whipped out two sunblock-like tubes of Vegemite. Not to perpetuate stereotypes, but Aussies love Vegemite. They had packed some when they initially left Australia but unfortunately found their reserves depleted upon arriving in Brazil. Fortunately, Tali's mom shipped several new tubes to sustain them for the remainder of the trip. For those who are unfamiliar with the product, it is a savory brown food spread made from yeast extract, most commonly spread on buttered toast or sandwiches. Delicious, right? I tried it once before and had bad memories of a super salty and intensely flavored axle grease-like goop. When Tali offered to prepare me a Vegemite toast I felt I couldn't refuse. Perhaps Vegemite toast made by an Aussie would win me over. I took my first bite and was again struck by the sharp saltiness of the paste. However, that was tempered by the butter, and I soon found myself enthralled by the rich savoriness of the concoction and easily finished the remaining toast (on the walk to work, I was thinking of ways I could get more Vegemite. When prepared properly this stuff is instantly addictive.). I now understand why Matt and Tali went to such lengths to ensure adequate Vegemite stores on their trip. They not only had Vegemite the product, but Vegemite anecdotes. About a year ago Vegemite released a new spread which combined Vegemite with cream cheese. However, this smoother tasting variant was not named, and a contest was held to choose a name for the addition to the Kraft family. Somehow "iSnack 2.0" was chosen. 4 days later, due to intense public ridicule, the product was renamed Vegemite Cheesybite. Yeah, that was probably a smarter choice.

Of course, even all things Vegemite couldn't keep Matt and I away from mustache discussion very long. He tried a horseshoe mustache (similar to what I wore for the previous 5 months) but said he looked "too dirty." He then settled on the more contemporary look you see above, which he explained to me as having two distinct parts. Instead of poorly paraphrasing his words, I made a diagram which captures the spirit of the design:

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending who you talk to), my mustache will be entering retirement at the end of this month. We had a roller coaster 6 months together, but I think it's time to stop intimidating everybody with my fearsomeness. Sure, it's a majestic look, but I am ready to graduate to something new.

Speaking of something new, last night I ate dinner at Como Agua para Chocolate, a Mexican restaurant in San Isidro which takes its name from the popular book/movie. I noticed it while exploring on Saturday and knew I had to return once hunger permitted. I arrived last night was promptly seated (there was one other lady in the restaurant) and handed two menus. One was the food menu and the other was the bar food and drink menu. I did not need to look at the food menu because I knew I wanted chips, guacamole, and the burrito. Upon perusing the drink menu I became quite excited because it featured a number of European beers! Including Guinness! I have complained before about the lack of quality and variety in Peruvian beers, and despite the relative expense of the Euro beers, I was a very happy camper. I savored a 500ml Guinness and a 330ml Hoegaarden Grand Cru during my meal, and they were well worth the S./39 they set me back. The burrito was also tasty, but I was slightly concerned by the presentation:

Though the flavors were good, this burrito was decidedly unrolled. When the owner, who is from Veracruz, came over to ask how the food was, I commented that it had great flavor but wasn't what I expected after ordering a burrito. She replied that they used to roll it up, but confused Peruvian diners weren't sure how to eat it. Thus, they modified the structure to cater to local preferences. She was very nice and offered to make it the traditional way next time I drop way (way to lock me in for another dinner, lady!). She also offered to try to make any Oaxacan or Veracruz specialties that I requested. As if she weren't cool enough, she also told me her husband is Belgian and loves beer! So that explains the strangely European beer list in a Mexican restaurant in Peru. They are having a buffet on September 15th to celebrate independence day, and I am very tempted to drop by and request a true burrito. Even if she forgets about her offer, I imagine upon seeing my mustache she will accede to my demands out of fear for her safety.