1x House Special Pizza, hold the anchovies.

Hey there!
In one of my recent posts I mentioned that Machu Picchu is the most visited place in all of Peru. An issue here is that we may be essentialising Peru, and are overlooking the real lives of people who live here.

Peru, being a coastal country of South America, has a large number of popular seafood based dishes, and hence fisheries in Peru are a vital source of income for many families.

A fisherman hauls in a full net of anchovy.

As is to be expected, the weather and oceanic conditions play a large role in the success of the anchovy industry. A phenomena known as upwelling brings the cooler, deeper waters to the surface and with it the nutrients on which micro-organisms such as phytoplankton feed (the main food source of the Peruvian anchovy). Upwelling occurs during the La Nina period, and it was noted that during the El Nino period starting in 1998 that a sharp demise in the economy of Peru as a result of reduced catch size.

Fun Fact:
The terms La Niña and El Niño are Spanish phrases for 'Little Girl' and 'Little Boy' respectively.

It is important to note the drops in the budget as they correlate to periods of El Niño and lower catch volumes.

The drop in catch size is such a big issue in Peru as the direct economic effects to families are so detrimental to their overall well-being, as class divide and a low GDP per capita are pre-existing issues in Peru.

Now it may seem as though I am rambling on about an issue that cannot be helped as we are unable to change the oceanic conditions as we please, however I believe there is merit here as the issue also has roots in the fishing policies in place for Peruvian anchovy fisheries.
For the overall success of the Peruvian fisheries, the set of regulations put in place by FAO Fisheries must be adhered to, regardless of the conditions.

Rural vs. Rural

It is very difficult to pin-point the differences between Peru and Australia, as the people in rural areas have similar values and work ethics. The lives of people in rural areas from each country are based around manual labor, and the lifestyles of the people are generally guided by the weather conditions.

Hence the differences in culture are not as obvious as say, eating with chopsticks rather than a fork. It is the subtle differences that separate us. 

The main difference to me, apart from the obvious language clash, is the distinct in clothing dissimilarities.

The Peruvian women, will wear their traditional garb as can be seen below. These dresses are known as a Quechua dress, and have roots in pre-conquest Peru. The clothes worn by men have been eroded by the western influence that exists in Peru. However some older men will continue to wear knee-length hand-woven dark pants. Knee length pants are far more practical for laboring in the fields, as the cuffs of the pants are not ruined as quickly.

Women in their Quechua dresses.

In rural Australia, the clothing is far less colourful and is usually made to withstand the roughness of the conditions. Men and women will wear boots, denim jeans, a light shirt and a wide brimmed hat, as these are the most practical for the Australian rural conditions.

Rural Australian man in his work gear.