Brazilian and Argentine food is excellent, and Mexican restaurants

dominate the international dining scene, but Peruvian food is the best in
Latin America. The gastronomical FAIL that is Colombian cuisine is the
worst in Latin America. Colombian food is so bad youd need a guided food
tour from an expert like me to eat the few good Colombian meals. I dont
think food tours would sell in Peru because its not hard to find delicious
food. No matter where you go or what your budget, youll be amazed.

I recently met a Colombian woman who was living in Arequipa, Peru. She
was from Medellin, so she grew up with the worst regional cuisine (paisa
food) in the worst country (Colombia). While her looks and accent drive
Peruvian men wild, her cooking surely doesnt. The Peruvian girls who
introduced us asked about Colombian food. I never miss a chance to tell
Colombians how bad their food is. The first step in problem solving is
acceptance. Overcoming denial. If Colombians go on believing their foods
good, itll never get better. So I told the Peruvians and the paisa woman
that Colombian food is nothing to write home about, but I didnt twist the
knife. I didnt detail the superiority of Peruvian cuisine compared to the
inferior Colombian as pictured below.

After subtly making my point the paisita said something interesting: La

comida peruana es muy condimentada. Peruvian food is very condimented,
which I took to mean lots of spices, sauces, etc. But if I were to translate
that literally, Id write it as Peruvian food is very flavored. The proud paisa
implied (correctly) that Colombian food is not very flavored, thus
confirming the boring nature of Colombian food: ACPM.

So as the paisa chick said, condiments, sauces, and seasoning is part of

Perus success, but its not the key difference. Perus culinary greatness
stems from their being experimental. Some of the best meals Ive made
resulted from experiments. Tinkering. Sometimes experimenting results in
disaster, but its necessary to invent great dishes.

The degree of experimentation in Latin Americas best (Peruvian) and worst

(Colombian) is a stark contrast. Colombians lack of culinary creativity is
perfectly illustrated in the local saying, ACPM. Arroz, papa, carne, maduro.
Rice, potato, meat, banana. Thats 90% of what Colombians eat. The meat
can be chicken, pork, or beef. Sometimes potato means french fries. And
sometimes it comes with salad, loosely defined since Americans wouldnt
call it salad. Its more like cole slaw with lemon juice instead of dressing.
Or if not salad, maybe ACPM comes with the even less appetizing arepa.
Sometimes the meat comes with a sauce like cream of mushroom or
barbecue sauce. But usually its bare. A 2-3 oz bare filet with bare rice, a
salted potato, and a fried plantain or banana. Sound good? If not, escape
ACPM by taking a food tour in Bogota.