Guinea pigs are a bit of a delicacy in Peru and they didn’t seem too appetizing to me. As we were driving in a small village, Fernando pulled our van over in front of a little restaurant that had guinea pigs roasting on skewers outside. He bought one so we could all taste it, most of did and no, it didn’t taste like chicken, more like lean pork. In front of a building beside the restaurant sat three men who looked like they had been working hard all day. There were rather dirty, had some teeth missing and their shoes were pretty ragged. A couple people from our group wandered over and talked to them and made some pictures. They loved the attention and soon most of us walked over and had fun with them and shot lots of photos.
I asked Fernando how often they would have guinea pig. He said at a very special occasion every few years. I asked him if they would like me to buy them one, it cost about $15, a lot of money for them. Fernando asked them and they were thrilled. Fernando told I was the one who bought it for them and they came over thanked me shook my hand and gave me a big hug. They were honored that I would do that for them. Fernando said they would talk about it for years. It is amazing how a little gesture goes a long way.