The foods that one misses the most when away from home are usually the ones that we take the most from granted when we experience them. Like the anticuchos you eat, not fully sober, in the middle of the night or the little bag of nuts you grab on your way to work from a street vendor. Because of the pandemic some of us are left stranded somewhere far away from where we want to be and not knowing until when.  

When times get tough there is nothing like the warmth of an api with a sweet and savoury pastel, or nothing quite as refreshing as an helado de canela or a giant slice of watermelon to go. Trying to recreate dishes ourselves helps but even if we manage to bake the softest, fluffiest and crunchiest pancitos in the world, nothing comes close to being able to share it with someone you love. 

In this new world we live in we may not be able to eat outside as casually as before or hang in our favourite bars for hours with our friends. Most places have adapted and you can now order take outs and food delivered from almost anywhere. Even cocktails. In a very paradoxical way, in Bolivia, food is almost even more available now than before. 

Food is comforting, food provides connection, and because here at Bolivian Express, eating and talking about food are our favourite activities we concocted another issue (our third one) entirely focused on food, gastronomy, drinks, chefs and everything edible. The issue itself may not be (yet) but it comes with recipes you can try at home. 

And now for those of us who have embraced the art of cooking, baking and making cocktails at home, the possibilities are infinite. You don’t live in Bolivia (or you do but you can’t leave your house) and miss the messiness of a salteña? No problem, just bake them at home. The secret is to sweeten the dough and to use some gelatine to create the perfect juicy stew inside. Make your own choripán with chorizo, baguette  bread and all the condiments you like, but don’t forget the llajua. Never forget the llajua.