Haute cuisine

I am often asked what my daily life is like here in Lima, Peru. Am I tucked away inside the Andes? Do I wake up to views of waterfalls and glacial lakes? Do I go on day excursions in search of random lost cities in the Amazon? What's the food like? Do I miss "American" food?

On any given weeknight, these are my options for food (all within a few hundred feet of my front door, near Ovalo Gutierrez, or Gutierrez Circle):

1) Chili's
2) McDonald's
3) Starbucks
4) T.G.I.Friday's
5) Papa John's
6) Domino's
7) Pizza Hut
8) KFC

Granted, the above establishments are branded a bit differently down here. Ever seen a Papa John's with VALET PARKING? Until now I had never seen a Papa John's with any kind of parking. A McDonald's complete with a plush McLounge where one can use the McWireless internet connection and sip on McLattes? But don't worry, the chicken nuggets and quarter pounders with cheese (quarto libros con queso) are just as you remember them, probably having been imported from Oakbrook. Not that I've tried them or anything. Only lame yokels would come all the way from the states and eat at McDonald's, right? Right?