Tupananchiskama

In Quechua there is no word for goodbye

In Quechua, the language of my Indigenous ancestors, there is no word for goodbye. That is because goodbye implies a finality that is foreign to Andean cosmovision and spirituality. So instead of goodbye, Andean people say “tupananchiskama” which means “until life finds us again.”

After 18 issues of La Yapa—my monthly newsletter about Peru’s food and drink culture, through a vegan lens—I’ve decided to take a break to focus on other projects.

So, until life finds us again, I invite you to revisit some of my favorite stories from the past 3 years:

• This Tamales Story is Still Being Written made TASTE’s top 20 stories of 2022

• The Coca Story Goes Way Beyond the Cola made TASTE’s top 20 stories of 2021

• The Soul Food of Black Peru made TASTE’s top top 20 stories of 2020

• The Origin of Lima’s Creole Street Food for W Journal

• The Spirits of the Andes for W Journal

My hope, as a journalist, is that these stories help preserve the culture of my Indigenous ancestors. As there are more stories to be told, I am optimistic that La Yapa will return, in some form or other, to continue its mission.

Thank you for supporting La Yapa this past year and a half. Happy New Year and tupananchiskama.