I always like to be clued up as to the goings-on around Miraflores, though working long days and not speaking Spanish I know that lots of things simply pass me by. Twitter has been useful for updates on markets and festivals happening in Parque Kennedy – there was a flower festival a little while ago, and a craft market happening at the moment – though I am also aware that there is so much that I have missed. Last month I was told about an artisan/local producer market which runs every week which sounded just my kind of thing: organic fruit and vegetables, wholefoods and vegetarian fare, specialist coffee, wine and chocolate producers, fresh olive oils, honey and natural skincare products… Apparently, each Saturday the stalls line a side street next to Parque Reducto which is, rather embarrassingly, located right next to my flat. I think my missing it has been justified though, as the park is also on the way to the office rather than the city centre, malecon or Parque Kennedy areas, so is a route I steer clear of at the weekends. I visited the Bio Feria market a few weeks ago and the place was heaving, though luckily I made a discovery of my own the week before last.
Before travelling to Mancora I wanted to be sure I’d find the Oltursa bus depot OK, so headed in the direction of San Isidro, up Av. Reducto which runs straight past my flat and is one of the main traffic thoroughfares in Lima. On the way I noticed what looked like the same market and, when I called in, found the same producers, growers and sellers as in Parque Reducto.
The market only runs every Sunday, meaning my last opportunity to pick up Peruvian goodies fell on the day I returned from Mancora. On Sunday then, after my overnight bus’s midday arrival I caught the Metro home, dumped my bag and headed out to catch the market before it closed. Although not in the heart of the district, the Bio Feria is full of middle class Mirafloreans clutching their re-usable cloth bags (a rarity in a country where even the most minute of supermarket purchases results in eager plastic bag packing by staff), wandering the stalls and chatting with stallholders. Although I couldn’t follow conversations I imagined they were extolling the virtues of GM-free produce, reduced food air miles and lowered carbon footprints. Amongst these customers, of course, are those Mums who I see each morning doing the school run in SUVs, and in Wong with their shopping swimming in a sea of plastic bags. In addition to this well-groomed Peruvian set I also spied tourists who, to my irritation had obviously been more clued up than I was, despite my six months residence here! Oh well, I just told myself they were on overpriced guided tours arranged by the concierge service in their five-star hotel.
I had managed to make a quick lunch at the flat before heading to the market, though I almost needn’t have bothered with the amount of samples on offer. I did one round of the stalls, picking up croutons dipped in olive tapenade, fresh bread dripping golden olive oil and feigning interest in a bottle of chocolate Pisco for a quick hit of creamy goodness. On my second round I made a purchase, though not without first trying quinoa granola, a spoonful of honey and several flavours of goats yoghurt – the mixture of sweet strawberry and earthy farmyard musk was definitely an interesting one. I was unsure how much longer I could eek this out for, so whipped my oversized sunglasses and pashmina out of my bag, donned my disguise and begun round three. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Farmers Market in my home town, and especially the Christmas version, which falls this coming weekend. As at the Bio Feria, this is always a tough balance of attempting to ferret away the free samples, whilst maintaining a plausible interest in the items on offer. To redress the balance on the Sunday in Lima I made a couple more purchases of specialist products, feeling justified in my spending as these would surely be far nicer and ‘greener’ than those I could pick up at the supermarkets.
Come Friday, I think I will have managed to keep my packing to a minimum, having bought very little since during my time here and with plans to leave some tired clothes and shoes behind. I did return from the market on Sunday with a couple of buys, though I admit my stomach felt somewhat fuller than my handbag.
letters from lima 