Feeding the Masses in Puente Piedra
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Three times every day, 50+ people sit down at wooden tables with colorful plastic plates piled high with food at the refuge my niece and I had been volunteering at outside of Lima for a week. I knew it was no easy process to put food on those plates every day, as kids and adults busily work for hours putting together menus that are well-balanced yet economical. However, I hadn’t considered the first part of the process – how Project Peru found and purchased the food for so many kids.
This article is part of the Niece Project
As a woman who never wanted kids, I wanted to form bonds with my 6 nieces. After all, they would be my lifelines as I age. I decided to stop getting them gifts for their birthdays or holidays or even graduation. I didn’t want to bring more meaningless stuff into their world, but instead I wanted them to see the world. I wanted to awake their wanderlust and thirst to experience new cultures and ways of doing things. So the answer was easy…I would give them the gift of travel.
I told each of them that once they turned 16 years old I would take them anywhere in the world they wanted to go. Originally my thought was that it would give them something that I never had – a passport and a chance to travel internationally. However once I announced this mission and it settled in, I realized that it was giving them more than that – it gave them the chance to make their own decision. It got them thinking about the world and considering their own desires.
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Visiting the local market
Antonia, one of the many local women who work at the refuge, took Megan and me to the market along with two of the other teenage girls from the refuge. I pretty quickly learned they ran a well-oiled shopping machine.
However, it didn’t appear that way at first, as we left the refuge with a wooden crate and a few bags. Antonia made her shopping list on a soggy piece of paper while sitting on the crate, waiting in the rain for the bus.
Once we arrived in the chaotic suburb of Puente Piedra, the two girls left us, and we went with Antonia. The first stop was chicken and fish – my favorite part of the market – the butchers and fishmongers.
Whole chickens, beef, pig heads, live crabs, and whole fish were overflowing in the market. Antonia didn’t waste much time. She went directly to her preferred vendors and bought up a dozen whole chickens while I snapped pictures. Megan squirmed, looking at the inside organs of a chicken.
Snapping market photos
The people in the market were as excited to see me, the foreigner with a camera, as I was to see them and their butchering skills. Granted – I’m not sure how much of their excitement had to do with the fact that I was with Antonia. I don’t know how you’d be received there if you showed up alone. But just remember a smile and a Hola go a long way in any situation.
It was clear that not many foreigners ever came to this market, and that was just the way I liked it. Everyone there seemed eager to have their photo taken and even more elated when I showed it to them. There was laughter and smiles as friends in different stalls joked with each other and people vied for my attention like the kids at the refuge.
Strangely, Antonia kept ticking things off her purchasing list but didn’t seem to be accumulating anything. I later found out she had the goods delivered to a particular stand in the market since there was no way she was going to be able to carry around a dozen whole chickens, let alone fish and a bag of potatoes.
Trying new produce
Occasionally, Antonia would pick up a fruit or vegetable that looked foreign and give it to Megan and me to eat. We normally had no idea what it was, but would always try it anyway. Our favorite – the pacay pod – a green pod that, when opened, exposed a sugar-rich pulp, similar to cotton candy, surrounding the seeds. Sweet and delicious!
I could tell that Antonia had a few recipes in mind as she shopped, and I was excited to try the ceviche I knew she was cooking up in her head, which translated to her purchases of fish and limes.
After walking around the muddy market purchasing in bulk for about an hour and a half, Antonia smiled at us and led us to the stall where all of the deliveries were made. There, we met up with the other two girls, who had also been making purchases in bulk and accumulating everything in one stall. We had a mountain of purchases. Crates of oranges, bananas, limes, clementines, and apples were piling up. So were bags of potatoes and red onions – not to mention a dozen chickens and an equal amount of fish!
Get closer to local culture
If you are looking for a unique Lima market experience that brings you closer to the local culture, then visit the market on your own. The market in Puente Piedra is open every day and is a great experience to simply go and walk around. You can get there pretty easily by local bus from Lima.
Go early in the morning for the best market action, of course, and don’t be afraid to try the things you are offered. You’ll soon be swept up into the hustle and bustle of the vivacious market culture. And it will be a local experience you’ll never forget!
Learn more about Project Peru, volunteering in Lima, Peru, and the many, many great things they are doing for this community.
If you feel like donating, please consider giving to the Intrepid Foundation, as they match donations!
Donate here www.theintrepidfoundation.org
Thinking of doing some family travel yourself?
Read all of the Niece Project Peru articles
Where did the nieces go?
One of the biggest surprises of the Niece Project project is that each seems to try to outdo the other. I was thrilled to see the variety of places they chose and how brave they all were to go into new cultures!
Meet the nieces and hear them talk about the Niece Project
I got all the nieces together for a Facebook Live broadcast – watch it now!
Disclosure: I was a guest of Intrepid Travel as part of the Niece Project, however, all opinions expressed here are my own.
Amazing – looks like a fascinating place. I always think markets are a great place to experience local culture and habits, and to really get stuck into a place. They’re a great place to make you feel alive! The project sounds great as well. Hope you’re both enjoying volunteering there – must be hard work, but incredibly rewarding.
Wow. What an incredible experience for you and your niece. I absolutely love markets, especially ones where the people seem to enjoy being photographed and showing off their wares. As usual, your photography is awesome. Thanks for sharing the experience!
Looks and sounds like an awesome experience.
Great photos of the market! Love seeing a bit of local culture through this! Thanks for sharing!
It took a while for me to get used to the pigs heads and chicken feet in the markets in South America.