OK, there's a line and I now know where it is. Live Worm Things are past the line.
I took a walk early to Panaderia Per-Lizza, the home of the World's Greatest Empanadas. I ordered up two of them and a Cafe Con Leche.
Around 11:00, I met up with Lucy and Javier for Lunch. We planned to look around at a couple of places before eating. I want to act surprised that we had Pre-Lunch, but who's kidding who?
We walked over to Surquillo Mercado #1. This one is closer to our apartments than the Mercado that Javier and I demolished on Friday. Our first stop was the Tamale Ladies for a Tamale Sandwich for each of us.
They're fresh. They're warm. They're delicious. They make the sandwiches for you. And all for just under $2 for the three of them. Javier told me that he thought he had invented Tamale Sandwiches, and just learned recently that they are a real thing.
On Sundays, the Surquillo Bioferia is at Mercado #1. We walked through it without buying anything. I just like checking the whole thing out.
Also outside the Mercado on the weekends, there's a mini Food Court. Javier is the only person I know that likes Rocoto Rellenos (Stuffed Peppers) as much as I do, so we sat down and enjoyed one each.
After that, we finally went into the Mercado. It was all new to Lucy, so we got to see the fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Seafood, Fish, Whole dead animals, and lots of other stuff.
I hit the Jackpot and found Seedless Grapes. We bought some.
At another Fruit booth, Javier picked up a Lucuma for later. That's a Fruit that's very popular here.
Then he got to talking to the Fruit Girl, and the next thing I know, she's breaking out some plastic container with a live Worm crawling around, trying to get him (or me) to buy it. I was too shocked at first, so I only got a little video.
NOTE: If you are reading this in your email, you might want to click through to see the video. This isn't a fire we're talking about; it's a freaking WORM that she tried to sell me.
After that, we still amazingly had appetites, and we hopped a taxi to Puebo Libre to have the Brunch at El Bolivariano. Their Brunch is very popular (there had to be 400 people there today), and because it is nowhere near where the tourists go, I'm usually the only native English speaker there. This is certainly not a tourist joint.
I had a bunch of stuff.
Starting at the top, there was Pig, a small Rocoto Relleno, Rice with Seafood and a Causa. The next photo was the waiter delivering Anticuchos (Grilled Beef Hearts)... I had one stick. And then, Chupe de Cangrejo (Crab Soup), Mixed Cebiche and Tiradito in Salsa de Rocoto, and finally, Pork Adobo.
Lucy and Javier were going at it, too. I was just in too much of a frenzy to keep track.
I did have time to pose with the Rocoto Rellenos.
We were sitting right across from the Picarones girl, and got to watch her crank out Picarones (Doughnuts made from Squash and Sweet Potatoes). Javier picked some up for them, and I had a piece of Chocolate Cake.
On the way out, we passed the Anticuchos Guy. Everyone specializes, it seems.
In what is turning out to be a recurring theme, I was not hungry the rest of the evening. I casino hopped, and in two of them, I had the Drink Girl (another specialist) extend her reach and bring me a Fruit Salad. Here's one of them.
I went to bed without eating anything further, feeling all proud of myself. And full. Here's my steps.
We both had a great time Rich. This was Lucy's first time to a typical Peruvian mercado. She was impressed with the infinite varieties of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seasonings, animals (including the worms!) and other stuff available.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised too that Lucy did not loose her appetite after hearing the fruit girl explain how to prepare/cook the worms: "cut the head off, bread it, and lightly fry it." It can be eaten raw too, but she hasn't tried that yet. She was clearly trying to sell it to the big guy holding the camera.
We both enjoyed the lunch at El Bolivariano. The place is huge! They had all the typical Peruvian dishes, including Lucy's favorites: Aji de Gallina and Seco. Lucy was not hungry until late Monday afternoon.
Javier
Uh... I was trying VERY hard to ignore the Worm Girl. If I would have heard about lopping heads off, that might have done it. :D
DeleteOne question: after cutting off the head, do you bread/fry the HEAD, or the rest of the body? I can see it going both ways.