Surquillo Market No. 1
The photo above was taken in Surquillo Market No. 1, in Miraflores. The vendor is arranging her eggplants and tomatoes as the day winds down.
Peruvians prefer to prepare their meals from fresh fruits and vegetables, rather than buy canned, frozen or processed foods.
Doing so it more economical and tasty, Peruvians agree. As an added bonus, preparing meals from scratch is healthier.
Eating healthier foods enables many Peruvians to stay fitter than their U.S. counterparts.
According to the World Health Organization, obesity in developed and developing nations is soaring, notes ACAP. An astonishing 74.1% of U.S. citizens over age 15 are classified as overweight. The United States ranks #9 among fattest nations (Nauru is #1, with 94.5% of its population considered overweight).
Where does Peru rank? At #46, with slightly fewer overweight people than Canada (60%).
Barbara
I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.
6 Comments
Miguel
I have never been inside that market. I would always walk around, or see it from a micro or bus, but I have never actually gone there.
I never realized that they had some of their produce covered with plastic, this is new to me.
Yea, many Peruvians are fit. Especially younger generations of Peruvians.
Barb
Miguel, you should check it out now, at least just to compare it with the remodelled version, which will debut later this year. Gaston Acurio and other foodies are renovating Surquillo No. 1 and turning it into a food destination for tourists, complete with a cooking school on the top floor.
Some of the produce is covered in plastic. Most is just out in the air.
Amazilia
Unfortunately that is changing, the diet is resembling more and more to the american one. Bet the people in LIma is more overweight than the rest of the country. and we will see once TLC will began to import trash food
Saludos.
Barb
I hope that Peru doesn’t get flooded with American trash food, as you say, as a result of the TLC. I’ve seen more US products on supermarket shelves in the past year, but many are so expensive they still don’t tempt buyers.
Cecilia
I will never imagine that after so many years living in the States I will miss these type of markets. Last year I took my 12 year old to one when we visited Peru and he loved it! Why? Because the fruits and vegetables look real was his answer.
Barb
Cecilia, your son’s right. The food smells real, too.
(Of course, the smells aren’t always pretty — particularly in the meat and poultry section of Surquillo No. 1 and especially in the butcher section of Surquillo No. 2. I have to hold my nose going through No. 2!)