An American in Lima » el chalan

An American in Lima » el chalan http://americaninlima.com slices of my life in Peru Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:55:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 El Chalan on the Street http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/15/el-chalan-on-the-street/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/15/el-chalan-on-the-street/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:10:16 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/?p=71 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>

Wong employee dressed as Peruvian cowboy for Fiestas Patrias, by Barbara Drake

Today I took Lola for a walk and bumped into this Wong supermarket employee pushing a shopping cart along the street. He was on his way back from bringing a customer's groceries to her house, a free service that the store offers. Check out the chic Fiestas Patrias outfit: white poncho, red scarf and broad-brimmed straw hat -- the traditional gear of the northern Peruvian cowboy. Wong bagboys wear these getups through July 28, Peru's Independence Day. Maybe supermarkets in the United States could adopt this trend. What kind of "typically American" gear might the checkout people wear for 4th of July? Labor Day?]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/15/el-chalan-on-the-street/feed/ 0 Supermarket Cowboys http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/13/supermarket-cowboys/ http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/13/supermarket-cowboys/#comments Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:07:14 +0000 Barbara http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/13/supermarket-cowboys/ Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Peru's biggest supermarket chain – Wong – plays up Fiestas Patrias in a big way, sponsoring patriotic events throughout Lima and featuring the "flavors of Peru" during the month-long season. The store's colors are red and white, the colors of the Peruvian flag, but to celebrate the independence-day spirit during July, some employees wear outfits distinctive to Peru. The young men who bag your groceries wear these white ponchos with red scarves and big straw hats – the traditional costume of "el chalán," the horse trainer or cowboy from northern Peru. (See photo of actual chalan, not in red and white, riding a horse in Lima, by Paul Ark, right). Peru is such a service-oriented country that the Wong bagmen will walk you home with your groceries, free of charge (they're probably glad to escape temporarily from the store). We live two blocks from a Wong and usually go there on foot. It's invigorating to step into a busy Lima intersection flanked by a guy dressed like an expert horse wrangler, his white cape fluttering as he and you dodge the suicidal combi buses. (Toro, toro.) El Fotógrafo, El Híjo and I moved from Florida to Peru on July 12 of last year. I was clueless about Fiestas Patrias then; my main focus was adjusting to the shock of its being winter in July. My memories of that first month are of being horribly cold and buying lots of alpaca sweaters and gloves and talking nonstop about la clima en Lima. I had sympathy for old people and empathized acutely with one of my husband's elderly relatives, an 80-year-old woman who huddled in a wheelchair during family gatherings and was always complaining about "el frío." I hear you, sister, I'd be thinking. In addition to stocking up on more chompas than I had room for in my tiny closet, I also spent time at Wong browsing for ingredients to make hot chocolate – anything to thaw my blood. That first month, I assumed the Wong bagmen wore those cute outfits all year round. It was a letdown in August when the baggers switched to their standard uniforms. The button-down shirts and trousers and red caps looked so drab. I missed the cowboy getup. Now it's July again. Viva Fiestas Patrias!]]> http://americaninlima.com/2008/07/13/supermarket-cowboys/feed/ 0