Oh, for the good, old days of the quiet neighborhood streets, and the friendly roving suppliers of just about everything! 

When I first visited Lima some fifty years ago, it was a quiet berg of some 1.5 million souls. Miraflores was still a residential area, as well as San Isidro. Other areas like San Borja still boasted a dairy farm where you could buy fresh milk, and La Molina was reserved for the Agricultural University and a few private farms with corn fields.  Now this highly populated area breeds mini-commuters that fight the morning rush to get to their offices in downtown Lima as well as Miraflores and San Isidro, the old residential areas which are now quite commercial.

Despite the ever presence of the typical “ambulantes,” or pushcart vendors offering fruits and vegetables that apparently will always have a market for last minute shoppers, buying habits have definitely changed.

Super Mercados was the first sign of a supermarket back in the late 50´s. The Olchese family had several around the upper end areas and they helped change the shopping culture. For years, wealthier families would venture to nearby “mercados,” or markets developed in most of Lima´s neighborhoods, filled with kiosks with independent merchants selling the full range of foodstuffs as well as household dry goods. If the lady of the house didn’t go, she would send her faithful maid with a list of requirements.

Super Mercados was followed by TODOS, a Rockefeller initiative which complemented Sears Roebuck for clothes and household goods. Then came Scala which not only sold groceries, fish, and meats, but expanded to Scala Gigante, a chain of multi-markets selling food and clothing. Eventually Galax appeared on the scene helping to modernize shopping requirements.

Well, the whole concept of super marketing changed when Erasmo Wong became ill.  In 1942, Erasmo and his wife, Angela, followed in the footsteps of many immigrant Chinese in Peru by opening up a corner store, or bodega as they are known here.  “El chino en la esquina” (the Chinaman in the corner) was a common cry when someone wanted to know where to buy something. The Chinese developed a good reputation for working hard, saving their money, and disciplining and educating their children.

The Wong family had a good corner on Av. Dos de Mayo in San Isidro and by the time I met the Wongs, sometime around 1964, they had developed the typical dingy bodega into a mini market with some imported items like Worcester sauce and Crisco, and had a quality wine closet. Erasmo took ill in 1982 and summoned his oldest son, Erasmo, and his other children to solicit their help in managing the mini market.

By this time, they were grown up and had assumed various professions that went beyond a small mini market in San Isidro. They said they would discuss it privately and get back to him soon. When they returned, they had one condition: they would have complete authority as to how the business was to be run. Father Erasmo was rather weak at this point and had little choice…. he accepted.  Perhaps his successful recovery was inspired by the daring decision of his children who accepted the challenge.

In 1983, the first E. Wong supermarket was born. Choosing an old, large residence on Olvalo Gutierrez in San Isidro, a busy round-about with a large church, cinema, and drive-in snack area, the new market became an instant success. Despite the established competition in the area, E. Wong offered unique services. On Fridays, they would give you a small bag of Chinese fortune cookies as you checked out. They also trained their personnel to lead you by the hand to the product area when you inquired about something you couldn’t find.

Tipping was also forbidden by Wong. The old, uncomfortable task of searching for change or not knowing how much to give the boys was over. Eventually a website was developed which allowed the summer beach crowd to order online and have their groceries delivered to southern beaches up to 50 kms South for a slight overcharge that was well worth it.

E. Wong put heavy pressure on the competition. Their rapid popularity permitted them to get suppliers to “donate” the first stock in many instances in newly inaugurated markets, and they managed to stretch out the payment dates, building up credit.

Not too many years later, they spotted an opportunity in Barranco. The Army had a big PX, or retail outfit for the military and their families, but it was usually threadbare and crowned with a poor selection. Wong cut a deal. They would administer the PX under their criterion and open it to the military as well as the public, using the volume sales approach as they do in the U.S. at club markets, like Sam’s Club. Customers got better deals by buying boxes and crates of juices, milk, among other items, rather than individual items. They labeled the new market METRO.

Eventually, E. Wong and METRO markets grew to 32 outlets in Lima and the provinces. It appeared to be a Wong monopoly with all the old competition out of business. Finally, a large group of international investors with supermarkets around the globe saw an opportunity and moved in. Plaza Vea installed several large markets in different neighborhoods of Lima. In at least one of their stores in Miraflores, attractive mini-skirted young ladies in red roamed the store on roller skates, guiding clients to desired areas.

By 2008, not only Lima, but the provinces were budding with both chains and prospering. Up until 2007, no well known supermarket, or fast food chain or department store, would dare venture into any province outside of Lima. In Peru, Lima is “Peru”, and cities and villages beyond the city limits were considered primitive farm towns. Now, three years later, they have all rushed to take advantage of a booming market amongst the millions of working class folk that they never would have considered before.

Meanwhile, the Wong brothers had their fill. Profit margins were very thin, and the competition from the Chileans who had megabucks and experience started producing stress. They decided to sell out to a Chilean group. With the $500 million they received for the sale of their markets, they paid off debts and have since invested in developing shopping malls. In 2007, they invoiced more than $800 million – not bad for having started with a small “bodega” on a corner in quiet San Isidro!

Mercado No.1 in Surquillo is another phenomenon. This large indoor auditorium-like, three storey  structure overlooking the Miraflores freeway was constructed by Miraflores back in the 40´s and has continued as one of south Lima´s most popular markets.

Like many other neighborhood markets in Lima, it is divided into individual kiosks selling everything from fish and meat to Chinese vegetables. If you are looking for some rare fruit or vegetable, this is the place. In recent years, it has become a popular shopping point for Lima´s gourmet chefs as well as “chifa,” or Chinese restaurant, owners. Many of its products come directly from farms that cater to its operators.

With the current boom in Peruvian gourmet restaurants that is attracting more and more tourists as well as local connoisseurs, it has attracted the attention of our local gourmet hero, Gaston Acurio, a 47-year-old chef who has put Peruvian dishes on the international map. Gastón has cut a deal with the mayor of Surquillo and the individual operators of the kiosks to turn the old market into a showplace for selected groceries. The building is in the process of refurbishing, and they will install quality restaurants on the second floor and give the tourists demonstrations as to how to prepare the famous pisco sour and a few well known recipes to take back home.

Food marketing has come a long way in Peru, and it is taking time to break traditions. In the Andean mountain region, many small villages still practice “trueque,” or bartering. Each individual exchanges what they produce for something they need held by the other party. The majority of the lower classes still turns to their local marketplaces, and prefers to choose a live chicken to be sacrificed before their eyes to make sure it is fresh. Venturing into one of those fancy, new supermarkets in that new mall in town where pieces of meat are packed and wrapped in cellophane represents expensive meat only for the wealthy.

It won’t be long. The foreign investors have already planned on building 38 more malls around the country within the next three years, and little-by-little, they will all give in to the fancy installations and well marketed groceries that their mothers could never have dreamed!