Hoy me fui al Mercado Central para hacer unas compras. Había escuchado que en el Mercado Central uno puede conseguir papeles, cristalería e incluso cosméticos de calidad a bajo precio (porque ahí lo venden al por mayor y menor); pero como el tráfico de la Av. Abancay es tan caótico y hay tanta gente caminando por ahí, nunca me decidía para ir. Pero leyendo un blog sobre moda que tiene muchos posts sobre reviews de cosméticos y productos de belleza que venden en Lima, y en donde menciona que en el Centro de Lima se puede comprar de todo, me animé a ir.
Realmente no estuvo tan mal, solo que el tráfico es un caos y los carros avanzaban tan lentamente que hasta una tortuga los podía ganar. Pero llegamos sanas y salvas (porque fui con mi madre) y aunque el taxi no nos pudo dejar en la misma calle Andahuaylas (por la cantidad de gente que hay), decidimos bajarnos en pleno cruce de la Av. Abancay con Ucayali. Caminamos hasta llegar al Jr. Andahuaylas y compré todas las cosas que necesitaba comprar y me ahorré como 10 soles (sale a cuenta si uno compra varias cosas del mes, por ejemplo, un shampoo que en los supermercados me cuesta 15 soles, aquí lo compré a 13 soles; un bálsamo para labios que lo ví a S/. 7.40 en los supers, aquí lo compré a S/. 5.60).
This morning I went to Mercado Central (Central market, in Lima downtown) for shopping. I have heard that papers, glassware and even quality make-up can be found at lower prices in Mercado Central (because they are sold in wholesale and retail there); but since the traffic at Abancay avenue is so chaotic and there is too many people walking around, I have never decided to go there. But, after reading a fashion blog, which has many posts about reviews of make-up and beauty products selling in Lima and tells that anything can be bought in Lima downtown, so I decided to go.
Actually, it was not so bad, just that there was a chaotic traffic and cars move so slowly that even a turtle could pass them. But we arrived safe and sound (because my mother joined me) and although the taxi could not take us up to the Andahuaylas street itself (due to the number of people walking there), we decided to stepped off in the middle of the crossing of the Abancay avenue with Ucayali . We walked until get to Andahuaylas street and we bought all the stuff I needed to buy, and I saved almost 10 soles (it is a big saving if we buy many stuff for the month, for example, at supermarket a shampoo bottle costs 15 soles, there I bought it for 13 soles; a lipstick sold at supermarkets for S/. 7.40, there I bought it for S/. 5.60).
This morning I went to Mercado Central (Central market, in Lima downtown) for shopping. I have heard that papers, glassware and even quality make-up can be found at lower prices in Mercado Central (because they are sold in wholesale and retail there); but since the traffic at Abancay avenue is so chaotic and there is too many people walking around, I have never decided to go there. But, after reading a fashion blog, which has many posts about reviews of make-up and beauty products selling in Lima and tells that anything can be bought in Lima downtown, so I decided to go.
Actually, it was not so bad, just that there was a chaotic traffic and cars move so slowly that even a turtle could pass them. But we arrived safe and sound (because my mother joined me) and although the taxi could not take us up to the Andahuaylas street itself (due to the number of people walking there), we decided to stepped off in the middle of the crossing of the Abancay avenue with Ucayali . We walked until get to Andahuaylas street and we bought all the stuff I needed to buy, and I saved almost 10 soles (it is a big saving if we buy many stuff for the month, for example, at supermarket a shampoo bottle costs 15 soles, there I bought it for 13 soles; a lipstick sold at supermarkets for S/. 7.40, there I bought it for S/. 5.60).
 | Esto es todo lo que llevé para ir al Barrio Chino: una bolsa de compras, mi celular, mi monedero y mis llaves. (los alrededores del Barrio Chino no son tan peligrosos, pero siempre hay que ser precavidos, así que mejor no llevar carteras o bolsos, billeteras y solo llevar lo imprescindible, sobretodo si vamos de compras, y vestir con ropa muy deportiva; así estaremos más cómodos y nos sentiremos como en casa). |
This is what I took to the Chinatown (as Mercado Central is also called, due Chinatown is very near to the Mercado): a shopping bag, my cell phone, my purse and my keys.
(The Chinatown’s surroundings are not so dangerous, but we always should be careful, so it is advisable to take no bags, wallets and only essential stuff, especially if we go for shopping. So, we would be more comfortable and feel like at home).
Y como estábamos en el Centro, decidimos darnos una vuelta por los alrededores. Por Paruro, encontramos una tienda que venden productos chinos y también japoneses, que se llama Kenex Corp. Ahí encontré productos a muy buenos precios, comparándolos con los del supermercado. Por ejemplo, encontré una sopa instantánea de Udón, que son unos fideos gruesos y tiene dos sobrecitos, uno con algas marinas, trozos pequeños de verduras disecadas y el otro sobrecito, con el saborizante (es para darle un sabor a mariscos y tiene picante, pero yo solo uso menos de la mitad del sobre porque pica demasiado, más que el tabasco). Y aunque el producto es de origen coreano, los fideos son tipo Udón, un fideo típico japonés. (este me costó S/.2.90, y en los supermercados lo venden a S/. 3.70, es decir, hay un gran ahorro).
(The Chinatown’s surroundings are not so dangerous, but we always should be careful, so it is advisable to take no bags, wallets and only essential stuff, especially if we go for shopping. So, we would be more comfortable and feel like at home).
Y como estábamos en el Centro, decidimos darnos una vuelta por los alrededores. Por Paruro, encontramos una tienda que venden productos chinos y también japoneses, que se llama Kenex Corp. Ahí encontré productos a muy buenos precios, comparándolos con los del supermercado. Por ejemplo, encontré una sopa instantánea de Udón, que son unos fideos gruesos y tiene dos sobrecitos, uno con algas marinas, trozos pequeños de verduras disecadas y el otro sobrecito, con el saborizante (es para darle un sabor a mariscos y tiene picante, pero yo solo uso menos de la mitad del sobre porque pica demasiado, más que el tabasco). Y aunque el producto es de origen coreano, los fideos son tipo Udón, un fideo típico japonés. (este me costó S/.2.90, y en los supermercados lo venden a S/. 3.70, es decir, hay un gran ahorro).
And, since we were walking around the downtown, we decided to walk around the surroundings. By Paruro street, we found a store selling Chinese and also Japanese products, named Kenex Corp. There we found products at good prices, in contrast with those of the supermarket. For example, I bought an instant Udon noodle soup, which are thick noodle dehydrated soup and contains two sachets, one with seaweed, pieces of dehydrated vegetables and the other sachet with the seasoning (it is for giving it a shellfish flavor and also it is spicy, but I only use less than half a sachet, because it is very spicy, even more than Tabasco sauce). And although the product comes from Korea, the noodles are Udon type, a typical Japanese noodle (it costed me S/.2.90 and, it is sold at S/. 3.70 at supermarkets, that is, it is a big saving!).
| Las bolsas con las compras que hice, la bolsa negra contiene las compras de los cosméticos, champús, etc., mientras que la blanca, es la que contiene los productos japoneses, la que estamos detallando. The plastic bags with the stuff we bought. The black one contains the make-up products, shampoos, etc., while the white one contains the Japanese products, which are detailed above. |  |
También encontré wakame, que son algas disecadas, más gruesas que el nori y que se usan para hacer saltados de verduras o en sopas, y me costó S/.4.30. Y también compré ajonjolí tostado a S/. 4.10, que a mí no me gusta mucho, pero mi mamá sí, y ella lo usa para comerlo con arroz (tipo furikake), espolvorearlo a las sopas, etc. (quería comprar el ajonjolí negro pero estaba 20 soles, así que mejor me quedaba con el simple. El ajonjolí negro lo probé en Japón en una cadena de ramen-ya, preparado en sopas, donde mezclaron ajonjolí negro con el caldo y agregaron los fideos, el trozo de cerdo, etc. El sabor no era tan fuerte, y tenía un color muy oscuro por el ajonjolí negro molido, pero era muy nutritivo. Hasta ahora no he encontrado ningún lugar en Perú que lo preparen).
Also, we found wakame, which are dehydrated seaweed, thicker than nori and is used in sautéed vegetables or in soups, and it costed us S/.4.30. And also, we bought toasted sesame at S/. 4.10, which I do not like it so much, but my mother does, and she eats it with rice (like furikake), powdered in soups, etc. (She wanted to buy black sesame, but it was 20 soles, so we bought rather the plain sesame. The first time I ate black sesame was in Japan in a ramen chain store, which was prepared in soup, in which black sesame was mixed with the stock and noodles; also, a slice of pork meat was added, etc. Its taste was not so stronger, and its color was very dark due to the ground black sesame, but it was very nutritious. Until now, I have found no place in Peru where it is prepared).
 | La sopa instantánea con fideos udón (empaque naranja), wakame (empaque verde) y el ajonjolí tostado. Todos fueron comprados en Kenex Corp.: Jr. Paruro 869.The instant Udon noodles soup (orange package), wakame (green package) and toasted sesame. Everything was bought at Kenex Corp.: Jr. Paruro 869. |
| Y ya como era mediodía, y a mi no me gusta los chifas, fuimos a comprar udón al paso. Si, udón al paso. Así como en el centro de Lima venden los famosos caldos de gallina en los restaurantes al paso (asi los llamo porque no son restaurantes grandes y el servicio no es como de un restaurante, sino que parece que estuviéramos comiendo en una carretilla pero dentro de un local, aunque debo de aclarar que los locales son limpios), en el Barrio Chino encontramos que venden udón en la dulcería Tsukayama a S/. 6. |
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 | Es una sopa contundente, que tiene caldo de gallina con trocitos de kión, fideos udón (un poco diferentes a los de Japón, porque éstos eran gruesos pero aplanados, casi parecidos a los tagliatelles, mientras que los originales son gruesos y redondeados), pedazos de kamaboko (hechos de pescado) y de tortilla, y con trocitos de cebollita china finamente picados. |
It is a satisfying soup, which is made up of chicken stock with pieces of ginger, Udon noodles (with a little different looking from those of Japan, because they are thick but flat, looking like the tagliatelle, while the original Udon are thicker and rounded), slices of kamaboko (made up of fish) and little pieces of omelet and scallion, finely chopped.
 | Pero la oferta no acaba ahí, sino que además te dan una bolsita con aproximadamente cuatro piezas de yuca frita. ¡Qué tal fusión! un tradicional udón japonés con unas limeñísimas yuquitas fritas que nos recuerdan a los ambulantes del Centro de Lima. |
But it is not all the offer, because it comes also with a bag containing approximateley four pieces of fried yuquitas (dough made from cassava). ¡What such a mix! A traditional Japanese Udon with some very Limenian yuquitas remembering us to the stall of the Lima downtown.
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Nosotras lo compramos todo para llevar (porque el local era muy pequeño y ya estaba lleno) y al llegar a casa, nos dimos cuenta que realmente llena (no he podido terminar toda la sopa, creo que es por haber comido todas las yuquitas frutas, que aunque están muy grasosas, son muy adictivas).
La tienda no solamente vende udón y yuquitas fritas, sino que venden okashi o dulces japoneses de todo tipo, sushi y todos los dulces y comida típica para las celebraciones de obón, año nuevo y misas conmemorativas (es decir, especialmente para aquellas familias que tienen butsudan en casa). El anterior dueño era nikkei, pero luego traspasaron el negocio a un señor peruano y que no tiene nada de japonés, aunque aseguran que los dulces son preparados por el mismo dueño, es decir, Tsukayama (seguro que por eso "crearon" este menú tan singular, el "udón-yuquita", que mezcla lo japonés con lo peruano, aunque más bien creo que es una fusión totalmente nikkei, lo que significa algo japonés "peruanizado").
Si alguien pasa por el Barrio Chino, no solamente encontrarán los tradicionales chifas o tiendas de comestibles chinos, sino que también encontrarán lugares como el que he ido en donde pueden encontrar algo japonés, o mejor dicho, algo nikkei.
Restaurante Dulcería Tsukayama
Jr. Ucayali 628
We bought them for take-out, (because the place was very small and even crowded) and when getting home, we realized that these udon soups satisfied us actually (I could not eat all my soup, because I had eaten all the fried yuquitas, I guess; which, despite being very greasy, are very addictive).
That pastry store does not only sell udon and yuquitas, but also all type of okashi or Japanese sweets, sushi and all sweets and typical food for the festivities of obon, new year and commemorative masses (that is, especially for those family with a butsudan at home). The previous owner was Nikkei, but then the business was transferred to a Peruvian man who has nothing of Japanese backgrounds, although the people working there assure that the sweets are prepared by the previous owner, that is, Mr. Tsukayama (perhaps, that would be the reason they “create” a so singular menú, the "udon-yuquita", which mixes the Japanese with the Peruvian. Although I believe rather that it is a totally Nikkei mixing, which means something “Peruvianized” Japanese).
If someone passes by Chinatown, he will not only find the so traditional Chifas or Chinese grocery stores, but also find places as we had found, in where “something” Japanese, or rather, “something” Nikkei can be found there.
Tsukayama pastry and restaurant
Jr. Ucayali 628
(just for a case, I have no relationship with the previous owner of that store, despite we share the same surname)
That pastry store does not only sell udon and yuquitas, but also all type of okashi or Japanese sweets, sushi and all sweets and typical food for the festivities of obon, new year and commemorative masses (that is, especially for those family with a butsudan at home). The previous owner was Nikkei, but then the business was transferred to a Peruvian man who has nothing of Japanese backgrounds, although the people working there assure that the sweets are prepared by the previous owner, that is, Mr. Tsukayama (perhaps, that would be the reason they “create” a so singular menú, the "udon-yuquita", which mixes the Japanese with the Peruvian. Although I believe rather that it is a totally Nikkei mixing, which means something “Peruvianized” Japanese).
If someone passes by Chinatown, he will not only find the so traditional Chifas or Chinese grocery stores, but also find places as we had found, in where “something” Japanese, or rather, “something” Nikkei can be found there.
Tsukayama pastry and restaurant
Jr. Ucayali 628
(just for a case, I have no relationship with the previous owner of that store, despite we share the same surname)
