The Corner Store

When you get right down to it, I realize I've always needed to live in a place with a corner store. It is totally unreasonable to jump into a car and drive somewhere just to pick up milk or a loaf of bread. Running out of toilet paper should require a major shopping trip. I used to think that it was necessary to live in a large city to have things like the corner store which stocked everything you need. I realize now that it's more a fact of the culture and the lifestyle of the people. In the little village where we lived in Spain, everything needed was available within a few blocks. In Florida everyone seemed to accept that it was normal to get in the car ever time one left the house. Here in Lima, one could easily spend one's entire life in a neighborhood, with no need ever to travel to a big store or a shopping mall. I love that I can walk around the corner and pick up a sandwich or an empanada for breakfast, toothpaste, toilet paper, butter, milk, ice cream or olive oil. If they don't have what I want, I can always walk over to the next street, where there are 3 more bodegas to choose from. I can buy fresh fruits and vegetables (although I prefer the cart on the corner or the market for these), yogurt, sodas, beer, wine or pastries, not to mention cell phone card refills, cheese or salami. I love the comfortable feel of the neighborhood store.

This article about our Peruvian bodegas made me smile. If the writer is right, my beloved corner store will still be around for a long time to come.