Since I lost my credit cards here in Peru, I have a limited amount of cash to live off of. I guess I could borrow from those around me, but I rather not. To pinch centimos I found an even better source of tasty food, as cheap as the free samples at the Metro. It is 2 soles roundtrip to get there and back, after all. There’s a hamburger stand one block away from the Villa Rica on Av. Arenales. It actually belongs to a hamburger cafe on the same block. For 2 soles I can have a “plain” hamburger which actually is loaded with lettuce, onions, crushed potato chips (you laugh, but it’s really good!), and a bunch of sauces: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and local favorite ajÃ, or chili sauce. It also comes with a drink. Pretty good for 62¢!
Another stand on the opposite corner sells “emoliente,” which is a warm drink mix made of different grains such as quinoa and maca. They also sell little sandwiches filled with “tortilla,” which is what they call an omlette, or camote, which is sweet potato. Each of those items is 50 centimos or 15¢. That is what I call a cheap breakfast!