globalapron PERU!

Meet Allison Suarez, an architect and Peruvian apron-wearer. We met in San Diego at a Bat Mitzvah party (!). Her smile was like an invitation to chat it up and one which I immediately warmed to.

After living almost five years in Australia, Allison was on her way home to Peru. She was making stops along the way to spend time with friends and family, which is how our paths crossed at the Bat Mitzvah – Allison was in attendance as a friend of the solo guitarist.

I’ve always had Peru in mind as a destination to visit, my curiosity of the region piqued by an apron I’d been given. When I asked Allison about Peruvian aprons and the special pocket design, she immediately began telling me her apron story.

“The smell of purple corn pudding transports me to my grandma’s kitchen when I was four. She was the number one fan of Peruvian cuisine, so visiting her was always a good excuse to get spoiled. I loved helping her as she cooked. Stirring the pudding with a wooden spoon was always my job. “Be always careful with the pan,” I remembered her saying. While we cooked, I wore my favourite apron, a woven apron with zip pockets. I used to keep the cinnamon powder container in one of the pockets, that way I wouldn’t forget to put it on top of the pudding when serving. What a pleasure to spend time with my grandmother!”

The zippered pocket is a design element I’ve never before seen on an apron, other than the one I was given by someone who traveled through South America. The traveler told me that in Peru and other SA countries, women walk around wearing their aprons – the zippered pockets holding money and other items that needed to be kept safe from pickpockets. A true apron-as-purse.

My apron is almost like a skirt, it wraps so far behind. There are two side zipper pockets and a very deep front pocket that is divided into three separate pockets.

Tying on my apron so PC could take a snap of me wearing it, I had my hands in the front pockets, when I looked down and noticed the middle pocket sported a zipper! This is about the cleverest apron design I’ve ever seen. I’ve had this apron for years and never noticed the center zippered pocket. Wonders in apron-land just do not cease!

Allison now lives in Lima, where she is a landscape architect. She loves to travel and “…meet people on my way.” A Peruvian apronista on her own lovely journey.

xxea

Tie One On…an apron, of course!