LIMA

Lima is renowned as a gastronomic capital. It's signature dish is Ceviche. Marinated raw fish. Now enjoyed in bijoux restaurants around the world. Another popular dish is Chifa. Chifa is Sino-Peruvian food. Noodles, rice, stir-fry. You can find it all over Peru.

Our friend Paul is half-Chinese. He takes us to his cousin's restaurant in Rimac. Rimac, is the oldest part of Lima, across the river from the centre. The moment you cross the bridge, a different vibe is palpable. Firstly, the houses are all vast, decaying Hispanic buildings from the C18th or earlier. The streets are a heady, never-ending bustle. People stop and stand in front of TVs showing pirated movies. Salesman sell everything from plastic toys to chinese tea in the streets. It might be as close to Hogarth's London as you're going to find in this day and age. The vitality of the place competes with the sense of people getting by, making ends meet. The Chinese food is great. There's a queue for tables. Old men come in singing tango. We eat wonton and clear broth soup.

The Chinese influence is everywhere in Lima. In the C19th, Chinese were drafted in as coolies. But the trade with the Chinese had been going on for far longer. How long is hard to tell. Spending time there, looking at the pre-Colombian art, it's not hard to fall for the thesis that the Pacific was a melting pot long before the Europeans learnt how to get across the Atlantic.

Paul went to a Chinese school. He says his Mandarin's not that good and his Cantonese is non-existent. But the presence of his heritage is evident in his flat, with his teapot, stones and charms. Almost all the countries in Latin America are constructed through a combination of immigration and the indigenous, but none feels more diverse than Peru. A land with Chinese, African, Japanese, European and indigenous roots. The Incan empire itself was the product of the constant assimilation of other tribes and peoples, and modern day Peru is merely continuing this tradition.

The breakfast at the Sheraton, where we stay during the Theatre Festival, features Japanese Omlettes, Sushi, Croissants, Sausage and bacon, Maracuja, Chicharones, Miso soup, Wonton and Scrambled Eggs. (Though everywhere else we stay offers two rolls with butter and jam and a cup of coffee.)

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