Okay well today I have done nothing except research things to do and ways to travel in Peru. We are going to Peru in May and there is still some questions/drama as to where we're going and what we're doing...but I found some really cool stuff I will keep you informed of our decisions.
Since my life has not been filled with action and I have been settling down into normal Chilean life style (eat, eat, sleep, eat, eat) I wanted to dedicate a few posts to the differences in culture here versus the states. First off, I will quote something I read "Santiago has nothing to envy of any other city on the planet". This is kind of true because Santiago has everything, and is arguably the most advanced city in South America. The cultural difference is not as great as I expected, but there are obviously a lot of differences between Latin America and the US.
Starting with food. I like the food here a lot, but it is much different. Fruit has to be their specialty. The fruit I've had is absolutely amazing. Maybe it is the way Judith prepares it, but the fruit is always very good, and we have a lot of it. The kitchen always has a big bowl of fruit. We eat fruit for desert with every meal, and Judith makes a realllly good juice with it. She mixes all different kinds, a lot are hand picked by her friend and delivered to our apartment. The Juice is made with 100% real fruit and it is really really good. When I first arrived I told her I liked soda better than juice, but since I tried it, we have not bought another Coke.
They don't eat a lot of meat here, and by my theory that's why all the Chileans are little. Judith also says that all the Chileans have very dark hair because of the water. My friend Christian was born in Argentina and had blond hair, but he has lived in Chile for the past 20 years and now has dark brown hair. Judith also claims that Francisco (my Chilean brother) had really light hair and now it is completely black. You guys will have to tell me if my hair has changed I'm not really sure.
The pictures are of; humitas (the corn type thing), porotos granados (the beans), and pasta with an egg on top. I included the pasta because here in Chile they will put an egg on top of anything. If you go to order something at a restaurant, you can always add en egg. My friend Kristin says her mom will even plop an egg into her soup sometimes.
Milk expires in about 6 months, and it is unrefrigerated in little cartons. Maybe it is powder based but you can definitely taste the difference. We don't drink a lot of milk here at all. Milk and burgers has to be the weakness of Chile...the US does it the best. Another weird thing...if my mom cooks ground beef, she will leave it on the counter for DAYS. Literally days. Maybe she is giving it a natural seasoning? I heard the other Chilean moms do the same thing as Judith too. Who knows, but I trust her and I haven't been sick yet!
Bread is also very very good here. I think that's why Chileans are a little gorditos (fat) because they have a course of bread (and normally butter) with every meal...but I can't blame them because it is very fresh and tasty!
Whenever I have a hankerin for some good American food I can always find a McDonalds or Burger King within a few blocks for some safety food, but I have only done that a few times because the Chileans know how to cook!
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