Chilean Food

Not surprisingly, some of my favorite memories in Chile have revolved around food and eating. Before coming here I had no clue about what "Chilean" food was, and if it involved tortillas or not. I have since learned that regretfully tortillas are not a part of my daily consumption...I think that they are exclusive to Mexico and Guatemala. However, I've been thoroughly enjoying my new diet and am convinced that it is part of a healthy lifestyle. Before leaving for Chile I was pretty much eating like a vegan. Needless to say, that is not the case anymore. I tried to explain to my host mom what my "vegan" diet was and she looked at me like I sat around and ate bird seed all day, haha. In Chile when somesome says they don´t eat "carne" (meat) they will instead be served chicken. Seafood is as equally available as meat in some areas. Therefore, not eating animal products just doesn't occur to people as much here.

However, I have not replaced all of my diet with meat, as fruits and veggies are quite fresh and cheap in all the areas that I've been to (in the northern desert areas that's probably not the case). For dinner tonight we went to the fruit stand where I bought a banana, rasins, cheese and an avocado. Then a few stores down we went by the bakery where I got three fresh rolls. For a grand total of 1,170 pesos ($2.16) I had the most satisfying meal of my entire day. I even loved the experience of buying the food because I got to talk to the vendors and let them pick me out the ripe produce so that I could eat it within the hour. I didn't even have a knife or anything so I peeled the avocado bit by bit and ate the whole thing like an apple. In the US it would never occur to me to eat a whole avodado in one sitting. However, here it is so delicious and inexpensive that I see no reason not to. When I was telling some Chilean people that avocados in the US go on sale for 2 for $5 they couldn´t believe it...Plus, they're not nearly as good! The rolls I bought were equally delicious. They were still warm when I picked them up and set me back about 20 cents each...They are a perfect balance and breadyness yet with subtle tender flakey layers that make them really easy to split in half. And when they are just baked...deliciosos. Follow all that goodness up with the banana, rasins, and a few glasses of hotel tap water and you've got a five star meal in my book.
Funny, because I was planning on talking less about one specific meal and more about the other myriad of food combinations I've eaten since I got here. I feel like sometimes the only way to do something justice is to zoom in on all of the collective details though. At a glance that meal may not sound like much but to me it was one of the high points of the day because it felt so authentic and personal. The streets were filled with people when we were walking around buying our dinner because tomorrow is Chile's independence day so everyone was out getting last minute food shopping done. I am really excited to do some intense people watching tomorrow and see how this celebration comes alive throughout the course of the day.