Bagged yogurt, anyone?

Now that I’ve been in Chile for about a month and half, I’ve had time to observe some of the quirks of the environment around me. I’ve collected a few of my observations here for your reading pleasure.

~Chileans like to package condiments and other squishy foods in bags. It’s uncommon to find mayonnaise, tomato sauce and ketchup in any other type of container and not unusual to see bagged yogurt or even bagged cleaning products. Some of the bags have spouts; many others seem to expect that the consumer will use sixteen ounces of mayo in one sitting.

~The Metro stations here, as in New York or elsewhere, feel like saunas in the summer. However, here in Chile they’ve rigged up fans that blow a fine mist of cool water onto the travelers below. At one station in a more affluent area there’s an entire heavenly hallway of them.

~Chileans serve little cookies at every meeting and event, yet I’ve found it impossible thus far to find a cookie sheet to purchase.

~I see at least three pregnant women every day.

~Though making actual coffee does not take a whole lot of effort, Chileans are head over heals for Nescafé, or instant “coffee.” It would be okay if Nescafé were actually coffee-flavored, but it’s more like a distant cousin. That the rest of the family tries to avoid.

~Shirts with English text are quite common and always entertaining. Here are a few examples:
“I’m the most beautiful star in the firmament”
“Menthol. Cologne. Perfume.”
And, of course, various illogical uses of the words "sexy," "baby," "party," etc.

~Speaking of shirts, every teenage boy in Chile seems to own an Iron Maiden shirt.

~Chileans will go out of their way to give you directions or help you find what you need. Their hospitality is generous, almost to the point of aggressiveness. They’ll also tell you that the place you’re going is too far and too dangerous. They’ll tell you that you’re going to freeze, so here, take this jacket. Some of the paranoia may stem from the circumstances in which they lived during the Pinochet dictatorship. The focus, though, should be on their generosity. If a shop owner doesn’t have what you’re looking for, he or she will step out onto the street to point you in the direction of where you’ll find the desired item. But please, be careful on your way there.

~All Chileans have one or two sizable pockmarks on their left arms from childhood vaccinations. This was utterly fascinating to me until my co-worker at Entre Todas, Chris, who’s from England, showed me his left arm and told me that all English people have the same marks. It still blows my mind, though, to think that a simple shot could leave such a significant life-long scar.

More of these to come!