[CH] Re: Chile
Scott Peterson (scottp4@ibm.net)
Tue, 24 Nov 1998 11:51:12 -0800
At 10:03 AM 11/24/98 , Cameron Begg wrote:
>While this may be true of Santiago and it's rural surroundings, one has to
>remember the extraordinary diversity of the country. If peeled off the
>globe, turned 90deg, and laid across the US, it would stick out into the
>oceans both sides.
>
>The huge Western coastline and relative narrowness of the country provides
>fresh seafood almost everywhere. The fish we ate in Punta Arenas is the
>equal of any I have eaten anywhere, and the mussels were absolutely the
>best. (I'm from Scotland remember!) One of my favorites from down South was
>a mixed chowder - a "fruits de la mer" kind of thing - with a whole aji
>(about 5" long) served in each bowl.
>
OK, you got me, I oversimplified. Just so you know, my mother was born on a
farm near Temuco and I've been though the country from Iquique to Punta Arenas.
There are few countries with the diversity of climate and geography that you
can find there.
The fish,.as you say, is great, thanks to the Humbolt Current keeping the water
so cold. Because of that cold water, through much of the lower part of the
country you will find the same fish offered, with regional variances. I still
drool over the Congria. Fortunately I've found a restaurant here in Los Angeles
that serves it and otherChilean food although I don't get there nearly often
enough
>The "hot sauce", such as it is, was readily available in plastic envelopes
>and referred to as "Aji Chileno". Similar stuff is made there by many
>different manufacturers but it just is not very hot or flavorful.
Again, I oversimplified because, as you indicate, it isn't really very hot and
cooking with hot peppers was not common.
>The middle of the country is a puzzle. It is amazingly cosmopolitan with
>people from all parts of N. and S. America and Europe. However the food is
>universally bland. Ask for some meat ("lomo") and you'll likely get a chunk
>of Argentinian beef of some unknown cut heated to about "medium". The
>salads and vegetables are unimaginative, which is odd for a country that
>can grow just about anything. The produce sections of the supermarkets were
>well stocked with fresh food, but there is a better selection of peppers at
>my local "Big Bear"! If in doubt, eat seafood and bread. They are
>excellent bakers of bread.
There was a lot of immigration from England and Germany to Chile, including my
grandparents. There are villages there that look as if they'd been moved intact
from Germany. English is very common in the cities as a second language. This
has led to very European cooking, as I said, especially among the middle and
upper classes. It's also led to the introduction of many European fruits and
vegetables to the exclusion of native produce.
>
>The Northern tropical Atacama desert is a place where nothing will grow
>except in the mostly dried up river valleys. They simply don't get enough
>rain. Efforts are being made to open up this area to tourists; so most of
>the food must be flown and trucked in. A neat little town up there is San
>Pedro de Atacama. Almost a hippy atmosphere. Plenty of restaurants
>supplying the usual trendy fare. You can have your linguine "a la" whatever
>you like there.
>
It's been called the dryest spot on earth. Almost nothing grows there. In
fact, there are areas there that have never received measurable precipitation
in over 200 years of measurement. The two significant products are copper and
nitrates. Believe me, unless you are into things that slither you do not want
to try the 'real' native cooking in this area other than some of the fish. <g>
>All in all Chileans enjoy a pretty high standard of living. Across the
>border in Bolivia however, things are very different.
Without getting into current politics, a lot of this is the result of a very
long history of democracy and a free market economy stretching back to the
1860's. Today it's still the strongest and fastest growing economy in South
America. The adult literacy rate is over 95% and health care and social
security systems that have been suggested as models for what the US could do to
replace the current systems.
Scott Peterson
ScottP4@IBM.NET
Asking whether machines can think is like a
sking whether submarines can swim.