18 September

“Dieciocho” for short but, for many of us, probably 18th September is much easier! The time of year when Chile celebrates their patriotic holidays and Chileans are at their proudest.

What should be two public holidays, somehow becomes three if it leaves one day between the official holidays and a weekend (most of the time) and, in turn, unofficially becomes a week of holidays.

People are either partying, or they leave town, leaving Santiago with a dramatically reduced amount of traffic. Many stores are closed, and it pays to stock up on supplies beforehand, making the stores as busy as the day before Christmas or New Year’s Eve.

And the parties, well, they’re big. Referred to as “fondas”, they are held all over town in public parks. These days, there’s a queue and a fee to get in to most, and you pay an awful lot for food and drink once you’re in there. It certainly doesn’t seem to detract from people having a great time; dancing “cueca” (the national folk dance), watching live entertainment, eating traditional food, and drinking chicha or terremotos (“earthquakes”, a cocktail made with pineapple gelato and “pipeña”, young, bulk wine).

Everybody is out for a good time, and many people dress in traditional costume – the old, the young, pets and, yes, even (ex) politicians aren’t opposed to throwing on a poncho! (In fact, given the timing at the end of the presidential campaign, they probably lead the charge.)

September is a windy month, and it’s a traditional time to fly kites. Although there’s been an influx on the market of cheap Chinese-made kites, you can still see a lot of artisan kite makers, and the streets are often lined with their colorful stalls.

It’s the biggest event of the year and, if they’re not celebrating in public, they’re celebrating with family, or just getting the hell out-of-town for a nice break after a chilly winter.

It’s a nice time to be in Chile, to share in the festivities and witness the burst of Chilean patriotism. Yes, definitely one of the things I love about living in Chile.

PS. Hmmm, one more post to go in my challenge! I wonder what it will be. There are lots of other little things I love … the sunny days, the cool nights, the lack of creepy crawlies (every Australian knows what I’m talking about here!), the historic town square, particular restaurants, the first half an hour after you clean your floor (the rest of the time, not so much!), the opportunity to speak another language … oh, what will it be? I guess you’ll have to tune in to find out! See you tomorrow.

Tirso de Molina

This funny looking building with the strange roof in front of the river is Tirso de Molina, a “mini” market with a little bit of lots.

Closer to the city centre, I’m sure a lot of people get this far and think they’re at La Vega, not realising that they still have to cross the street to get to “La Vega Chica” and go another block further to even reach the entrance of the enormous “La Vega”.

Tirso de Molina also has a lot of the things that La Vega offers; fruit and vegetables, cheeses and cold meats, dried fruits and nuts, general produce stores, etc; but on a smaller scale, and generally a little more expensive. It’s handy if you just need one or two things and can’t be bothered going the extra distance to La Vega.

Upstairs, it has a range of tacky clothing stalls, and lots of little restaurants, including a pretty decent Mexican and a Thai restaurant that I’ve heard good things about, as well as lots of traditional Chilean food.

It’s a good place for tourists or foreigners to experience “cheap ‘n’ cheerful” traditional food in a possibly more sanitary environment than La Vega proper.

I like Tirso de Molina for the fresh fruit juice stands, where you can pick whichever combination of fresh fruit that you like to be blended up, right before your eyes. Get in quick though to specify “no sugar” before they add half a cup or, worse still, that horrible artificial sweetener.

So, whether as a quick alternative to its bigger neighbour, for a cheap bite to eat, or for a fresh juice, Tirso de Molina is one of the things I love about living in Santiago.

coffee

Chile is not known for their coffee, and many Chileans are self-professed tea drinkers.

In fact, despite producing some great coffee beans, no South American country I’ve ever visited has been known for making a great cup of coffee.

I have to say that I haven’t been to Colombia though, so they may be the exception. But, when we were hiking through Peru a few years ago, I even remember being served some thick, coffee-rich syrup to add to hot water. Disgusting!

It’s hard enough to order my coffee in South America. What I order back home as a “long black” is considered politically incorrect (or worse) in some parts of the world and, although commonly known as an “americano” (including by the Italians, who know a thing about coffee!), I still often receive quizzical looks. When you have to explain how to make it, you know it’s not a good sign.

It’s also hard to rely on coffee recommendations. What an American or a Brit tells me is a good coffee, may not be my idea of a good coffee. Even someone who has milk and sugar in their coffee is going to have a different opinion to mine. Melbourne seems to have gained a reputation around the world for our coffee-loving ways, so my standards are probably quite particular.

Thankfully, although you can’t just walk into any little coffee shop in any neighbourhood and get a good coffee, the news is not all bad.

I mentioned a couple of my early finds and favourites in a post a while ago, such as Café Santiago and Café Sur, along with my all-time favourite and regular local hangout, Colmado, which not only has the great coffee, but also the personal service, good food and stylish decor of a small Melbourne café.

I’ve also enjoyed the coffee at Eric Kayser (which always comes with a little mini treat) when I’m in their part of town. I’ve had good and bad a La Signorina in Bella Vista, and I was recently served a pretty good cup at Oporto, but “one sparrow does not a summer make”.

There are still places that come recommended that I am yet to try, such as Original Green Roasters, actually pretty close by in Providencia.

So, all is not lost for a Melbourne girl living in Santiago. Although the options aren’t endless, there are options and, since a good coffee is something that I love, those quality options are, in turn, something that I love about living in Santiago.

cazuela

Since food is obviously one of my big loves, I really wanted to include at least one Chilean dish in the list of things I love about living in Chile. Sure, there was the “cordero al palo“, which is an obvious choice, but as far as a “prepared” dish goes, I love a good “cazuela”.

It is a delicious and comforting broth, made with either beef or chicken, and containing large chunks of vegetables, usually potato, pumpkin, and corn. It is fortified with rice, and finished off with some chopped coriander or parsley.

Besides the flavour, another thing I like is that you can see what you’re eating! It is usually made with a cheaper cut of meat that’s cooked until tender, so it’s good to be able to see which pieces of the meat you want to put to the side. Plus, it’s a complete meal, with a balanced serve of protein and vegetables, the latter of which is often lacking in Chilean dishes.

You can get a good, and very cheap, cazuela in pretty much any Chilean “picada” around town or, if you want to be sure to get good quality, Gabriela (under GAM) does a good cazuela for two.

OK, now I’m hungry. Yes, a good cazuela is definitely something to love about living in Chile!

Lastarria

This historical neighbourhood is my favourite part of town and, after a lot of searching for an apartment, I’m happy to call it home.

It’s full of beautiful buildings, leafy little streets, restaurants, bars, cafes, and even has its own little arthouse cinema. It’s close to Parque Forestal, and the metro, making it easy to get around. It’s popular amongst tourists and locals alike, and it’s one of the things I love most about living in Santiago.

girl, exploring

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