7/27/2019 Chilean Experiences National Holidays and Full Tummies Erinwalton

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Chilean Experiences: National Holidays and Full TummiesNow that the national holidays have ended and the highways are again clogged withpeople making their way to work, ones waistline is left in peace to reflect on the food festthat is Chiles national holiday, or fiestas patrias.Chileans celebrate their independence on the 18th of September and they do so in thespirit of so many South American countries; excitedly and with the ritual consumption ofcopious amounts of pastries, meat and alcohol.From tip to tail of this incredibly long skinny land, the holiday season begins several weeksbefore, with sales and the suggestive tone that soon one will be able to eat theirbodyweight in meat. Workers prepare their applications and excuses to take sick leavethe day before and after the holiday enternally productive! and homes and businessesare decorated with Chilean flagsDuring the build up, the daily news begins to take on a holiday-season tone: New safetyregulations for the use of volantines(kite flying) are sketched out, prohibiting children fromplaying too close to highways. The nutritional value of meat is discussed and peopleadvised on how to avoid weight gain during the season. Hangovers are denounced andfail-safe methods for reducing the especially sneaky variety of hangover delivered bychicha(sweet, fermented grape juce) are identified. (And as in so many cultures, the hairof the dog method purports excellence.)Then finally the season hits and friends and families gather to have an asado(barbeque),drink chicha, fly volantines, frolic in a fonda(local street party) and dance cueca(thenational dance), many dressed in traditional trajes de huasoor chinitadresses.Along with roast meat, kites and devilishly sweet alcoholic drinks, empanadas play anenormous role in the relative success or failure of your 18th of September experience. Notlong before the public holiday, local companies compete for the prized position of BestEmpanada of the Year, subjecting their creations to the rigorous testing methods ofseveral nationally famous (and appropriately rotund) food critics. The traditionalempanada de pino is on the menu; and filled with minced meat, onion, half a boiled eggand one olive it packs a hearty punch. And goodness me, I learned that these triangularpastry bundles are an exact science. For one, they are not to be eaten with salad (Whatyoure doing there with your empanada, its just not Chilean, I was told as I decorated myplate with greens) and secondly, the traditional egg to olive ratio is sacred. Dont evenraise the question of introducing vegetarian empanadas, or whether two olives and lessegg would be better if eggs make you squishy, give yours to a friend. Be creative andask for their olive. Youre a vegetarian? Sorry, bad luck.But everything festival related is by no means as militant as the empanada ratio. If youfind yourself in Chile during September, the already jocular Chileans are in their highestspirits of the year so do consider sticking around to have a bit of a bash and awkward tryat cueca. Itll make for an entertaining holiday snap!