Culture & Society
Language
The Chilean variety of Spanish can be quite difficult to
understand, as Chileans speak very quickly and fail to pronounce
many consonants. Few people speak English (except in 3-star hotels
and above), and other languages even less, though some German is
spoken in the south.
Food and Drink
Most restaurants offer a surprisingly European menu. Chilean
cuisine centers around beef, chicken, fish and shellfish. Among
the national specialties we find the ubiquitous parrillada (mixed
grill) and empanadas (a light crust filled with meat or shellfish
with onions, hard-boiled egg, and raisins, or else with cheese),
salmon and trout cooked in a variety of ways, and a wide, splendid
variety of shellfish. Equally tasty is cazuela, a chicken- or
beef-based soup with potatoes and zapallo (a pumpkin-like squash),
and pastel de choclo, a baked cornmeal dish with chicken or beef,
chopped onion, hard-boiled egg and olives. Humitas are a local
variety of tamales. Caldillo de congrio is another typical dish
that finds favor among foreigners. One of the most typical
southern dishes is curanto, a catchall stew of fish, shellfish,
potatoes and different types of meat. Finally, the variety of
domestically grown fruit far exceeds that of tropical countries
further north. Chile's traditional cocktail is the pisco sour,
made with pisco (grape brandy), lemon juice, sugar and a bit of
egg white. And to wash down your meal, don't forget the excellent
Chilean wines (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc,
Chardonnay). Normal tipping is about 10%.
Media
The main newspapers are El Mercurio, La Epoca and La Tercera.
Condor is published in German; News Review, in English.
International television stations (such as CNN, HBO and so on) are
transmitted by cable.
For further information about Chilean media, please see our Links
Page.
Shopping
Shops open between 9 and 10 in the morning and close around 8
at night; the smaller ones are generally closed between 2 and 4 in
the afternoon. Shopping centers and supermarkets are open later
(until 9 or 10 at night) as well as during weekends. Alto Las
Condes, considered the most modern shopping mall in South America,
will make Europeans and North Americans feel right at home. At the
other end of the spectrum, a visit to the Mercado central (central
market) in Santiago or any other city is a worthwhile taste of
popular culture. Also recommended is a visit to one of many
open-air markets offering handicrafts and artworks in wood, wool,
clay, mimbre (wicker), silver and lapis lazuli (a semi-precious
blue stone found only in Chile and Afghanistan).
Holidays
- New Year's (January 1)
- Easter (late March, early April)
- Labour Day (May 1)
- Naval Battle of Iquique (May 21)
- San Pedro and San Pablo (June 29)
- Mary's Ascent (August 15)
- Military Takeover (September 11)
- Independence Day (September 18)
- Army Day (September 19)
- Dia de la Raza (Discovery of America) (October 12)
- All Saints (November 1)
- Immaculate Conception (December 8)
- Christmas (December 25)
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