Mara Jos Gonzlez English Composition II October the 12th, 2010 A Little Bit of Chilean Culture When people

visit a new country, they usually want to be in contact with local culture as much as they can, so one good way of reaching that approach is eating the local food. However, people who do not know where to go would probably end up going to touristic restaurants which show nothing about the people and customs. hat is why in Chile we have the !picadas"# eating places, usually small, where you can find good ine$pensive food. here is a restaurant in Chile since %&%' which was visited in %&(( by the president at the moment, Arturo Alessandri. )t is said that he entered and with a contemptuous attitude referred to the place as a !pio*era" which comes from the word !pio*o" in +nglish !louse". ,o he meant it was a filthy place. -owadays, La .io*era is a !pica/" full of tradition and mystic, that are e$pressed by two main aspects0 food and atmosphere. here are certain Chilean dishes which are served in La .io*era and have become its hallmark. 1irst, we have the popular ones that include from boiled eggs to barbecues. he most typical dish in La .io*era is the pernil which is a piece of pork leg served with potatoes on a side. 2n the other hand, we have the drinks, being wine, Chicha and the erremoto, the most re3uested ones. 1or e$ample, the erremoto, in +nglish0 the earth3uake, is made up of cheap white wine, also called !pipe4o", pineapple ice5cream and a trickle of fernet. he erremoto takes this name due to the fact that its sweet flavour blinds your senses to alcohol, so it has the faculty of making you feel a little di66y, which basically means you get horribly drunk without even notice it. La .io*era has a very uni3ue ambience due to its ornamentation, atmosphere and clientele. his

restaurant is in a very old building hidden at a short street in the centre of ,antiago. here is one separate room whose walls are all scribbled on with /7oa3u8n and ,tefany for ever/ and that sort of things. )t is always ornamented with garlands in the national colours and flags all over, but the thing that first catch your attention when going in is the peculiar smell of freshly baked bread and drunk people/s breath. +ven though you can find from politicians to construction workers, there is mainly one distinct grouping associated to this place0 the guachacas. hey are believed to be low5key and *oyful people who like eating and drinking in large

3uantities as well as dancing cueca, our national dance. 9ou need really good tips about places in order to get to know a culture. Chilean picadas are not always known, but La .io*era is actually a really popular and good option for tourists due to its eccentric environment and the interesting people you find there. .eople may or may not like the place, but it is definitely worth to see. ,o, Have you been there yet: