Chilean Dieciocho (18) is like Applefest, times 100,000

If you are from Fenton, Michigan, you know what Applefest is. If you are not from Fenton, Michigan, but you grew up in a small town where there was one festival a year where parents got drunk in a tent, there were cheesy carnival rides and games, and as a kid you thought - you knew - you were the coolest kid there because you had an armfull of snap-it bracelets and a caramel apple, then you know what Applefest is now.

Why Applefest? It happened this month and so does the largest national party in Chile.

AND. My friend Kyle, from Linden, but we are friends from living in Chicago and training for marathon #1 together, was here to celebrate with me. He likes to day drink. And does not make plans in advance when traveling. love.

Why celebrate 18th of September in Chile?
Before I answer that, how many of us in the States can explain the story of why we celebrate the 4th of July? Yup, I looked to wikipedia just to confirm what I thought was true. The founding fathers declared the 13 colonies independent of Great Britain on July 2nd, 1776. The declaration was finally approved by Congress on July 4, 1776. Some historians say it was actually was not signed until August 2, 1776.
We celebrate the 4th with small town parades during which we catch cheap candy being thrown from parade floats, BBQs with friends and family, sitting on a boat, drinking American beers, watching fireworks, and singing to some sort of patriotic song throughout the day. One day, maybe 2, to celebrate. Remember that...

WHY is the 18th so important? I have been in Santiago about two weeks, and the Chileans LOVE to share the history. Chile convened as a government for the first time on September 18, 1810. Even though the war with Spain continued and Chile was not actually independent of Spain until 1818, the first meeting of Congress is critical. It is the day that the Chilean identity separated from the Spanish crown. A few Chileans have shared the history with me, all the same story. Must have been the same paragraph in every textbook in elementary school here. Must have been an effective lesson that day, they all remember the historical account.

HOW do they celebrate? 5 official days of the national holiday. By getting drunk, of course. But here, we say curado or borracho. Day drinking starts with EVERY Chilean asking, "Did you drink a terremoto yet?"



recipes with terremoto? be on the lookout

 This sugary, diabetic-shock alcoholic cocktail drink whisks you away to a tropical beach. But we are in chilly, cloudy Santiago. This concoction of fermeted wine with piñeapple ice cream is potent. One will knock you right onto the dance floor to bailar the national dance, la cueca.

Celebrations focus on the Chilean lifestyle: food, drinks, rodeos and even clothing. This week is a rebirth of the Chilean spirit, their identity. Let`s get real. Chileans know how to party.

The fonda, or massive gathering of Chileans at a large public venue, is an all day drinking and eating fiasco with silly made up games that you can never win. Did I spend some monedas on playing games? You bet. I also consumed way too many calories eating choripan, anticuchos (kebobs) and some sweets. Add in a few beers, terremotos and piscolas, and glutony was my boyfriend this week.

The kebobs, anticuchos, are freaking amazing. The meat is medium, medium well. Juicy but crispy on the outside. Chorizo was salty and so flavorful. I do not ever want to know what goes into making that. I have one idea though. And I will eat them as long as I am here.

Another major event is the rodeo. Too bad the men are either too old for me, or just kids. Where are the Chilean cowboys for me? Guess they are hacking meat, grilling meat, or drinking a beer. My kind of man. This rodeo is pretty important, and I am a gringa expert. One of my English clients shared with me how to compete in a rodeo. Maybe I will be saddled up and cornering a cow soon. His English lesson one day was consumed by the rodeo. It was great- I learned a lot and we worked out some verbage and pronunciation.

You can see the two horses, towards the left, with the small cow (baby cow?) stuck. You get 4 points for cornering the cow in the rear. And only 1 point if you capture it at the shoulders. All the other horses in the ring are waiting their turn to get in on the action. Who doesn´t want to wear a poncho, hat and race around the ring?

Chilean girl in the traditional fiesta patria clothes

Did I tell you I went to 3 fondas? The one above was located at the Estadio Nacional. Lots of terrible, dark history from the Pinochet era. If you do not know who that is, learn before we talk again. love you.

Crazy story. I know maybe 10 people in Santiago. There are 5 million or so that live here. I am getting off the metro train to walk to the stadium, to meet up with 1 of the (now) 10 people I know. All of a sudden, I hear English and slightly, casually, turn my head. Lisa? No way. I know her. Met her my 2nd day in Santiago and there she is, with her fiance and friend from Chicago (#3 and #4). So, about one-quarter of the people I know are right there, walking with me to the same fonda that has thousands of people.

We had a great time dancing at a fonda party.

Needless to say, fondas are fun. First one was at Parque OHiggins, the free fonda downtown. Apparently, it may not be so safe. Kyle and I were the only gringos, and definitely whitest, people there. Workers took photos of us. At least I got a free beer and oyster. I just think that 3 days of them is a bit much. I did not even go to the late-night fondas with concerts because I was there ALL day, eating and drinking. I had to take naps, which turned into...nope, I am sitting this 3AM party out. This gringa is not used to Chilean parties.


Moral of the story? USA. We need to up our partying. Close down the grocery stores. Close the banks for 4 days. No shopping malls should be open. Government, declare it officially illegal to be open for the days around the 4th of July. We need to celebrate our independence, our freedom and our heritage. Oh, and here they tip the laborers and service workers extra during the week leading up to the holiday, so that they, too, can celebrate and not worry about money or work. WHAT. LOOOOVE THAT. Tip a little extra, and a nation celebrates together.

A break from a fonda meant drinking 2 bottles of wine on a rooftop terrace. Why not?

Until next fonda...