I could write about nothing else today other than the first anniversary of the great Chilean earthquake of 2010.
At 3.34am on February 27th 2010, a massive earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit Chile. Its epicenter was just offshore from Cobquecura, a small town in the central-southern part of the country. Around 30 minutes later, massive tsunami waves triggered by the quake hit Chile's coast, destroying large parts of the country's second city Concepción.
Here in the capital city of Santiago, where the quake measured around 8.0, there was surprisingly little damage. While lots of buildings suffered some surface damage, there was little in the way of major structural problems. Testament to this, our flat had some sizeable cracks in its central walls and a few tiles that had fallen off when we moved in. And like many people we know, our doors don't close properly and the windows don't open without a fight. But the building is standing and sturdy. Reports in the news say that it was business as usual in Santiago after only a couple of days.
In total, the earthquake caused the deaths of 524 people, left 31 missing and 800,000 homeless. But what's amazing, is that these numbers are pretty small. Compare it to the Haiti earthquake just six weeks earlier; this measured 7.0 on the Richter scale, but is thought to have killed over 300,000 people, injured a further 300,000 and left 1 million people homeless. This just goes to show how well prepared Chile is. It understands the risks of its location and knows how to deal with them.
Read my articles about the February 27th earthquake on I Love Chile:
Sunday 27 February 2011
Sunday 20 February 2011
Music
"We live on the wrong side of the Atlantic". That is the conclusion Carlos and I have reached, at least when it comes to music anyway.
Since arriving in Chile, we have already had the unique opportunity to see salsa legend Willie Colon - a true honour to be in the presence of one of the founding fathers of salsa music as we know it. Last night, we added modern day latin superstar Marc Anthony to the list. What a show that was; a true performer - theatrical and charismatic - completely at home with hordes of screaming girls, but also a consummate musician with an astonishingly powerful voice and superbly talented band.
With bachata group Aventura on the cards too, we are enjoying rare opportunities to see artists who just don't cross the Atlantic, or at least, not as far as the UK. For anyone who is into salsa or latin music in general, we are being afforded treats that are hard to come by back home.
As well as great live performances, something else we'll miss is the mainstream nature of salsa here - or more correctly reggaeton. Reggaeton is massively popular, dominating many radio stations, and is usually the music of choice whenever one of our neighbours wishes to share their record collection with the rest of the building. 4am parties aside, it's great to hear the type of music we can only get in specialist clubs in the UK, whenever we feel like it.
Video from keka1209 via YouTube
 |
| Marc Anthony |
With bachata group Aventura on the cards too, we are enjoying rare opportunities to see artists who just don't cross the Atlantic, or at least, not as far as the UK. For anyone who is into salsa or latin music in general, we are being afforded treats that are hard to come by back home.
As well as great live performances, something else we'll miss is the mainstream nature of salsa here - or more correctly reggaeton. Reggaeton is massively popular, dominating many radio stations, and is usually the music of choice whenever one of our neighbours wishes to share their record collection with the rest of the building. 4am parties aside, it's great to hear the type of music we can only get in specialist clubs in the UK, whenever we feel like it.
Video from keka1209 via YouTube
Sunday 6 February 2011
Food
People often ask me what the food is like in Chile - what is different and what do I miss. Saving what I crave for another post, I will focus on some of the foods that I'm going to be very sorry to have to say goodbye to.
Sopaipillas
A circle of deep-fried filo pastry made with courgette and served with pebre - a hot salsa of garlic, tomato, onion and herbs. A lady sells them on our street during the evening commute home and Carlos and I have become thoroughly addicted to them. They are so tasty!
Alfajores
Chileans know how to do sugar and the alfajor is no exception. Two layers of very crumbly biscuit are stuck together with manjar and covered in chocolate or icing sugar. Manjar or dulce de leche is a thick, sticky mixture of evaporated milk and sugar. Ubiquitous in Chile, just imagine any pudding or cake, stick manjar in it, and you have a Chilean postre (dessert).
Asado
I have written about the delights of the asado before but I had to give it a mention here. Asado translates as barbecue but it is essentially a meat feast, washed down with lashings of red wine. The staple food is a choripan - a hotdog made from a chorizo or longaniza spicy sausage within a marraqueta, a type of bread that handily breaks down into two or four hotdog-sized rolls. When we can't get out on the roof to the quincho (barbecue range) Carlos and I have taken to having oven-baked asados on a weekend instead.
Sushi
By far the most common form of fast food here (apart from the completo) is sushi. Amazing as it sounds, particularly as there is almost no Japanese community here in Chile, sushi restaurants can be found on practically every street in Santiago. I'd read a lot about the Chilean twist on sushi, which was that it is unusually laced with cream cheese and avocado (see below). I had my first sushi experience last night and found it all pretty yummy.
Completo
Whisper this quietly, but I am not a big fan of the completo. However, I could not write a post about Chilean food without mentioning it. The completo is a frankfurter-style hotdog, slathered in tomatoes, avocado and mayonnaise. Tomato and avocado are a staple part of the diet here - no meal is complete without them. I've tried and failed with the completo (probably something to do with the fact that I'm not a fan of frankfurters, mayonnaise or fresh tomatoes!) and am admitting defeat on this one.
Pisco sours
Not a food as such, but I'm developing a weakness for Chile's national drink. Pisco is a super-strong liquor but the 'sour' (lemon or lime juice) makes it wonderfully refreshing. A foamy top is made from egg white and then completed with a dash of orange-coloured bitters (thanks Wikipedia for that information).
With all that talk of my favourite Chilean foods I'm now salivating with hunger; if only the sopaipilla lady was there on a Sunday afternoon!
 |
| Sopaipilla |
A circle of deep-fried filo pastry made with courgette and served with pebre - a hot salsa of garlic, tomato, onion and herbs. A lady sells them on our street during the evening commute home and Carlos and I have become thoroughly addicted to them. They are so tasty!
Alfajores
 |
| Alfajores |
Chileans know how to do sugar and the alfajor is no exception. Two layers of very crumbly biscuit are stuck together with manjar and covered in chocolate or icing sugar. Manjar or dulce de leche is a thick, sticky mixture of evaporated milk and sugar. Ubiquitous in Chile, just imagine any pudding or cake, stick manjar in it, and you have a Chilean postre (dessert).
Asado
 |
| Choripanes |
Sushi
By far the most common form of fast food here (apart from the completo) is sushi. Amazing as it sounds, particularly as there is almost no Japanese community here in Chile, sushi restaurants can be found on practically every street in Santiago. I'd read a lot about the Chilean twist on sushi, which was that it is unusually laced with cream cheese and avocado (see below). I had my first sushi experience last night and found it all pretty yummy.
Completo
 |
| Completo |
 |
| Pisco sour |
Not a food as such, but I'm developing a weakness for Chile's national drink. Pisco is a super-strong liquor but the 'sour' (lemon or lime juice) makes it wonderfully refreshing. A foamy top is made from egg white and then completed with a dash of orange-coloured bitters (thanks Wikipedia for that information).
With all that talk of my favourite Chilean foods I'm now salivating with hunger; if only the sopaipilla lady was there on a Sunday afternoon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)