A Chilean Adventure

The evening we went shopping made us really feel like we had fully settled into our cabaña. It was a three and a half hour excursion and we hauled back a lot more food than we really needed to at that time, but that was ok. Marcelo told us that Lider is the best grocery store with the best prices, so we took his advice. It was easy to get there because most of the city buses have signs of some sort that say their major destinations: Centro, UACh, Lider, etc. The university has a busy bus stop, so it didn’t take long to find one with a Lider sign. It cost about 80 cents to get across town to the store.

Once inside, we were amazed at how many people were there. Marcelo said that most people get paid at the end of the month, so that was one reason. It was also right before a lot of public schools are starting so there were a lot of people buying school supplies. (Lider is kind of like a small version of Super Walmart with clothes, electronics, office supplies, and groceries all under the same roof.)

It took forever to find everything we wanted/needed. Instead of just grabbing things off the shelves like I do with the familiar brands at home, now we had to inspect all of the options for price and variety. A lot of things are similar to options in the United States with a few exceptions. Mayonnaise is everywhere here, but there’s something different about it that gives it a sweeter flavor and a most yellow color. We found peanut butter, but it obviously isn’t as popular as in the U.S. because there was just one tiny part of an aisle that had two different brands. A lot of the condiments (ketchup, mayo, spaghetti sauce, etc.) comes in one-liter bags instead of jars.

The difference that might be hardest for me to get used to is that the milk sits on shelves. That’s right, it isn’t refrigerated. They use UHT (ultra high temperature) pasteurization, which brings the milk to such a high temperature that it is possible to leave it sitting on a shelf for about six months before it goes bad. Once opened, it must be refrigerated and consumed within three days. It doesn’t taste much different, so I’m sure I’ll adjust.

The only thing that we got that wasn’t a familiar item was sopapillas. It’s a box mix that you just add water to, shape the dough into flat circles of 3-4” diameter, and then fry for 45-60 seconds. We’ve already tried some and they’re fantastic. It’s really more of a dessert than anything, but a really good dessert that you can eat with a lot of different toppings.

On the way home, we put our heavy items in our backpacks and still had four bags each to carry. When we got on the bus to go back, it didn’t go all the way to Isla Teja, so we had to carry everything about four blocks. Doesn’t seem like a lot, but with all those groceries it was.

The next day, we went to the fería fluvial to buy our fresh fruits and vegetables. It was a little like the Madison farmer’s market with all the different stands displaying their produce. The difference was that across the aisle from the fruits and vegetables there was a row of fresh fish that created a terrible smell.

The smell won’t stop us from shopping there though! The food is amazing and the prices are better than in the Wisconsin grocery stores during high season. There are avocados, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, and more for the vegetables. The fruit selection includes peaches, apples, bananas, plums, cherries, pears, grapes, blackberries, and more. On one trip to the market, we got four peaches, a half-kilo of blackberries, a half-kilo of plums, five bananas, a bunch of cilantro, two tomatoes, an onion, four avocados, and lettuce for about $11.

Since we don’t have much to do right now (no classes, homework, or student organizations), we’re spending a lot of time making some good meals. We’ll see how long that lasts, but I’m sure that the abundance of fresh food will. Some vendors at the market told us that it is open through the entire year and with all the same selection. I think I have to see it to believe it, but my fingers are crossed!