More fun things from Chile

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I have been thinking of some more things that you all (and me) might consider different or odd coming from America. Here are a few things that are typical in Chile but I have found to be a little strange.

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Photos

The milk in a box
I miss fresh milk that actually goes bad if not stored in a refridgerator Here they sell it off the shelf and onces its opened you refridgerate it. A box of milk costs about $1.20

Oh, the fake coffee
They dont serve real coffee down here. This is the dehydrated version but I dont even think its like Foldgers Crystals. It is like dust and artificial. That is all they know here. I dont really even like coffee but I miss real coffee! I dont know why all of South America drinks real coffee except Chile.

Ketchup in a bag
This is how they store and sell ketchup. In bags with a spout at the the top to squeeze it out. They do this with mustard and mayonnaise too.

little yogurt
This is how all their yogurt looks like. Little tiny cups. makes overeating impossible which is good. Everything in the States is bigger portions.

The cute garbage cans
I dont know why but I think they are so cute. They remind me of a little alien or something. I wish people would actually use them instead of throwing things on the ground. A far cry from the cleanliness and environmental consciousness of Oregon

look closely
This sign at the bottom says 4, 3, 2, and 1 bedroom apartments. Now is that neccessary? Wouldnt you normally just say 1-4 bedroom apartments? Everytime I go by this sign I giggle inside.

The gas tanks
In spanish its called a "balon" of gas. This is what we use in our little heater with wheels since they dont have central heat.

The mini heater
This is the " estufa" with the gas. This has saved my life in Chile. I survived 2 winters without heat. This year we have it!! woohoo.

the boiler
I guess because electricity is expensive, I dont know, This is the "hervidor" that we use to heat up water for tea, coffee, water for when we make pasta or rice. Pretty much anytime we need hot water this is what we use because hot water doesnt come out of the faucet. Only cold.

The hot water heater
This is what we have to light with a match in order to get hot water for showers. That little square box hole is where you put the match while pushing that big roung button so that gas is released. Yeah, sounds dangerous. When you finish showering, you turn it off.

The toaster
This is our toaster. We put it on the stove top and put your bread on top.The electric plug-in type exist but arent very common.

Comments

[David Stiner]

Very interesting pictures
It's a whole different world down there isn't it? If you really liked coffee then we could send you some REAL ground or whole bean coffee. You should have someone send you real toaster as well. I just love these updates of your life down there. I would love to visit sometime. Take care. David

[Rhonda Rose]

Latest Blog
Thanks for sharing the "different" items of Chile. It is really interesting to see the differences between the two countries. It sure makes Americans look like we lead the posh life. Even when we go camping I don't have to light the hot water heater to take a shower and the "toaster" reminded me of something I used on the Coleman camp stove. Just goes to show we should not take these things for granted. Hope all is well with you and Carlos! Rhonda R.

[Terry]

You crack me up!
I LOVE getting your blog entries! The ketchup in a bag is cool, but the coffee is a deal breaker for me! I love how you are embracing all the little quirks with the Tori brand of humor=).

[james st. james]

¡great!
first of all, felicitaciones on your recent wedding. this is a great post. as they said in "pulp fiction", "they got the same shit there as they got here it's just that there it's a little different". i have one of those silly toasters, which i refer to as my "third world toaster". just the amount of food at supermarkets which is sold in little packets or strange squeezable containers is impressive, as is the huge amount of space devoted to yoghurt (the thing about the size, it's not that they're small in chile since they have the same portion size as europe, it's that in the US we're a bunch of slobs and have bigger portions for everything). anyway, this has been one of the most entertaining posts i've seen in a while. good eye! salu2.