20 July 2012
Entry #2 of 1,954 regarding food.
It's hard not to notice the system of napkins in Chilean eateries. In fact, most people probably never consider the notion "system of napkins" unless they are obsessed with all things food like me. Or unless they have a cold, which I have had twice now down here. But I'm telling you, if you eat out in Chile, you will notice the insanity that is...Napkins.
In Chile, the napkin system is slowly and surely pushing me off my rocker. In essence, an eater is usually handed a small paper napkin with their silverware, which is in addition to a dispenser of paper napkins. Now this silverware napkin is pathetically thin and small, but it is a holy shawl compared to what comes out of these dispensers. These little hombres are smaller and thinner and of cheaper quality than what you might find on an airplane or cocktail bar. You'd think there would be shame in such pathetic excuses for napkins, but many restaurants proudly arrange and display these little things in arrays words cannot describe. [hope to get a picture added here soon]
Perhaps this would not be such a big deal if the food in Chile were simple, precise, and sauceless that forks and knives could handle with little leftover mess (for some reason I'm imagining Scandinavian cuisine to fit this description). But generally Chilean food requires napkins, lots of napkins. As someone constantly moving, I find myself in many bus stops and travel areas, where eating is quick and often hand-based (but to be fair, even my lunch-hour cuisine is not much different when I eat out at work). The standard fare in Chile in such situations are "completo" hot dogs or saucer-shaped churrasco sandwiches (another entry for another time, my love/hate with these green bean-filled sandwiches), which overflow with tomatoes (+), guacamole (+ +!), and gobs of mayonnaise (big minus). Even after wiping half of this gloop off, the "sauce" still gets all over your face and hands. Then you are left plucking these mini waxpaper napkings from the dispenser as fast as it allows in a comically endless stream, using about one per finger. Honestly, a thick roll of toilet paper would probably be more useful (in fact, I feel like I've seen this in some other parts of the world).
I want to make one final point so I can sound like a total grouch: This system creates so much waste! With composting non-existent in Chile (or anywhere else, as my research has unearthed), all these used napkins become waste headed to landfills or incinerators. The absurdity is that I am almost certain that if the restaurant provided a single napkin that was larger, thicker, and stronger - even of the paper variety - it would probably suffice and I would likely use less paper in the process. Harumph.
We finally were able to see this box!
ReplyDeleteThe photos are incredible! I love the bright colors, playful murals/grafitti, amazing architectural styles, comfortable urban scale and the great shots of you in the moment. The newer buildings also looked very interesting but always seemed isolated from their context. VP looks like an incredible city with awesome views made possible by the topography and generally lower profile buildings. So many of the cities I have seen in Brazil line the coastline with non descript mid rise buildings like a bunch of sloppy soldiers forming a massive wall with little permeability. Some of the homes and apartment buildings remind me of the buildings we saw on the Art Neuveau tour. There is something magical about being near the water and catching the sun setting over the ocean. These were a real treat. Please keep them coming! Good luck with the speach. D
Mom wants you to send pictures of the aunties.