Chilean 4th of July -- Times Seven and Body by Barbecue

The Warm-up: School programs

Traditional dancing and traditional treats including Mote con Huasillos (preserved peaches in juice with cooked whole wheat--sort of wheat "hominy." The peach can be fresh tasting or dried with the pit and stronger tasting.) Over the course of the week, we had this three times, at least. 

Branch Postre Party: Nothing but desserts!

We won't talk about the empanada party for the workers and the million cookies we baked to hand out to advertise our English classes the day before, nor the two "service project" days that week that ended up being work, but also being fed a huge hot meal each noon, nor even the barbecue for the farm managers two days later; but it has been Fiestas Patrias--the week-long celebration of Chilean independence, with kite flying, rodeos, school programs, parties, dancing, horseback riding; oh, and yes, eating. 

On the actual holiday, September 18th, we were invited to three homes and at all three places a boatload of meat was being grilled with all the accompanying side-dishes. How could we say no?

Flags fly everywhere--on homes and buildings and it only takes a little of the beauty out of it to discover that it's the law that people display the flag. It's a beautiful flag and many cars also are adorned with the red, white and blue.

I really love how barbecues are conducted here. The men hang around the fire throwing a huge variety of pieces of meat on the grill and flipping things around, salting and tasting. The women fuss around in the kitchen putting finishing touches on a variety of salads and potato and rice dishes. When a piece of meat is ready, off the grill it comes and everyone gets a chunk at the optimal moment. If it's chorizo or hot dogs, you get a bun warmed on the grill to wrap the meat in. When the beef is done, you get some to eat from a fork as you walk around visiting. Then pork and maybe lamb, and finally when the chicken that was probably put on first looks done, everyone sits down for the side dishes and more meat.

Round One--after an hour-long horseback ride through orchards and vineyards:

Round Two: just dessert, but they sent us home with a plate of meat that we were too full 

to enjoy at the time. More whipped cream than strawberries--que rico!

Round Three: more meat, empanadas, salads, potatoes and kite flying!

This is all the same day, people!!

At the end of the week, wearing my Sunday black thermal top and black Cuddleduds bottoms I looked long and hard in the bedroom mirror and admitted that I was looking at Body by Barbecue: just a bit too much indulging this month. 

If rain is your favorite weather

If rain is your favorite weather, you would have been happy at the farm the past few weeks. Some days it would rain without stopping. We still have standing water in lots of places and mini-rivers beside the roads, but the dove found dry land and didn't come back to the ark, so I think we'll be okay.

We hear that last year it didn't rain at all, so people are really happy to get the water and the many water storage lagunas are filling up. We have an English lesson on climate, and I usually ask the students what their favorite weather is. Frequently, they tell me they like rain better than anything.

The rain comes with some problems, though. Work essentially stops in the fields. We are getting ready to begin a new 12 week course of English lessons for the field workers out in the comedores at lunchtime, and prepared some flyers to advertise the classes. We made hundreds of cookies to share as we placed the flyers. We slipped and slid through the mud in our company mini-van to take our warm chocolate-chip, raisin, walnut, oatmeal cookies to the trabajadores. Alas! Not one soul to give them to! The farm seems to be experiencing a "rain delay."