Greetings from Colegio Carpe Diem, also known as Berto & Lisa's school. Today was the second to last day of school and the kick off to the Independence Day holiday. Each class from pre-K to 12 had 
something special set up. The seniors and juniors had a BBQ set up. The 5th grade sold cookie sandwiches with dulce de leche spread between the cookies. THe 10th graders were peddling empanadas. You get the picture, lots of yummy food, all before 10:30 in the morning! Traditional outfits seemed to be optional and opted for more by the girls and the younger kids.
Over in kinder, Berto was being schooled on how to be a Chilean kid. He won a prize competing in traditional Chilean games, cleaned his plate of empanadas and grilled meat, stayed on the pony for the pony ride
and looked darn proud of himself in his classic Chilean hat and poncho.
Over in the elementary school area there was a variation on bobbing for apples. In
this version the kids race to bite a candy out of a bowl of water, run next to find (with their teeth) the candy hidden in a pile of flour, then sit on a balloon and finally run back to the start. I tried taking pictures but there was too much laughing and jostling to get a photo other than at the start.
The art portion of the day was mostly pictures of the founding fathers, the presidential pa
lace and the president. By the size of the presidential ears on most of the drawings, we could have been back in the USA.
Mike came by at around 12 to pick up Berto. Unfortunately by that time all the yummy food had been consumed and the kids were taking the branches down from their food sheds.
The day was not yet over for Lisa and the other profesorres del colegio. Once the kids were gone around 1, the teacher BBQ was fired up. Folks down here love their roasted meat more than a Texas cowboy. Little did I know when I took the picture that the grill would be completely covered with chops and roasts before long. Meat here is roasted with coarse salt and nothing else. The recipe though that I will take home is the roasted onions. Onions the size of softballs are placed in the coals with their skins on
. After they have roasted, the onion skins are removed, the onions are cut up and served with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice. Really good with a roast.
The other culinary difference is that half the folks passed on the red wine and instead drank coca cola or sprite with the BBQ.
something special set up. The seniors and juniors had a BBQ set up. The 5th grade sold cookie sandwiches with dulce de leche spread between the cookies. THe 10th graders were peddling empanadas. You get the picture, lots of yummy food, all before 10:30 in the morning! Traditional outfits seemed to be optional and opted for more by the girls and the younger kids.Over in kinder, Berto was being schooled on how to be a Chilean kid. He won a prize competing in traditional Chilean games, cleaned his plate of empanadas and grilled meat, stayed on the pony for the pony ride
and looked darn proud of himself in his classic Chilean hat and poncho.Over in the elementary school area there was a variation on bobbing for apples. In
this version the kids race to bite a candy out of a bowl of water, run next to find (with their teeth) the candy hidden in a pile of flour, then sit on a balloon and finally run back to the start. I tried taking pictures but there was too much laughing and jostling to get a photo other than at the start.The art portion of the day was mostly pictures of the founding fathers, the presidential pa
lace and the president. By the size of the presidential ears on most of the drawings, we could have been back in the USA.Mike came by at around 12 to pick up Berto. Unfortunately by that time all the yummy food had been consumed and the kids were taking the branches down from their food sheds.
The day was not yet over for Lisa and the other profesorres del colegio. Once the kids were gone around 1, the teacher BBQ was fired up. Folks down here love their roasted meat more than a Texas cowboy. Little did I know when I took the picture that the grill would be completely covered with chops and roasts before long. Meat here is roasted with coarse salt and nothing else. The recipe though that I will take home is the roasted onions. Onions the size of softballs are placed in the coals with their skins on
. After they have roasted, the onion skins are removed, the onions are cut up and served with a sprinkle of salt and lemon juice. Really good with a roast.The other culinary difference is that half the folks passed on the red wine and instead drank coca cola or sprite with the BBQ.
Love these Independence Day stories--I think we should celebrate the 4th of July for 2 weeks too...
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to hearing more about the Mapuche culture when you get a chance to visit the cultural center. They sound interesting! Enjoy the rest of the festivities!
-BB