A couple of weeks ago I participated in a blog carnival in which I shared my three best travel secrets. Meanwhile, a similar joint effort was going on among a group of expat bloggers in Chile. But instead of sharing travel secrets, they
each listed “Ways to Alienate a Chilean.”
Margaret Snook, who writes the Cachando Chile blog started things off by suggesting that you inform a Chilean that you don’t like sandwiches or tea time. Apparently, both are beloved institutions in Chile. You’ll also be headed for trouble if you suggest Chile’s national anthem is not the best in the world. Margaret’s observations undoubtedly touched a nerve because her post generated a whopping 130 comments.
Annje says that a sure-fire way to end up in the dog house with a Chilean is to skip the perfunctory hello and goodbye cheek-to-cheek kiss.
Clean Plate Club. The affronts compiled by Sara over at the La Gringuita Diaries blog include not finishing a meal that a host has prepared for you and leaving a party early.
Emily, who writes on the Don’t Call Me Gringa blog, notes that Chile and Peru are rivals when it comes to most things. Tell them that pisco is Peruvian and you’re headed for a fight.
Never point out that studies show that Chile’s population struggles with depression more than the citizenry of other Latin American countries, says Lucie of Gringa Gone South. She added that it’s a mistake to compare any aspect of Chile with Argentina—another arch rival.
Water. You’ll definitely start off on the wrong foot, Maeskizzle with Transcultural Vogueing tells us, if you go out to a bar with friends and opt for mineral water all evening instead of piscos or beer.
Eileen, who writes the quirky Bearshapedsphere blog, stays true to form by sharing that the quickest way to upset a Chilean is to “say no when you mean no.” For Eileen, this has come up when she has sought to politely decline a request for a second date. The trick is to say “yes,” while sending a “telepathic no.” She advises:
You will use the word yes, but you will send mental “nos” along with the yes, such that the party of the first part will understand that the party of the second part ain’t going nowhere nohow with your sorry poto (you do the math), without actually rejecting the social engagement.
Have any tips on how to alienate a Chilean?
Photo by thejourney1972 (Via Creative Commons)
on Dec 9th, 2009 at 7:03 am
Thanks for the love, and the quote. I know it’s terribly self-serving, but I actually laughed while reading that. And yes, I mean the part I wrote!
Red Hot Chile bloggers, huh? That makes us sound like so much fun!
Thanks again!
on Dec 9th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
I’m with Eileen. Thanks for the mention. Some of our posts were a little controversial, not among us, but with Chileans. I guess it’s probably obvious why.
on Dec 9th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
@Sara, I can see why the theme about how to “alienate a Chilean” would be somewhat controversial. I think the only reason you could get away with it is because you’re living in Chile amongst Chileans. Plus, most of the observations were pretty good natured. Can you imagine how unPC it would be for me to write a post about how to alienate a Chilean from here in the Wash. DC area? People would wonder “what the heck does he have against Chileans?” (Nothing of course).
on Dec 9th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@Eileen, I’m glad you enjoyed reading your quote. Definitely not something I could paraphrase. Very funny.
on Jan 5th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Of course the idea was not to INTENTIONALLY alienate Chileans… it was just a look at how we end up doing it anyway–often without even realizing it! And yes, this was indeed controversial post that provoked a number of related discussions and a whopping 143 comments to date!
But just for the record, it was followed up by a flip-side post entitled “Finding your way into Chile” (http://cachandochile.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/finding-your-way-into-chile/) Which, by the way, only got 30 comments though, which I guess goes a long way toward backing up the old belief that the most controversial sites get the most traffic!
on Aug 14th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Chileans are very indeed a very touchy bunch. I should know since I was born and raised in Chile and lived there until my teens. This is true of most countries that have not had a lot of social intercourse with other cultures.
Gringos and all foreigners are still a novelty for most Chileans. Geography hasn’t helped them either.
On the north Chile is host to the driest desert in the world, not a place to go wandering around in.
to the east there are the majestic Andes. To the south you run into the Antarctica, which is nothing like the Caribbean either. And finally to west, the Pacific Ocean.
No wonder Chile has been one of the last places for tourists and others to discover.
In addition, Chile is a young country. In the 17 hundreds when Europe and the US had established governments and institutions, Chile was literally a wilderness.
So give Chileans a bit of slack. Comparing Chileans to North American is like comparing a teenager to a seasoned British, American, or French diplomat.