Tuesday, November 20, 2007

At the Grocery Store

Shopping for Thanksgiving supplies this weekend, I had a few grocery store observations I'd like to share.

1. Chile doesn't do canned pumpkin. In fact, it doesn't do pumpkin at all. Now, before you ask "Well, what do they eat at Thanksgiving??" stop yourself, and review a little colonial history. We good? Aight.

The unfortunate thing is that USAians in Chile, DO do Thanksgiving... and here I'm referring to myself and the other students in my exchange program. All of our families are getting together, some 150 people in all, for a giant Thanksgiving-end of semester feast. Unfortunately, it seems that it will be without pumpkin pie.

2. Christmas is almost here! Or, I suppose, at least getting close. Without the aforementioned holiday-marker of Thanksgiving, Chile starts the Christmas shopping season even earlier than in the US. Jumbo, the overgrown, latino Walmart, is decked out in wreaths and garland, with rows of artificial trees decorated for sale inside. It's very odd, might I add, to see Christmas decorations sold next to beach towels and summer dresses.

3. I will never be able to not notice aisles of boxed milk and eggs, unrefrigerated.

2 comments:

T-Mac said...

No pumpkin pie, hug? I know how you feel...we don't have canned pumpkin over here, and even if I could get some, I don't have a functioning over, either. Hope all is well! :-)

Kristina G. said...

i SWEAR that i saw canned pumpkin in jumbo once... like with peanut butter and that stuff. but i haven't been able to find it again. if you live close to lider in vina, they have a whole american foods section where you might be able to find it. or maybe someone else will find it and make it for tomorrow...