|  Western
travelers are less noticeable than in neighboring Peru and Bolivia
because of Chile's European heritage. The European education of
many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country's art, music
and architecture. As a result art galleries, museums and a thriving
theater scene are a large part of Chilean culture. Nobel Prize-winning
poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda were products of Chile
and, until the military coup of 1973, its cinema was among the
most experimental in Latin America. The country's oppressed used
folk music as an important vent, and was regularly performed overseas
by exiles during Pinochet's reign.
 Religion
is big in Chile and over 90% of the inhabitants are Roman Catholic,
but evangelical Protestantism is becoming popular. Impressive
and omnipresent best represents the country's Catholic architecture,
from high-flying colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of
which are amazing manifestations of folk art. Chile's official
language is spanish, though many other native languages are still
spoken. In the south there are perhaps half a million speakers
of Mapuche and in the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers
of Aymara.
 Chile's
cuisine reflects the country's topographical variety, and features
seafood, beef, fresh fruit and vegetables. Chile's biggest standard
meal is lomo a lo pobre - a giant slab of beef topped with two
fried eggs and buried in chips. Curanto, one of the nation's finest
dishes, hearty stew of fish, shellfish, chicken, pork, lamb, beef
and potato. Chilean wines are perhaps South America's best. A
pisco sour is a popular drink which easily gets you piscoed -
it's a grape brandy served with lemon juice, egg white and powdered
sugar.
|
