I must record a memorable first from today: fruit at my local supermarket has broken the CLP 4.000/kg threshold. What is this exotic treasure, so delectable, so irresistible, that Chileans would be willing to pay US$4.50/lb for it? Nectarines. Imported from the U.S. of A.
Importing fruit from abroad is standard practice in the north, to protect gringos from long bleak winters filled with apples and oranges. It was this very demand that made Chile, once a non-consumer of cranberries and blueberries, the southern hemisphere’s largest exporter of these fruits (both of which, unfortunately, are called arándanos here, producing much confusion and a sorry Chilean cosmopolitan).
But it’s only been a few years, it seems, since Chile’s staple export fruits, notably grapes and avocados, have been reappearing during the off-season tagged with a different red, white and blue sticker. I steer clear of these, stoically filling my cart with apples and pears until the local nectarines finally reappear with the warm weather. (My carbon guilt is somewhat selective, however– I never have trouble buying bananas.)
I take some comfort in the fact that this country’s economy is strong enough to warrant the increasing procurement of such luxuries. And to be honest, the nectarines smelled delicious. But buying local isn’t yet a practice that has to be revived and relearned here in Chile the way it is in many of the places we come from. Let’s help make sure it doesn’t get lost.