Peru Inequality

Today in Peru there is massive amounts of inequality. When Che went on his journey there was a lot more but it has been on the decline lately. One of the main things that the trip did to him was, change the way he looked at South America. He hated the inequality more than anything he experienced. He wanted to change that.

Currently in Peru the inequality has been on a decline due to labor markets growth. Also the per capita is increasing and the lower standards of living are increasing which is more important. The results are astonishing because over 500,000 people were lifted out of poverty in 2012. In 2009 UNICEF calculated that 78% of children whose first language was Quechua or Aymara lived in poverty, compared to 40% of those whose mother tongue was Spanish. In Che’s journey he encountered a family of Quechua who were living in a run down town. They were sitting by a brick building eating leaves from a plant. Che first hand encountered raw inequality. Each time he encountered a different perspective of inequality it changed him a little. When Che and Alberto were walking to the coal mine, they meet a couple that was homeless. They spent the night with them and realized how many people lived in poverty. Since Che and Alberto lived in the upper class in Buenos Aires, they never realized what the inequality was like.

Near the end of their journey they stopped at a leper colony in San Pablo, Peru. The sick people would stay on one side of the river while the healthy doctors and nuns stayed on the other. The lepers were treated as less equal and even not human. Che had a big problem with that but could tell that not many, if any at all, of the healthy people did. He ended up swimming across the river one night to spend his birthday with the lepers. I believe this is what changed Che’s life to the turning point where he had to do something about it.

Chile Culture

Beef Empanadas- These are the most common dish in Chile. It is composed of a seasoned mixture of ground beef, onions, raisins, black olives, and hard boiled eggs.The way the beef tastes best if it is prepared the day before and eaten and the the next day put into the empanadas.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of oil 
• 2 lb of chopped beef (top sirloin is a good choice) 
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika 
• 1/2 teaspoon of dry oregano 
• 1 teaspoon of salt 
• Pepper to taste 
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin 
• 1/2 cup of water 
• 1 large onion chopped into small cubes 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 1/2 cup of warm water 
• 2 teaspoons of table salt 
• 1 lb all-purpose flour 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 3 oz of melted butter 
• 20 black olives 
• 40 raisins 
• 2 hard-boiled eggs 
• 1 egg, beaten (to brush on empanadas)

Porotos con Riendas- A soup that is made in Chile. It is filled with warm broth and mixed with spaghetti and beans. It is great tasting and good for a nice cold day down in the southern Chile.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of beans (soaked overnight in a liter of water) 
• 1/4 peeled and bucking kg.zapallo 
• 1/4 onion finely chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 1 tablespoon oil 
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano and ground cumin 
• 2 beef bouillon cubes 
• 1/3 cup chopped noodles 

Corn Humitas- Prepared with fresh corn, onion, basil, and butter. Then a corn husk is wrapped around them while they are prepared for cooking. They are boiled or steamed.

Ingredients

• 12 large ears of corn 
• 2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil 
• 1 whole onion, diced 
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika or merquén (Chilean smoked chili pepper) 
• 3-4 tablespoons cornmeal 
• 3 leaves of sweet basil

Art:

Roberto Matta
A painter that was born in Santiago, Argentina. He graduated college in 1935. After college he didn’t start being an artist until 1938. His art started to become well known in 1960 and then he became a nationally recognized artist.

http://rogallery.com/matta_roberto/matta-portal-gallery.html

Claudio Bravo
A Chilean hyperrealist painter, he was known mainly for his paintings of still lifes, portraits and packages, but he had also done drawings, lithographs, engraving and figural bronze sculptures.

http://www.marlboroughgallery.com/galleries/chelsea/artists/claudio-bravo/graphics

Marta Colvin
She studied at the School of Art. She went on to live in France for more than thirty years. She was known worldwide and awarded the National Art Prize in 1970 in recognition of her works.

Events:

Semana Santa (Easter week)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaP4vnTuxWw
Chile is a catholic nation and celebrates the Easter week with a great deal of hoopla. Hoopla is a great deal of excitement and celebration. Starting with Good Friday, every town in the country holds religious ceremonies, parades and events.

Fiesta de San Pedro
Fishermen all along the coast of Chile celebrate this day in the hope of good fortune. Also to get good weather and fish for the year. They decorate their boats with candles and then float along the coast. The best town to visit for this event is Valparaiso.

Independence Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esfsc9D5T-4
Chile celebrates its independence from Spain with a day off work and partying hard. It is followed the next day by Armed Forces Day, which brings another round of partying.
Independence Day: 18 September