Let’s Eat! A Chilean Tea Time Tradition That Unites People
And fattens…A brief insight of the Chilean “Once”
Do you like to eat? I do, so as the Chileans. They transformed their love for food into a tradition difficult not to follow.
Besides, who wouldn’t like to seize the moment and eat a sandwich?
The Once
The once is the hour of tea. A great tradition, followed by many extra pounds.
Historians and anthropologists have tried to find the exact etymology of the word. The funniest one is that the saltpeter workers of the past drank too much alcohol. When a new “dry” law had come to light, men told that they would go to take the once. Once in Spanish means eleven. The word aguardiente, or strong alcoholic beverages, has eleven letters. When men went for once, they went for alcohol. It was a signal to hang out with friends, drink alcohol, and enjoy life outside the heavy labor.
Today once means tea time, traditionally between 17 and 19 hours. People who have the opportunity to enjoy this tradition do it during these hours. However, because work in Chile usually ends at 18 p.m. and the commute takes a lot of time in Santiago, workers get home late. The once has been gradually replacing supper. This phenomenon is associated with weight gain as the menu earns points for carbohydrates and fats consumptions:
- bread
- cakes
- pies
- marmalades
- butter
- manjar.
The once is an explosion of sweet and sour flavors accompanied by tea or coffee, normally with loads of sugar. Dietitians raise red flags to alarm people about the harmful effects of late carbohydrate consumption. Instead of cooking healthy meals after work, people settle with easily made bread and butter, pauperizing the Chilean homemade cuisine.
Interesting to mention that the once has a social stratification load. With the word once is possible to differentiate the higher, middle, and lower classes. The higher class calls it tea time. If you hear somebody mention the once word in a non-mocking tone, you will be standing before a middle o lower-class representative. It is how it works in Chile.
What is the positive side?
The once has a positive social impact. Families gather together to share the day. Friends enjoy each other’s company around cakes with coffee.
Historically, women used tea time to stay in touch with old schoolmates. The once instance is used as a social glue hold by tradition.
There is even a documentary film by Maite Alberdi called “La Once” (by the way, whose latest documentary film “The Mole Agent” was a 2020 Oscar nominee) that depicts a group of old girlfriends gathering for tea while raising usual talks about daily topics.
The beauty of the tradition lies in the Chilean culture and its people, who are true lovers of friendly chit-chat.
Here you can find a beautiful photo project about the key ingredients of a successful once and the reason with it is so mouthwatering.
