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Vegan(a) in Chile

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  When I first moved to Santiago, Chile in September 2009, I was a vegetarian. I thought it might be challenging to find food that I enjoyed in a country that prided itself on asados (bbqs) and carne (meat), but I learned to get by. Back then I ate a lot of cheese empanadas and cooked at home. I was a volunteer and then employed by an NGO making enough money to pay rent, so eating "out" wasn't necessarily a thing. Food on the go was crackers, granola bars and sopaipillas (Chilean street food: fried pumpkin bread with salsa (pebre) on top, so yummy).  In 2011 still in Santiago, I decided to go vegan. This was more of a challenge. Since I hadn't really loved the cheese options I found i n the grocery store (in my budget) it wasn't a huge challenge to give up milk and cheese at first, but eating vegan in Chile?? It means you like salad and more salad. It means you don't say "No como carne" to a Chilean because they'll give you chicken soup (real ex...