In Chilean society- as in many cultures, having meat and chicken on the dining table has become a symbol of affluence. To the rich upper class, the thought of returning to a traditional healthy, meat-less Indian diet may be a difficult concept to sell- – after all, which affluent class in any country would want to embrace the diet of the poor?
Pablo, practical and sensible as he is, says, “I think that the traditional Chilean diet is as healthy as any diet could get. That is why I would recommend this to anyone. When we speak of the natural diet for man, it has nothing to do with social class or wealth status. It has something to do with what food is intrinsically healthy for the body. I believe the people with enough good health sense will sooner or later realize that such a nutritious, healthy diet as that of the traditional Mapuche Indians’ is worth getting back to”.
That fateful moonlit night, amidst the billowy smoke in the Indian campsite, Currarehue was headstrong and determined. He was trying to prevent the destruction of a culture. Could it be he knew that being conquered would also mean the ‘men of earth’ would be forced to accept things that were not good for them?orced to eat that which was not natural to them? And wasn’t he right after all, for trying his best not to let this happen?
