Espantapajaro
Noun (Substantivo)
No, it is not the latest undergarment available in Marks & Spencer.
Not even close.
To a middle or upper class chilean, it is the name of one of the best restaurants in the south of Chile (often hard to come by- it is a long, thin country after all). Not that you would go for a night out there- its almost 1000km from Santiago. But it has one of the most spectacular views over Lago Llanquehue and Volcan Osorno that money can buy. It also boasts wild boar as THE best meat money can buy. Eat all you want buffet for £8. Nice. Hardly “boaring” is it?
To a farm worker it is a common sight on the land.
To us gringos, its a really long name that sounds great- worthy of a swear word!
But whats in the name?
Well Espantoso means shocking. And pajaro normally refers to birds (although in Chile it has several alternative meanings too, normally rude ones). In fact, a more direct translation is crow, but crows in Chile resemble giant rooks in Britain, like you’d see in the Tower of London.
Got it yet?
Google it…. its amazing what results you get. I love the context descriptions you find in google results. Check out these:
A “shocking bird”. A scarecrow!
We’re returning to the restaurant in March, as part of a Land Rover Club meet in the south of Chile, with over 80 people from three countries participating. That is scary. Scarier than an espantapajaro at least.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Hello there…. Great press for Matthias and Cornelia’s pad (they’ve just had baby N° 3 last month, and they need all the best wishes possible). Here’s the website: http://www.puertooctay.cl/turismo/espantapajaros.htm
“Espantar” as a verb is to scare… hence it’s almost a literal translation for Scarebird, close enough to scarecrow.
Must say, that it is very refreshing to see you are back on the ball and producing material so often. (I’ve just noticed your credits as well: Spanish should read “Todos los derechos reservados”). Congrats on the photo as well….
Con cariños
Anne & Co