Spoilt for choice

By Emily Williams
October 9th, 2009

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I’m currently in California for a quick trip, and as always I’ve been taking advantage of a chance to stock up on essentials. My fancy contact lens solution doesn’t exist in Chile, pants fit my long legs better in the US, and books are far cheaper (and in English).

Because I’m only home for a week – and in the interest of my wallet’s health – I haven’t spent much time or money on extras. I wasn’t going to go into my local Whole Foods at all, for example, even though I love browsing the aisles to see what kind of crazy organic/vegan/gluten-free/fair trade product they’ve come up with this time, until it turned out that they were the closest store to carry a product I needed. Even though I entered with a mission, I still managed to be overwhelmed at all the choices in front of me.

Seriously, how many kinds of sustainably grown coffee are there? Source: <div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamwoodruff/2954437745/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href=

Seriously, how many kinds of sustainably grown coffee are there? Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahamwoodruff/ / CC BY 2.0

In “personal care” you can find natural and organic versions of everything from toothpaste to deodorant, shampoo to body lotion. It’s paraben-free and SLS-free and doesn’t involve animal cruelty and will probably prevent all wrinkles and cure cancer. I’m not sure about that last part though because it was just too much information to take in. There were so many options!

Although in Chile I often bemoan the lack of easily available earth-friendly products, I was surprised by the variety offered at my local supermarket. Now sure, Whole Foods isn’t just any supermarket, and in the San Francisco Bay Area we’re probably at the forefront of turning the green ethos into luxury lip balm. But still…wow.

It’s not just environmentally-friendly products that come in far more varieties here, although the difference was particularly noticeable in this area. In general I see more options in the US than in Chile. It makes sense: Chile’s surrounded by mountains desert, ocean and glaciers at the end of the world. Until recently, there wasn’t a lot of outside influence or accessibility to imported products.

I see the effects of this in the way my fiance will refer to wanting a soda rather than a specific brand – sure, he has his preferences, but if it’s sweet and bubbly it’ll fit the bill. The same happens with my mother-in-law, who buys ice cream without bothering to check the flavor because hey, it’s all ice cream, what’s the difference? I don’t see as much of a culture of personalized coffee drinks and detailed ordering a la “When Harry Met Sally.” Why bother being so specific unless you have 20 brands of organic shower gel to choose from?

I'm sure Sally would have been very specific about which cruelty-free conditioner she wanted

I'm sure Sally would have known exactly which cruelty-free conditioner she wanted

As the world becomes more globalized and Chile’s economy grows, variety has increased and will continue to do so. I enjoy local, traditional products, but sometimes I bemoan the lack of certain options. I’m already seeing a slow but steady movement toward more green products, and I’m excited about it. But I think after my recent experience I’ve realized that in some ways, having fewer options does have its advantages. After all, how would I ever have the time to test all those shampoo varieties?

Emily Williams is a US gringa living in Santiago, Chile. She writes about expat life at AffordableCallingCards.net and on her personal blog, Don’t Call Me Gringa, and loves hearing from readers!

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