Many noons, I would go down to play in the street and meet my father, who was coming back from making a round with his friends. Then, he would take me with them to make the last stops, and it was in those moments when I started “chateando”. I always did it with grape juice and some battered shrimp.
Over time, since I didn’t attend school and had private tutors who came to my house, I had a lot of free time. So I would “chatear” alone, reading Umbral in the North. Then, in the afternoons, I “chateaba” with my friends. Always with clarete.
I think “chateando” has been my best school for socialization and developing empathy. You meet very diverse people, listen to and participate in multiple conversations, most of them surreal. You observe behaviors that nourish your judgment and learn from life.
Now I see that many people also “chatean,” but with a mobile phone in their hands.
Sometimes I think they would do better with a clarete.
