Culture In Bolivia

Culture
In the rural areas family is a big part of who Bolivians are, many generations live together in one single home. They believe in the term, Machismo, which means the husband is the bread winner with a feeling of male superiority and strong honor to support their families. While the wife is responsible for the domestic duties. Respect is highly important in Bolivia, eye contact and using the appropriate greetings of “buenos dias, buenas tardes or buenas noches” with the appropriate title of someone if you know it. In Bolivia they also have a gift giving etiquette, it does not matter the cost of the gift but the quality must be good. Gifts are only given on birthdays, Christmas and for New Years. If you are invited for a dinner never

arrive early or on time, always arrive twenty to thirty minutes late, this is a form of respect to Bolivians.
The typical diet is carbohydrates however, other food categories as well. Potatoes are one of the main foods in the highlands of Bolivia. In the cities and towns of Bolivia for an early meal it consists of coffee, tea or a hot maize drink, served with bread. Near the marketplaces, hot meals and stews are very popular while in the countryside, breakfast consists of toasted ground cereals with cheese and tea then followed by a popular soup called lawa. However, lunch is the biggest and most important meal of the day. These meals consist of a four course meal if you live in an upper-class urban household. If you are a peasant or lower-income, lunch is usually boiled potatoes, cheese, hard-boiled egg and hot sauce or a thick stew.
Basic Economy in Bolivia is all about silver mining and agriculture. In the year 1994, agriculture was sixteen percent of the gross domestic product, ten percent was mining and thirteen percent was manufacturing. Bolivia is self-sufficient in their own oil and natural gas. The New Economic Policy was designed to strengthen the state and led to the privatization of telephones, airlines and the national oil company. Not only are they self-sufficient in their own oil and gas but for all their food stables. The food and beverage industries, such as beer and soft drinks are significant, as is the production of textiles and leather goods. Construction and the production of lumber, cement, and other materials have really taken off to help Bolivia getting money besides mining and agriculture.