La Comida Chileana - part 1 Breakfast

So before I begin this post I must disclose that it has long been one of my pet peeves when people post food pics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.  So if I told you to stop doing such things you can from this moment forward call me a hypocrite.

In this three part post, meal by meal, here are some things Chileans do and don't like to eat.

El Desayuno

Not a big meal around here (much to Amy's chagrin), and there is really only one place we have found that does brunch.  The "typical" breakfast often looks something like this:

Yes that is a mashed up avocado on toast.  They call avocado "palta" down here.  Chile is the second biggest producer of avocados in the world, and it is eaten pretty much all day.  They also do boring stuff like cereal and oatmeal and eggs, but compared to the artery clogging meals in the morning one can get in Central America, it is very tame here.

In fact, the avocado section of the produce area in every market is typically the largest and they are cheap - less than 2 bucks a pound

Of course you might not have time to mash up an avocado and make toast, so there is always the healthier option available at most panaderias.

Those are croissants stuffed with vanilla crime or Dulce de Leche (the medical term in Latin translates to "death with a smile").

A quick word about the coffee.  As a Chilean friend of mine said, the country lacks what he described as "a coffee culture."  He wasn't kidding.  Outside of the Juan Valdez shops the coffee here is just not good.  Nescafé instant still takes up almost all the shelf space at the supermercados.  No country is perfect.

Mysterious Hollywood Stars in Chile

So we are out walking around the other day and I spot some famous Hollywood type trying to be all discrete in styling shades.

You can see his personal assistant trying to fend off media interest in the background.  Anyway, in order to maintain the traditional left wing image of Hollywood types he took public transit.

However he took a little time out to entertain the growing number of gawkers and autograph hounds.

In order to get a feel for the city's recreational services, he also hit a park in Quinta Normal.

And the city's climbing facilities.

Hard to escape the prevalence of American pop culture even here.

Hitting the Pacific Coast

Chile is basically a 2600 mile long serpent of land stretching along South America's Pacific coast.  Despite the length, it is quite narrow.  The average width of Chile is about 100 miles, and at its widest it is only 220 miles.  So no matter where you are in Chile you can get to the sea in a few hours.

With Amy's folks here we thought it was the perfect time to take a trip to Vina del Mar, which is the closest beach resort to Santiago, and see the ocean.

Vina del Mar is about an hour and a half west of Santiago and has some wonderful views of the rocky coast.

Our hotel was perched out on the waterfront and from our balcony the sunsets (enhanced with a little vino and pisco) were very pretty.

Dennis and Lisa had never set foot in the Pacific Ocean and we got that straightened out right when we arrived.

The water is described by the locals as "fresco" but perhaps a better word would be freezing.  That didn't deter George and Viv from plunging right in.

We had a great trip and hope to head back to the coast soon to see Valparaiso which is actually connected by subway to Vina, but we may wait until the water warms up to merely bone chilling.

We are starting to go ape

Here in Chile

Climbing to see the Virgin Mary

George and Vivian were so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs in town they wanted to show them one of Santiago's more iconic sites - the view from the statue of the Virgin Mary in the Parque Metropolitano.  One of the best aspects of it is the trip up the Funicular (a pulled trolley) up at least a 60 degree incline.

George and Vivian enjoyed the view along with Grandma and pointed out a few things that an experienced traveler (like himself!) takes for granted.

We got to the top and saw the statue immediately.

After a quick climb up the stairs we reached the top and the views were pretty spectacular.

Lollipops and racing on the shoulders of Grandpa and Daddy ended the day.  Daddy and Grandpa settled for something more therapeutic.

The guests become tour guides

The bienvenidos is official!  My parents arrived safely and soundly Wednesday evening, though quite fatigued since it was 2:00 in the morning when they set foot in our apartment.  We lounged around the next day until about 11:30, and then they experienced their first South American subway ride.  The weather was perfect for strolling (sunny and high sixties), so we showed them a bit of an adjacent neighborhood (el Golf) and then took them to our new favorite pizza place, Tiramisu, for a late brunch.

After lunch, the kids wanted to play in the park.  There, George and Viv were introduced to three-year old Spider Man.  It turns out that Spider Man (aka Christopher, but don't tell my kids!) is actually from Toronto.  A native English speaker!  The kids played together for about 3 more hours, and we exchanged info with his mom, so they'll probably soon meet again, and I will get to speak lots and lots of English!  

Around 5:30 this is what Vivian looked like after 3 hours of park play: 

A heavy mountain fog that persisted during the morning and afternoon finally lifted, treating my parents to their first official view of the Andes.

Later a full moon greeted them in the distance.  It was a perfect day for welcoming my parents to our new city!

Chilean Socialites

We have had a weekend with dinners and lunches, wine and beer, sausage and queso, Spanish and English.

Our Friday was spent with some new Chilean friends, Cristian and Bernadette, at their apartment with their lovely daughter.  

Vivian made a new friend, and together they ate apples, and Vivian introduced her to the concept of pulling all of her toys out of the drawers and pretty much ransacking her bedroom.  Photo evidence of this was destroyed to prevent the police from prosecuting.

The next day, Saturday, we had our new friends Alex and Ana, and their daughter Olivia over for "lunch" which around here means starting at 2 and ending at 7.  The kids played with bubbles on the deck while Alex supervised from a healthy distance.

Vivian was once again a pro at tracking and popping bubbles.  Daddy and Alex demonstrated their skill of attacking and finishing wine bottles.

Our first visitors from home!

My parents are presently flying the friendly skies and will (praying all goes well!) soon be our very first guests from back home.  We are all really looking forward to seeing them.  They're scheduled to arrive very late tonight (like around midnight), so we'll have to wait until tomorrow to properly introduce them to our new city.  Feliz viaje!  And much love to all of our friends and family back home!

Un Pisco Sour, por favor

To celebrate the beginning of el fin de semana (happy Friday!), I'm graciously sharing my favorite newly discovered tool for surviving life in Santiago when my limited Spanish speaking abilities fail me.  Choose one of the 8 million and 5 restaurants that are in this city (I exaggerate a bit, but seriously, they're everywhere!), select a table or even a seat at the bar, and when your server arrives politely say this sentence:  Un Pisco Sour, por favor.  A lovely concoction looking something like this will soon enter your life:



The Pisco Sour is perhaps the best mixed drink I've ever had in my life.  It also happens to be the national drink of Chile.  It originated in Peru, although the Chilean recipe is a different variation.  In every restaurant I walk past or into, this drink is found in abundance at various tables and at various times of the day.  My only caution, they are very tasty, but asking for a second is risky.  You might hear patrons using the word "baracha" when discussing you after you've had a second.

The past few days

So a few days ago the kids and I decided to give Amy a day to herself and went to a park called Santa Lucia, which has a lovely set of older structures, fountains, and chapels built into the side of hill.  First the kids played in a couple of fountains, and made wishes.  George wished for donuts, and while he is still waiting for that wish to come true, we have a Dunkin Donuts near our house, so hope springs eternal!

Next we climbed up a very steep set of stairs and reached the top of the hill.  The kids and I enjoyed our view of the city and the mountains surrounding the city.  Vivian almost gave me a heart attack as she wanted to go back down without holding my hand and kept climbing near the walls.  We then went for Chilean hot dogs, more about those tasty treats coming up this weekend.

Death Pizza

A pizza place, called Tiramisu, was strongly recommended by one of Pat's Chilean friends.  We tried it out last Sunday after mass.  Our food was outstanding, though it probably should have come with a side of Lipitor.  I present to you the Pizza Carbonara.  Yes, that is a fried egg in the center surrounded with bacon!  

The kids were a little less adventurous and opted for a cheese pizza.  Vivian's indulgence card was reserved for desert:  A generous helping of Dulce de Leche gelato!  She might have let Pat try a spoonful.  George opted for their Lemon Sorbet.  I'm pretty sure he did not let Pat have any, and the empty bowl he left behind suggested his approval!