¡Buen Provecho!

Food. It can make or break an experience, especially a five month long one. A lot of people told me that the cuisine wouldn't be that great...thank god they were wrong. Again, I lucked out because my host mom is a great cook and only buys and prepares healthy food. 

A typical day of eating:
Desayuno: Cup of instant coffee. (The best instant coffee I have ever had, but I still miss Roast and Toast. a lot.) A couple clementines or a kiwi. A piece of wheat bread or some water crackers. Nothing too fancy, but I have to save room for an enormous lunch.

Camille and I went to El Desayunador en Cerro Alegre for breakfast. I got a Café Americano (black coffee) and a grilled cheese.

Almuerzo: Lunch is the big meal of the day. I like eating my big meal early, but it is hard to schedule your day around a lunch break at home. We usually have rice (or sometimes potatoes or pasta) and vegetables (brussels sprouts, carrots, onion) with some sort of cream sauce. There is always a salad with olives and carrots topped with lemon and olive oil (a combo they put on everything). Occasionally, we have fish which is always really fresh and delicious.

Once:
Once is the late meal (literally means 11pm, although we usually have it around 8pm). We have pan con palta and a cup of tea (my little sister always has a hot chocolate). Pan con palta (the Quechua word for avocado) is bread, usually toasted, smothered in smashed up avocado and sprinkled with salt. It is so good. People drink tea all day long, which has been easy for me to get used to. My host mom has an entire cupboard filled with different loose-leaf teas: jasmine, black, green, cinnamon...

Other foods that I have discovered since being here are:

Sugar-coated peanuts: There is a man by my apartment who sells them and they are always hot and fresh and so delicious. He once chased me down because I forgot my change, so now I have a friend to say hi to on the way to class...and I of course feel obligated to support his business.

Galletas: The cookies selection here is so different. I have been having fun trying all different types. My favorites so far are some all natural peanut ones I tried this week and chocolate-cappuccino.

Pan de leche: Basically a chunk of a french baguette (or a roll) sliced in half and filled with custard.

Completos: A HUGE hotdog with palta, tomatoes, and mayo. They are everywhere here and you can get variations with egg, caramelized onion, or grilled meat.

This is my friend Camille in her first attempt at eating a super-sized completo. 

Empenadas: They come filled with everything you could ever want. Seafood, fruit, cheese, meat, caramel, onion...

Wine: The wine here is so cheap. You can get a decent bottle here for less than $3, that you would pay $10 or more for in the US.  The best cheese I have had so far was at a restaurant called Hotel Fauna. They have plastic animals on all of the tables, a relaxed atmosphere and the most beautiful view of the ocean and the city from the hills. We went there one night after class and had crackers, mustard, a few varieties of cheese, and grapes...and of course a glass of wine.

I want to go to an asado (a grill-out or BBQ) to try the famous meat kabobs. They are everywhere on the street, but I have been advised not to risk it, so I am waiting until September and Independence week.

One thing I didn't like was a type of clam that tasted super-seaweedy and had the consistency of melted-rubber, but that has really been about it for unpleasant food experiences so far.

Chilean food is simple but fresh. They don't use a lot of dressings (they make up for that with the amount of mayo they use). Everything is topped with lemon and they love salt. My host mom occasionally uses cilantro or parsley. We eat a lot of homemade soup and the bread comes fresh from the bakery. My family is an exception though. Chile has a lot of the same problems with their food system as we do in the US. Healthy food is expensive and a lot of people have grown up on processed foods, which has contributed to a health crisis similar to the one in the US.

I am excited for summer and for more fresh fruits and vegetables. There is an organic market right behind my house the first Saturday of every month. My host grandpa lives out in El Campo (the countryside) near a huge avocado farm. He told me I would have to visit when they are ripe in the next couple months. I didn't go this week because I wasn't feeling well, but I am looking forward to exploring in September. I am content eating my way around the city and there is something new to try everyday.