It maybe that it rains money in Chile…

Unless it rains money in Chile I can’t see how anybody can live with the minimum wage down here, with $400 USD per month I would consider nearly impossible to survive.

Most of the food I present to you here is perhaps not as expensive but we had to look hard for it. Also our host in Santiago was very sharing and we got to learn a lot about the traditional food in Chile.

Mote con huesillo.
This drink is quite refreshing. We were camping at an Army campground, yes “Army campground”, with a lot of Army folks and the Officer in charge of the area shared this with us.
In Chile there are several Army social facilities and they are shared with the society at a reasonable cost; we got the Army price rather than civilian’s price. Facilities are really clean, with hot water and peaceful… This has been so far one of our best camping nights…
Going back to the drink, it is made with boiled wheat (previously roasted), water, huesillo (dried peaches), cinnamon, sugar and other secret ingredients. It is considered a dessert but for us it was a refreshing drink.
In fact, Mario told us that during Summer people drink this often to fight the heat; you can buy a small glass or a litre, depending on your needs.

Baked empanadas and tortillas…
Empanadas in Chile are more like a pastry and you can find them for a reasonable price. We had some at Tiltil (near Santiago de Chile) for $700 Chilean pesos each. Filled with meat, onions, raisins, olives and eggs (baked in a clay oven), these were the best empanadas we had in Chile. You can also find them filled with chicken and other tasty combinations e.g. seafood with cilantro, napolitana, etc.
Now, tortillas are nothing like in Mexico… Tortillas in Chile are bread. We had a tortilla for $1000 Chilean pesos, stuffed with almonds and olives, seasoned and baked in a clay oven; the taste of yeast was strong making it almost like sour dough bread… very good!!! This “tortilla” lasted for about 5 days…

Empanadas...

Tortillas... actually BREAD!!!

Café cortado.
This is a regular coffee with milk: 2/3 coffee and 1/3 milk, the interesting part is that you get mineral water on the side. What for? To clean your mouth after you have coffee but we had it before the coffee since we were thirsty. Prices range from $900 to $1600 Chilean pesos depending on the chair you sit in.

Drinks and food with Mario…
Mario our host in Santiago de Chile was great… he basically shared his home, his family and all his food and drinks with us. Here are some of the tasty things we enjoyed…

Asado- this is the typical Chilean BBQ, we added some guacamole made with paltas (avocados). This was an excellent day, we felt like in Canada in a Sunday during Summer with great company: Mario’s family and his 12 dogs plus the two from the neighbours that enjoy Mario’s home more than theirs.

Our host Mario getting the BBQ up to speed.

HAPPY SUNDAY... (behind: ARETA).

Pisco- typical Chilean drink made from the distillation of wine (specific grapes), it belongs to the family of Brandy. With it you can make Pisco sour by adding lemon juice, sugar and ice. Pisco sour is a fantastic and refreshing drink.

Pisco sour at a Sushi place... Mariana's is better.

Learning tool...

Late Harvest wine “CARPE DIEM”- this is a sweet wine, but not too sweet just perfect. There are several brand names but it all depends on preference and how big your pockets are…

Late Harvest wine, Kingkona with the bottle...

Chicha, a dangerous drink!!!- another typical Chilean drink made with fermented fruits with a distinctive clay flavour since it ferments in a clay barrel in some areas. You may wonder why dangerous? Simple, it can be enjoyed when sitting but do not GET UP… It tastes like juice, so quite difficult to realize it is getting in your veins… I recommend one glass, Mario recommends at least two, he says there is not first without second.

Chicha.

Higos rellenos- these are figs filled with walnuts, fantastic…

Francisca, one of my favourites dogs.

Pure de castanas- this is like butter but made with hazelnuts…

Pure de castanas.

Merluza frita con dos agregados- we had this dish at the Central Market in Santiago de Chile, well known for having great seafood, “fresh seafood”. This dish was composed by two big pieces of fish and a great salad with different veggies and mashed potatoes. Price: $3200 Chilean pesos…

Merluza frita con dos agregados.

Paila marina desconchada- a bowl of seafood soup in a clear broth for $3500 Chilean pesos. Brian really enjoyed it and discovered the “secret recipe” to the owner’s dismay. If you want to know the “secret” wait until we see you again…

Paila marina desconchada.

Bubble gum…
You may think this is not necessary but for long rides it makes for good company… I really like this gum, mint and watermelon flavour lasting for at least four hours. It helps to keep you awake and pops your ears during elevation changes. Price=$450 Chilean pesos at a grocery store e.g. Lider, but if you buy it in a gas station then it is $800-$900 Chilean pesos. Look for Lider, my recommendation… unless you do not like to shop at Wal-Mart (Lider belongs to Wal-Mart).

Acetazolamida.
What the heck is this? The remedy, which we have not tried yet, for altitude sickness; it is a recommendation from Mario’s brother who is a doctor. We refuse to take the well known remedy for altitude sickness: coca in different presentations… so, Mario understood this and helped us find an alternative which is Acetazolamida (this is the generic name in Chile, you may have to check the name in other countries/laboratories). We will let you know how this goes pretty soon!!!
Once we try the remedy I will show you a picture…