While I'm on the Topic of Food...

I did not come to Chile expecting to find amazing food. Guide books don't emphasize the availability of meat and seafood but also lament over the lack of flavor in most dishes. I have been pleasantly surprised by many foods but I am also very glad that I am not a picky eater..

photo- all that was in the refrigerator for dinner last night. Rice with clams and mashed mystery meat with green sauce.
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Food at home:
Breakfast and Sunday lunches are the saving graces of my culinary experience so far with my host family. Sunday lunches have included salmon raviolis, soft tacos, and grilled chicken and usually involve some time of vegetable. On the other hand, food can be a bit more of a challenge during the week. For example, if I walked into the kitchen right now I would find: lemons, onions, kiwis, apples, oranges, sliced bread, cheese, olives, oats, eggs, cabbage, rice, and some condiments. There is also some turkey but I can't bring myself to eat it because I know that it was left unrefrigerated for about 12 hrs. I am not opposed to any of these foods but I cannot think of any original way to put them together to create a meal. I've already done grilled cheese and scrambled eggs multiple times. I'm not a picky eater but I am craving some salad, vegetables, and complete meals!
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Restaurants- MAYONNAISE. If there is one food that I cannot stand it is mayonnaise. That has never been a problem before Chile but all of a sudden I can't get away from it. Mayo is always served on lettuce, hot dogs, sandwiches, fries, and usually on pretty much anything else you can think of.
+Delicious (but awful)- Let me introduce to you the Chilean Chorrillana. It is a heap of fries with grilled onions, meat, and fried eggs on top. This is something that I would assume that I would never touch but I have, on several occasions now, searched for chorrillanas in the wee hours of the morning. (thank you Rodrigo for driving us all around!)
+Completos- I think I would be embarrassed if one of my country's main culinary achievements involved hot dogs. But not the Chileans! Maca and Rodrigo brought over all the ingredients for making completos while we were studying last Sunday. What did we need? Hot dogs, buns, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, relish, tomatoes, and avocados.



Last weekend Becca, Meera, and I satisfied our cravings for breakfast foods by cooking an American brunch for Becca's family. We made chocolate chip and banana pancakes, eggs with onions, peppers, ham, cheese, and mushrooms, fried potatoes with pepper, bacon, and fruit salad. The Chileans loved it and we devoured it all. Next cooking project--pasta, salad, and garlic break/ make your own pizzas/ dumpling and asian night...looking for suggestions!

-So after all the fries, eggs, and hot dogs one would think that Chileans are not very conscious about eating healthy. After trying peanut butter for the first time Javiera and Claudia agreed that they liked it but said that they shouldn't eat it because of how unhealthy it is.. hmm