The Hunt for the Terremoto

It was Linds' last night in Santiago and we couldn't let her leave without trying a terremoto. The best place to go and have one isn't actually in the safest part of town so we had to search else where. So we hopped in a cab and first went to California Cantina (yes the gringo bar) to put something in our stomachs to prepare for the terremoto to come. 

We met Pablo there for a bite to eat and a 'starter' drink. They didn't have terremoto's there - after all they are a gringo bar.

Pablo doesn't drink alcohol but still wanted to have a drink. Can you tell which drink on the tab was his? Do they have to make it so belittling? The alcoholic version is 'Sex on the Beach'. Pablo's version, as labeled on the menu 'Safe Sex on the Beach.' And on the tab - the worst 'Virgin Safe Sex'

Pablo and his safe sex.

(And no he wasn't drinking through his nose, I simple snapped a terrible photo at an inopportune time)

While trying to decide on the next best place to search Linds made herself a friend in the street. He may or may not have been so excited that he left her foot slightly damp after the greeting. 

Thanks to Pablo for the awesome photo. 

Next we went to Liguria. We thought for sure they would have it there being a popular bar/resturant in Santiago.

Another awesome photo by Pablo.

No luck. Bummer. So on to Bellavista. 

At last we finally found a place. Thanks to Pablo sending out a twitter message to all of Santiago "Where can we find a terremoto in Bellavista?"  It didn't have the best atmosphere and we were practically the only ones in the bar. But we found it. 

Some find it delicious others a little harder to put down. It's a concoction of a very strong sweet fermented wine with a dollop of pineapple ice cream on top. The name Terremoto translates to earthquake. The idea being after drinking one or two of these the ground will feel shaky under your feet. 

A great last night out with Linds. 

Thanks so much for visiting! We (and Santiago) loved, loved loved having you!!!

Clouds over Valpo

A  cold and cloudy day in Valpo didn't deter us from another adventure with Linds. We showed up and it was much colder on the coast than in Santiago. So we had to run in to the nearest store and buy a few extra garments. Do you like our kappa hoodies?

We showed her the art on the walls all throughout the city.  

Here Linds' received a phone call from her good friend at home who had just gotten engaged. She was literally jumping for joy.

 A band playing in the street.

I love the beautiful colors even on a cloudy day in Valpo.

This guy looked like he wanted to play. 

We introduced Linds to Choriana at Casino Real. This is the only thing they serve, with your choice of beer of course.  Henry was a little excited.

Crabbing in the harbor.

Linds was so kind to share her leftover churros with this guy. He actually wasn't very thankful, after she put the churro in front of him he looked up like "That's it? A churro? Where's the choriana?" 

(bare) Chest for Charity!

Ryan is growing a mustache for charity.
Henry had his chest hair ripped out for charity.
We have such a giving family.

Every year at the beginning of December, Chileans get together to raise money for the Teletón, a foundation that helps individuals with disabilities.

So what at first was a bet for fun, turned into an event raising $200 for the teletón. Enjoy the video.

http://vimeo.com/33049830


(If you want to see Ryan's progress go here! http://www.m4krichmond.org/participant/6069)

Thankful

Success! Aside from the consistency of the pumpkin pie being a little off..(which apparently is common when you roast your pumpkin rather than using the canned version) everything was a success!

 

Our menu included:

Roasted Chicken (There were'nt enough of us to eat a 7 kilo turkey)

Gravy

Green bean casserole

Corn Bread Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Mashed Potatoes

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Pie

Henry had to do some calculating to convert farenheit to celcius.

We had almost everything! I really missed my mom's sweet potatoe casserole but I could only do so much. Let me tell ya the ingredient hunt was like searching for needles in a haystack. The search for the pumpkin was probably my biggest challenge - and the one ingredient I was the most determined to find. You can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie! Especially because it's Henry's favorite.

So I went to Jumbo, a big box store here that is sort of like an expensive version of walmart, with a hint of target's classyness. They are wonderful for importing things such as french fried onions, cans of cranberry sauce (because you definitely can't find fresh cranberries here) and Philidelphia cream cheese. (I added it to the mashed potatoes this year - So good!!!) 

Unfortunately they do not carry canned pumpkin which I found out in my grand search of the entire store. No where to be found in the canned or jar section. While passing the produce section I spied a large bin of orange out of the corner of my eye. Weaving through the masses of shoppers I couldn't believe what I was really seeing. Pumpkin? Small orange carving pumpkins? Are those really you?! Sure enough they were! But as I looked up to see the price, which was excellent by the way (on sale after halloween, which is just now becoming popular here, carving pumpkins is a rarity) I saw a note written "Sólo para la decoración." My heart sank. Really? Only for decoration? You gotta be kidding me!

I went to the man behind the produce counter, "Disculpa señor, una consulta?"in my sweetest little gringa accent. I asked him about using the pumpkins for cooking and he pointed to the sign, only for decoration. I proceeded to try and explain how in the U.S. we make pies out of pumpkins like these, and he gave me a weird look. He told me if I wanted to cook with pumpkin I needed to go buy the other Chilean pumpkin that was sold at the other end of the produce section.

I didn't want to give up yet, so I asked the man if there was an international food section in the store. (at a different Jumbo I had seen one and thought I could double check there for the canned pumpkin) Well I realized he totally misunderstood me when he picked up a mango and said "This mango is from Brazil, these peppers are from Peru, these bananas are from Ecuador..." and on and on. I gave a polite smile and a gracias and moved on.

I though to myself "How bad could they be? The decorative pumpkins? Maybe treated with some chemicals you're not supposed to eat? But isn't everything we eat treated with chemicals? (organic is not very popular/common here yet)" Well it was my only option. Henry was a little concerned with the idea of eating something that said "decoration only" but I told him "We can't not have pumpkin pie! His response - well let's hope it doesn't make us sick or poison us. So I bought two.

So to compare and taste test I tried to roast both types. The american import pumpkin and the chilean calabaza or zapallo. The chilean version is much much harder and darker in color. It tastes great in soups or roasted but it takes about 3 times as long to roast. And it's not as sweet as our pumpkin pie pumpkins. I ate some of the more familiar version while I was making the puree for the pie and didn't keel over so I decided I was in the clear! Thank you Jumbo for importing small carving pumpkins - but a little advice, I think you would make a killing every November for all of the expats that would buy Libby's canned pumpkin if you brough it down.

 

Look how much darker the pumpkin 'meat' is in the Chilean pumpkin in the background.

The Chilean pumpkin is much more of a greenish gray on the outside rather than an orange.

So excited for dinner!!!

While cooking,(which was a bit toasty, being 85 degrees outside and  roasting a  chicken inside) Gonzalo introduced us to a traditional chilean summer drink. Honeydew melon with white wine. At the beach you can buy half a honeydew and they fill it with white wine and you sip on it from a straw. Maneuvering half a melon while cooking was a bit much so we just enjoyed it from the glass.

 After a few weeks of preparation with recipe acquiring, ingredient hunting, and making a few things ahead, I realize how many things I take for granted in the U.S. having so many items that are ready to use. Chicken broth, bread cubes/stuffing, canned pumpkin, pie crust, and more... It has given me a greater appreciation for all of the hardwork that is put into each dish for the best meal of the year.

We are so thankful to have some great friends here to have shared Thanksgiving with.

The Best Day of the Year

Wish we were celebrating today with the family at that one particular harbor. (Silver Lake Harbor, Ocracoke Island, NC)

As Colbert said earlier this week "In honor of thanksgiving I´m doing the whole show  I´ll spend the whole day with my pants unbuttoned."


Thanksgiving is absolutely the best. A day dedicated entirely to friends, family, a frantic  yet fun day in the kitchen and lots of delicious food.  Oh how we will miss it. And to make it even harder… my family is celebrating on Ocracoke Island. So it´s a quadruple whammy -Thanksgiving, Family, Ocracoke and the dogs! Boy are we missing out. Unfortunately we have to work on this turkey day so my idea is to boycott the books and grammar and teach my students all about Thanksgiving.  How it began, why we have it, what we do and of course what we eat!

We are planning a belated "Dia de Gracias" on Saturday at a friend´s house. (a friend who has a much larger kitchen than ours.)  I have been planning out the menu for the last few weeks trying to determine the dishes that I can actually make down here corresponding with the available ingredients. For the most part I think we´ll be able to manage something quite delicious.  I´ll be sure to post all about it after Saturday to let you know the success.

I think today is the most homesick we have been and will be in our whole year here in the southern hemisphere. But despite being homesick,  we are so thankful for all of the wonderful family and friends that we have, our opportunity to live in Chile this year, our health, our happiness and for the many beautiful years we have ahead. What a truly wonderful day this is.


 We miss you all so much and will be thinking of you savoring the turkey, ´taters and pumpkin pie!

 

 

 

Valle de Casablanca

Only an hour outside of Santiago towards the coast lies Casablanca Valley, filled with quite a few wineries and even more grapes. It is primarily known for more of the white wines produced there but many of the wineries do grow grapes for their reds as well. I was fortunate enough to take a day off work and explore some of the Casablanca Valley with Linds when she came down.

We traveled to three different wineries; Veramonte, Emiliana, and Casa del Bosque. At each we tasted at least four different types of wines. (Don´t worry, we stopped for lunch in the middle.)

Here we are at stop number 1  - Veramonte.

All three wineries had delicious vinos but Emiliana was by far our favorite winery all around and it had our favorite wines of all that we tasted. Emiliana is an organic and biodynamic vineyard that utilizes natural processes and flora and fauna to aid the growing of their grapes for their wine.

They plant rows of cover crops in between the rows of grapes to promote soil fertility, prevent erosion, and attract the beneficial insects. Some of the plants in these rows also act as indicators for the grapes. The bad pests often attack the flowers first and this tips off the growers that they need to prepare for the possibility of the pests attacking the grape plants.

They have Alpacas to clean up the cover crop rows after harvesting is complete, and they use the chickens year round to help combat the bug pests as well.. eating them for snacks. I love the chicken house on wheels. One day they can be eating the bugs off the merlot grapes and the next they are driven over to the Syrah grapes to search out their lunch.

At this vineyard they don´t actually have a winery. They send their grapes that are grown here to be made into wine at their larger winery in the Colchagua Valley just south of Santiago. There is where they grow most of their grapes for their reds. But I enjoyed the wine tasting building. The forms reminded me of Henry´s senior project.

Personally I´m more of a red than a white wine fan but this sauvignon blanc gave me a new appreciation for whites again.  It is light in color and at first glance it appears that you may be drinking water. It is so refreshing on a warm spring day.

And of course our favorite of all. Coyam. The name means ´Oak Forest´ in the native Mapuche language. The original winery where Coyam was started is surrounded by oak trees. This is one of their most famous wines and it is composed of 6 different types of wine: 41%   Syrah,   29%   Carménère,   20%   Merlot,   7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Mourvedre, 1% Petit Verdot. I know some people aren´t fans of blended wines but this is delicious. This is the composition for the 2009. But each year it changes a little bit.. sometimes they add more or less types of wine or change the percentages to make it just right for the grapes from that year. There best wine is called Ge. This one we didn´t get to try... but maybe next time. Good news for you, they export a huge percentage of their wine (over 75% though I can´t remember the exact amount) but you could find it there in the states if your craving a good chilean wine.

We wrapped up the day at Casa del Bosque (which means house of the forest). It was nice, and to my suprise I ended up being an interpreter for our tour guide which was interesting to say the least. But all in all, Emiliana just couldn´t be topped.

Stay tuned...

Last week, Lindsay came down to visit us. She brought good news from home, american delicacies that can't be found here (ie goldfish) and lots of stories to catch up on. Stay tuned because I'll be sharing our adventures in the next few days.

Along with snacks and stories she also brought a new charger for my computer so I am back up and running! Hopefully getting back to more regular blogposts again! Thanks for your patience while we had the lack of updates- I'll try and get you caught up on all that we've been up to. Stay Posted!