Fiesta: Chilean Style

One weekend, I spent an afternoon reading, "The Help," in Spanish (Senoras y Criadas) on a bench in the park you see to the left. Even went for a long run after a few hours of being immersed in the lives of Aibileen, Miss Skeeter and Hilly.

Calm, tranquil and healthy. BORING.

In the last 48 hours? Bloody nose. Chilean asado (BBQ). 8 hour house party. And keys to my new house.

choripan center stage

Friday night started with a Chilean-style party at my temporary home (thanks Pablo, Thibaud and Rafael) and started with a few Escudos. Pablo, "Tengo mucho hambre"; friends are filling up the house, drinks are flowing, and it's a Friday afternoon with no grill, no food. Naturally - or on impulse -  we headed to the local Tottus, basically Costco, and bought a grill and a lot of choripan. A compulsive buy after a few Escudos meant we fueled up for a party that lasted until 3AM.

Ever thought about your International Number? Brasil, Estonia, Chile, United States, Colombia, France, Great Britian, Brasil, and Spain at one party. 4 languages and at any given time, someone might switch mid-sentence from English to Spanish, from Portuguese to Spanish, or from French to English to Spanish. But, I only speak 1.75 languages! Yes, 3 out of the 4 languages are languages of love, passion and romance.

Woke up the next day, stumbled into the kitchen for a glass of water and this is what I found. Evidence of a damn good party.

alto de carmen: Chilean Pisco of choice? 

mix with Coke, stir in some ice and you've got a Piscola

The Mistral bottles were empty on the table, tinted wine glasses and an empty box of chocolate cereal, sweeter than CocoPuffs, were evidence of a great night. Since the kitchen stove was covered in boxes of Pisco and the kitchen table was covered in empty bottles, we couldn't make any breakfast.

So, why not head out of the city to a true Chilean asado? 


Choripan. Chicken. Red meat, grilled to perfection. Red wine, Pisco Sours, beer, and chips and salsa. Empanadas, too?

The hacienda outside of Santiago is home to avocado trees, peach trees, artichoke plants, a fenced-in soccer field and a pool surrounded by gorgeous flowers. Imagine an outdoor patio with a bamboo roof, views of the mountains and the pool, with a brick oven in the corner and an outdoor fully-stocked bar.

Now imagine a soccer game with Chilean men in their 40s, one Chilean woman and me, plus 2 young kids. Sweaty jeans are just gross. But, so is a bloody nose at an asado. Not attractive at all and I feared waking up with a big purple bruise across my face. Concerned? Still mena y guapa :) To top off the afternoon, the hostess even gifted us with bags of oranges from her orange trees.

So what is Chilean style? An international house party til early the next morning, choripan and red wine at an afternoon asado followed by a soccer game and always sleeping until 1PM.

Oh! And, I joined a women's soccer league!