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5 Ways to Alienate a Chilean

It’s bound to happen. Spend any amount of time in a culture that’s not your own and your foot will certainly end up in your mouth at some point. Sports, politics, and religion aside, there are plenty of other ways to meter la pata in Chile. Over the years I’ve stumbled on a few (hard not to take a nose dive once in a while with that foot in mouth thing going on). Being from the “learn from my mistakes” camp, I thought I’d share.

Anthony Bourdain has his word on Chile

Dear Cachando Readers-

I apologize… once again I fell into the “I forgot I’m at the end of the world” trap. Hanging out with Alice in the rabbit hole again…

It turns out that Anthony Bourdain will NOT be regaling those of us who live in Chile tonight with his quick-witted tales of how much he enjoyed (or didn’t) his time in Chile. My mistake. They had contacted me from the program itself to say that the show would air tonight, but… silly me… I forgot to ask what continent they were talking about. See, with internet and all, it is so easy to forget that “tonight” there may well mean “six months or so” here… so for the time being, we will have NO Reservations and no Bourdain just yet… Apparently it will air here in 2010!!

So now, go have a completo, or a lomito, or an arrollado with a good beer, or better yet Chilean wine to drown your sorrows and wait for the real thing…

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The original post… which WILL be true one of these days!  (the links are still worth checking out!)

Anthony Bourdain made waves during his visit to Chile a couple months back as he traveled through the country’s mid-section and on to the south in search of “real food” Chilean style. Hot dogs, lomitos, arrollado, sea urchins, oysters, and wine were on his list of hits… piure definitely was not.

He was taping for his show “No Reservations” and the word is out… the Chile episode will air at 10pm on Monday, July 13 on the Travel Channel.

Wanna know what’s to come? You can catch the drift by taking a look at his itinerary. Then read about what he had to say when he was here at “Anthony Bourdain loves Lomitos” or what he says himself on his own blog: “Antonio/Antonia.” Local gringa expat Liz Caskey was involved in the production and tells her side of No Reservations at Eat Wine, and then you can also see a sneak preview of Tony’s first confrontation with the ubiquitous completo, check this out:

Anthony Bourdain loves lomitos

Anthony Bourdain: ¡amante del sánguche chileno!

Anthony Bourdain. Love him or hate him, the man’s a rock star for foodies. The rambling TV chef-and-travel-eater just made his first trip to continental Chile (he visited Easter Island last year) and munched his way through Santiago, Valparaíso and Concón on the coast, and traveled south to Puerto Montt. Chiloé was on his list, but bad weather kept him off the island.

"International chef caught eating pork and avocado sandwich"

Anthony Bourdain showed up in Chile a week earlier than expected and came armed with a crew well-trained in the art of keeping the press at bay… as far as I can tell, no one got a personal interview, but he was seen out and about and making the rounds of the local picadas.

Proof of his whereabouts first appeared on the front page of the Sunday “Las Ultimas Noticias” that featured him full cover with the headline: “Pillan a chef mundial comiendo lomito palta en Plaza Italia” (World chef caught eating pork and avocado sandwich in Plaza Italia). Slow news day, I guess. Anyone who has ever seen his show knows that he’s not about fancy-schmancy techno-food and that it was only logical that he would find his way to the local sandwich shops!

He did hold a tightly programmed press conference (that started an hour late) for a handful of carefully selected members of the

Anthony Bourdain preparing for press conference in Chile

local media. I managed to jump through the appropriate hoops and get my name on a press pass. His handlers kept pretty strict control of the situation, but he was relaxed and candid… charming even. I hadn’t expected that…  Just a down-to-earth kinda guy who honestly seems to know how lucky he is to be in his own boots (nicely-worn brown leather cowboy boots, in fact).

“It doesn’t suck to be me,” he says with a smirk, “I’m a lucky cook who gets to travel around this incredible planet and tell stories in an impressionistic and very personal way.”

When asked about what makes his show a success, he replied:

“The fact that I’m either very happy or really miserable… I have the freedom to tell the truth. I don’t lie. Luckily I wrote an obnoxious book before I got to TV, so nobody expects me to be a diplomat. Most food and travel shows have to say that things are great… but they’re not. I have a privilege that I abuse to look at the camera and say “this sucks!” And on my show I can be drunk, curse, say cruel and totally inappropriate things about Sarah Jessica Parker… We have a parental advisory at the beginning of the show… and I’m very proud of that.”

ON CHILEAN FOOD:

We were asked to submit 2 questions several days ahead of time. The moderator read them in Spanish, and Bourdain responded through a translator:

"It doesn't suck to be me"

What did you like best about Chilean food?

Sea urchins (erizos). They were great. And oysters… the oysters are really good here, they’re tiny and cute.

The best meal I had in Chile was at El Hoyo… it was shockingly, shockingly good. I liked the arrollado. That was a highlight. And prieta (blood sausage)… that was fuckin awesome!!

I’m a lomito fan… lomitos are great… but I have mixed emotions about the completo… I can’t decide if it’s really delicious or a war crime.

Was there any Chilean food that you didn’t like?

Piure. (The expression on his face tells it all… clearly not a big fan of this local shellfish loaded with iodine).

What is your opinion of Chilean food overall?

There’s plenty of tradition here… lots of old technique. And with sea urchins, sandwiches as magnificent as the lomito, and wine this good—I’ve had a lot of good wine here—Chile doesn’t have anything to apologize for to anyone.

The fact that Bourdain is fit and lean despite eating just about anything placed in front of him and happily drinking like a fish makes him the envy of any food writer, so what we all really want to know is how the hell he does it!!

Are you one of those guys who only eats when the camera is rolling?

Ha-ha… Nooooo! I love to eat! I do my best to live an unhealthy lifestyle. I take everything my mother told me to do and do just the opposite. But I don’t eat snack food… no Cheetos for me. I don’t eat in front of the TV… And living around food is like growing up with wine… there’s no need to gorge.

And then he adds:

Have you heard that phrase “don’t trust a thin chef” ? Well that’s just the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Fat chef? Not workin’ hard enough…

What are your favorite berries? [Weird question, I know, but it’s a berry producer who’s asking…]

Honestly, I don’t care about sweet stuff. I mean, I like fruit… a perfectly ripe peach is a great thing, but I don’t need it. I like savory. I like salty. I like umami. I could live without fruit. But I like figs… and oh yeah! Grapes! I need grapes… in a glass!!

What would you cook for God?  [Another one from left field, but the weirder the question, the better his answer!]

God? You want me to cook for God???? I’m afraid to cook for my wife! Ok. Let’s see… sea urchin with linguini and olive oil… no, wait… boeuf bourguignon … yeah, God loves boeuf bourguignon …no wait… lechón… yeah, I’m sure that God loves pork.

Yeah, I’m a Bourdain fan… gotta love a guy who loves to eat!

Sánguches

Chile es sorprendente en muchos aspectos. Y genuino también. Tiene particularidades que le pertecen y lo definen. Pero una de ellas me llamó la atención de inmediato: los sándwiches.

For English use the translator tool at the top right or see the summary below…

Un clásico Barros Luco

Chile es verdaderamente el país del sandwich. No conozco otro lugar similar. Todos los países del mundo tienen, dentro de su gastronomía, ciertos bocadillos (como se les dice en España) más o menos ricos. Pero nadie se ha especializado tanto. Aquí les ponen nombres de ex-Presidentes (Barros Luco: carne + queso; Barros Jarpa: jamón + queso), o a la conjunción de tres ingredientes la denominan de otra forma particular, para abreviarlo: tomate + palta + mayonesa = italiano. Esto proviene de la bandera italiana y los tres colores de los ingredientes, rojo, verde y blanco. Así, tú puedes pedir un lomito o un churrasco italiano sin dar más explicaciones.

Pero muchísimo más importante que la nomenclatura, que no deja de ser una curiosidad, es el contenido. Los sándwiches son muy sabrosos, exquisitos. Realmente. Si vienen a Chile, prueben los sándwiches.

Marraqueta

Por otro lado están los panes. En Chile también se hacen panes muy ricos, de muchas variedades, siendo las más comunes las siguientes: frica (tipo hamburguesa, pero más rico), molde (típico), marraqueta (pan batido), hallulla y pan amasado (elaborado con manteca).

Una vez estaba en un Dominó comiéndome una de estas delicias, cuando llegó un extranjero (latinoamericano, hablaba español) a pedir un sándwich. Cuando eligió de entre las múltiples opciones de carne, pollo, cerdo, tomate, palta, pimiento, mayonesa, etc., se dirigió al camarero y pidió. El camarero le contestó:

– ¿Fricamoldemarraqueta?

Churrasco italiano en frica

– ¿Perdón? -respondió el extranjero.

– ¿Fricamoldemarraqueta? -insistió el garçon.

– ¿Cómo? No le entiendo.

– FRI CA MOL DE MA RRA QUE TA -repitió el garçon, tratando de ser claro.

Por esos días yo era ya más que un iniciado en los tipos de panes, y comprendí (como ya comentamos en “El contexto chileno“) que la función comunicativa entre los chilenos no está especialmente enfocada a la aclaración con mayor número de palabras. Además de la tendencia a hablar muy rápido y seguido, juntando las palabras. Cuando uno desconoce el vocabulario en sí mismo, es difícil comprender el mensaje (otro ejemplo: “parchicuritacien-parchicuritacien”, es una frase declamativa que pronuncian constatemente los vendedores ambulantes de “band aids” o “tiritas” a cien pesos y que se llaman “parche-curitas”).

Así es que me acerqué a ayudar al señor que no podía comunicarse con el garçon y le expliqué: “Son tres tipos de panes, usted tiene que elegir uno de ellos”. Claro, él ni siquiera sabía qué era una marraqueta o una frica.

Después de todo, el sándwich le encantó.

Es importante mencionar que de la palabra sandwich derivó el chilenismo: sánguche. Mucho mejor.

¿Han probado los sándwiches chilenos? ¿Conocen alguna especialidad en un local específico?

Chacarero (con porotos -judías- verdes)

El ave-pimiento con mayonesa del Kali (en Providencia, entre Pedro de Valdivia y Guardia Vieja) es una maravilla. El chacarero (con porotos vedes) de la Fuente Alemana, también es maravilloso.

Si quieres conocer más sobre este tipo de comida rápida, aquí podrás entender por qué un hot dog en Chile no es lo mismo que un hot dog en cualquier otro lugar.

Ver también Anthony Bourdain loves lomitos.

¿Quieres conocer más? Ver lo que dice Carlos Reyes en su blog “Uno Come” sobre “La historia del sandwich en Santiago“.

Si quieres contarnos alguna historia con los sándwiches… déjanos un comentario a continuación:

• ENGLISH SUMMARY:
  

“Chile, the land of the Sandwich!

I doubt that any country in the world has specialized in sandwiches the way Chile has. Here these “sánguches” bear such illustrious names as those of former presidents: “Barros Luco” is hot beef & cheese; “Barros Jarpa“: hot ham & cheese. And then there’s the combination of 3 ingredients, such as tomato , avocado, mayonnaise simply abbreviated as “italiano,” due to the 3 colors of the Italian flag (red, green and white). Once you know that, you can ask for any kind of sandwich and add “italiano” without any further explanation.

And then there’s the bread. Chile has many kinds of bread, and the most common are “frica” (like a hamburger bun, but better), “molde” (typical slice), “marraqueta” (a crusty roll made with French bread dough, “hallulla” and “pan amasado” (both made with lard).

Once I was eating one of these delights in Dominó when a guy from another Spanish-speaking country came in. When he finally decided from among beef, chicken, pork, tomato, avocado, bell pepper, mayonnaise, etc., the waiter asked:

“Fricamoldemarraqueta?”

“Huh?” asked the bewildered foreigner.

“FRI- CA- MOL- DE- MA- RRA- QUE- TA,” repeated the waiter, trying to be clearer.

By that time I was already well initiated in the ways of bread and was able to explain, “There are 3 types of bread, you need to choose one.” How was he supposed to choose when he had never even heard of a marraqueta or frica? But in the end, he loved the sandwich.

Recommended:

The “chicken-red pepper with mayo” at Kali (on Providencia, between Pedro de Valdivia and Guardia Vieja) is incredible, and the chacarero (made with green beans) at the Fuente Alemana is also great.

Related posts:
“A Hotdog is not a Completo“
“Anthony Bourdain loves Lomitos”
“Ode to the Completo Chileno”
“Fuente Mardoqueo: Best Sánguches in town!”

Do you have a story about Chilean sandwiches? Want to recommend your favorite sandwich shop?

A Hotdog is not a Completo

Ask any non-Chilean what food amazed them most while in Chile and they are likely to tell you the “completo.” I have never seen this on anyone’s list of typical Chilean foods, but it should be. Literally tons of the things are consumed each year.

Para español, usa la herramienta de traducción o lee el resumen de abajo…

You might think this is a hot dog, but don’t be fooled. It may start out with the same basic ingredient (frankfurter or “vienesa” as they are called here”) but no self-respecting Chilean would ever eat it with just a squirt of mustard. No sir. A completo must be complete! That means ketchup, mustard, relish, chopped tomato, sauerkraut, pickled green chili pepper, gobs of avocado (palta) and an absolutely obscene amount of mayonnaise on a hot dog bun. A variation is the “italiano,” which is a hot dog topped with just chopped tomato and avocado.

You’ll find familiar looking squeeze bottles on the table. The yellow one is filled with runny, grainy mustard, and the red one is probably NOT filled with ketchup, but rather a thick red hot sauce, which many a gringo palate has discovered the hard (or rather the “hot”) way!!

Look for the popular “Dominó” restaurants that have been serving completos and other typical sandwiches since 1952 (downtown at 1016 Agustinas and on Huerfanos and Ahumada, as well as others around town). Or the famous Quicklunch in the covered corridor on the south side of the Plaza de Armas. In both cases are eaten standing at the bar.

For more about Chilean sandwiches, check out “Sánguches.”

And for more about the Flavors of Chile, see:  “Tasting Chile.”

Do you have a story about “completos”? Please let us know!

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• EN ESPAÑOL:

Un hotdog no es lo mismo que un completo. Básicamente podría serlo, pues consiste en una salchicha (o vienesa, como le dicen en Chile) en un pan alargado. Pero no. Los completos en Chile son verdaderamente completos. Pueden llevar, además de la típica mostaza o el ketchup, tomate natural picado, palta (aguacate), chucrut, cebolla, queso y enormes cantidades de mayonesa.

En las fuentes de soda, lugares donde se comen completos y sándwiches, siempre encontrarás tres botes: uno es amarillo, que tiene, evidentemente mostaza; pero cuidado con los otros dos. El rojo no lleva ketchup, sino una salsa roja de ají picante. El verde es el del ketchup.

La cadena de restaurantes Dominó es clásica y puedes encontrar muchos de sus locales en el centro (calle Huérfanos), así como en Providencia. El Dominó se especializa en muchas otras variedades de completos (con huevo frito, pimientos, etc.)

Ver también “Sánguches” y “Tasting Chile.”

¿Tienes una historia sobre los completos chilenos? ¡Cuéntanos!