La Comida!

(The Food)

Empanadas

Fortunately, I've been blessed with an amazing host family, complete with a loving host mom that cooks for us a lot. I've had many different foods here so far, most of which she has cooked. When we three were all settled in Sunday after arriving from the airport (about 12:00 p.m.), she cooked for us even though she would be preparing lunch in a couple hours. She made empanadas for us, which are apparently a staple of Chile. Empanadas are fried, stuffed pastries. They usually include meat, cheese, and possibly some vegetables. 

Alfajor

Some of the things we've eaten have been chicken cooked different ways, white rice with noodles (which tastes better than it sounds), pesto sauce, salad with lemon juice and salt instead of dressing, hotdogs-like things on sub sandwich bread with avocado, "pepinos" which are small melon-like fruit, and "alfojores"which are chocolate-covered cookie sandwiches with something like caramel in the middle. The drinks are different, too. Their coffee and juices are from a powder. The coffee doesn't have as much caffeine here as it does in the States. Something else they drink, which I tried this morning, is hot tea. I think it's pretty similar to the tea we drink, but I'm not 100% sure because I've never had our tea hot before. I've tried everything offered to me except the coffee, and so far I've like all of it. Our group of students is planning on eating out in Valparaíso tomorrow. The restaurant "Puerto Lindo" (Pretty Port) was recommended to us, but I'm not sure where we're going to go yet. I'll probably do another post or two on food as I come across more new kinds. That's all for now though. Till tomorrow!