Open Hearts & Open Stomachs

Sopa de esparragos — Served before almost every lunch, this cream of asparagus soup is excellent with the addition of fresh paprika and cilantro!

Food in Chile is very important, especially to my host family, Food means meal time which means family time. In effort to provide a little context to these photos, let me explain: breakfast is very casual and similar to the U.S. (mainly cereal, yogurt, and fruit). Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and is eaten around 2 pm My host family drops whatever they are doing to come to the table for a few hours. Lunch is usually a few courses often including a soup, salad (lettuce with lemon juice and salt or tomatoes with onions), meat (a lot of beef), and bread. Finally we have "once" which is like a small meal around 9pm. We always drink coffee or tea and then share some sort of dessert bread alongside cheese, ham, avocado, and more bread. I am still alternating between being stuffed and starving, but I'll get used to the Chilean way someday.

Ensalada — Chileans are blessed with delicious fresh fruits and vegetables which makes salads like this even more tasty and filling

Lasana — Chilean food reminds me of a Italian food with a bit of Hispanic flare. Pastas with seafood, like this lasagna, is very common here.

Calabacin — One of my mom's favorite dishes! This is a baked zucchini with corn, meat, onions, and bread crumbs. The dish is HUGE and is typically only one of 4 courses!

Bistec a lo pobre — This dish is a Chilean classic! In effort to show-off Valparaiso, my host family took me and their cousins to this hole-in-the-wall cafe. It is is the only dish they serve here and it is unbelievably tasty!