Footprints Recruiting

Chile has some great food.  From epanadas to fresh seafood to chicken and rice and the infamous barbeque.  Argentinians will tell you they are the masters, Brazilians will tell you there is only one great barbeque while Chileans quietly say very little but have amazing skill and taste.

At the heart of it all, Santiago has many international restaurants; waiter service is usual.   In many cases, in restaurants, the evening will often include floor shows and dancing.

Examples of typical national dishes are empanada (combination of meat, chicken or fish, with onions, eggs, raisins and olives inside a flour pastry), humitas (seasoned corn paste, wrapped in corn husks and boiled), cazuela de ave (soup with rice, vegetables, chicken and herbs), bife a lo pobre (steak with french fries, onions and eggs) and parrillada (selection of meat grilled over hot coals).

Seafood is great. Best known are the huge lobsters from Juan Fernández Islands. Abalone, sea urchins, clams, prawns and giant choros (mussels) are also common.

Of particular note is the wine.  Chile is famous for its wine and it is cheap and delicious.  There are a great many varieties and bottles range from $1-hundreds.  Another favorite drink is Pisco, a powerful liqueur distilled from grapes after wine pressing. Grapes are also used to make the sweet brown chicha as well as aguardiente, similar to brandy. Beer is also popular throughout the country.