COMIDA!!!

Here is long awaited food blog... (i understand long awaited is a slight exaggeration).
Food and meals here are different, there is no way around it but at first they seem pretty minute.
For breakfast I have cereal, right now we have a granola and fruit mix and then a bran flake and fruit mix which are actually really good. They have real pieces of dried fruit (strawberries, raspberries [they are huge on raspberries here], raisins) in them so even though they aren't coated in sweet flavor, its still pretty sweet and delicious. I also have some yogurt and/or torta if time permits. Yogurt is mostly the same, just some different flavors. Like fruit and nut with yes, real pieces of nuts and dried fruits in it. And then the pineapple and others dont have fruit in them, so go figure. Since I am still a meal behind I also get the torta option... (torta is like a cake they have for desert/once right now its chocolate for my dad's birthday, before it was yogurt or a coconut). But Ive been eating the tiniest amount of cereal ever so by our break at like 10 I'm starving and then go down to the little market thing near school and get an instant coffee (I have yet to see a starbucks or any true coffee shop [except for the ones in the ritzy part of Valpo where we went on Saturday], they seem to only drink instant coffee).
Lunch is the big meal here, and its a lot later then in the US, during the week about 2ish and during the weekend about 2:30-3ish. And you have a first course (today was tomato soup!) then a main course, and there is salad and bread on the table [by the time i get through the first two plates i dont have room for anything else so now they think i dont like bread or salad...] and then desert of some sort. Fruit salad is a good one that we've had a couple times, and its not as much melon persay, its got apples, bananas, pineapples, sometimes a marichino cherry, and a little orange. Its incredible! I will always make room for that even if they have to roll me away from the table afterwards. hahahaha. One of my brothers and my mom are home for lunch (today was a chicken breast and spaghetti and tomato soup, all freshly made!) sometimes both brothers or Diego and his polola and last Thursday natalia was home too so it changes from day to day (today was me, my mom and dad and Gustavo). And everyone sits around and eats together. But you dont wait for everyone to et their food, you are supposed to eat it when you get served so it doesn't get cold. And when you are done with your plate you put it in the kitchen right away even if everyone else is still eating (which has been the weirdest thing for me, because they take it when Im done, and then i feel bad for them taking my plate and putting it away...).
Dinner is the most different. There is cenar and there is once. Typically once comes at about 6ish and its just pan (bread) and torta and maybe some ham and cheese for your pan and some tea. So kinda like tea time?? hahaha then there is cenar which is usually really late, like 9-11ish (again depending on the family and the day). My family just has once at 8:30. But they are getting me adjusted to eating late and eating smaller portions then, so to do that they have been giving me another serving of lunch. hahahaha. so the rest of the family has ham and cheese sandwiches and I have pasta and chicken for example. hhahaha. And tea. (except for Gustavo, he has instant coffee...hahahaha). Its the same thing every night and everyone has the same quirks, like the kids all like some cold water in their tea or coffee, but dont just let it sit for a few minutes to cool down... And everyone sits down together for their meals (except for breakfast) and then after everyone is done do people start to leave (mostly just my sister and my dad sometimes).
Then there are just some different things and tastes here that surprise me and what not:
they LOOOOOVE mayo. ohhhh man. on everything and its sold in bags! hahahaha but they have these hot dogs called compeltos which are super popular (have i mentioned they say super? super bien or super rico or super frio. i've picked up on it? hahaha) and they have relish, mayo, avacado and tomoatoes on them... For lunch sometimes the salad is a vegetable (ie corn) and then they just put spoonfuls of mayo on it and mix it up. ahhh! hahahaha
Salads are different. they are just vegetables spread out (like lettuce and next to it are some shredded carrots and then next to that is some cut up celery) and they put lemon juice on it for dressing... i was surprised at how good just the lemon juice was on it. hahahaha.
We had some egg, chicken soup yesterday for lunch and they squeeze a bunch of lemon in that as well.
Olives. they like olives too! for my dad's birthday celebration, we sat around the living room area and had or'dourves of olives, artichokes (?) two types of cheese (fresh cheese, its white and doesnt have too much of a taste, its pretty moist, ie when you cut into it some of the water/milk drips out) some meat/cheese rolls (ham and cheese on toothpicks!) and some peanuts. In a typical meat empenada, there is ground beef, onions, olives (whole black olives with the seeds still in them) and egg. They are much better then they sound. hahahahaha
I dont think they really go out for dinner at all and no one makes food for just themselves or anything. There is no peanut butter or easy mac or snacks! NO ONE SNACKS!!!! hahahaha they have all these vendors selling snacks and stuff on the street (ie popcorn, roasted almonds, candied apples/grapes and then legit vendors w/ candy and magazines) but I haven't seen many people buy anything. hahahaha and their grocery stores and gas stations dont really have snacks either. for example a gas station has about 1 aisle of food stuff and then the rest is just other stuff (an aisle of bread i guess... hahaha) and drinks and then stuff for your car or personal hygine etc. its weird.
And the things that we have to refigerate at home (ie eggs!) they dont here. my theory is that its just too dang cold in the house so if there is no room in the fridge, then no big deal... crazy! hahahahaha
Contrary to popular belief there are no chiles in chile. in fact my family hates spicey food. sometimes guacamole can be made too spicey!?! and my family eats a LOT of potatoes and rice. one or the other (or both) for every lunch (and dinner for me...) and there doesn't seem to be the fishy influence I had imagined which is good! ahahaha
anyway Im sure there will be another blog or two on food, but thats just sort of the basics for now. i hope all is well! eat some chipolte for me!!!!!

Chao!