Feria haul, autumn 2012. Now with hinojo and topinambour!
Been a while since I took you to the feria with me, and I know you're thinking over there in the northern hemisphere, mwahahaha, now who's got the cherries and berries and stuff? And true enough, I am jealous, and definitely switch it up from more fruit to more...
What’s in a name? Hazelnuts in Chile
Avellanas. Avellanas are hazelnuts. And you know hazelnuts (or filberts as I used to call them). Tasty and creamy, nutty and a good addition to chocolate to make the delicious and transfat-rich Nutella. And they look like this: (and by the way, I got them from one of...
More polite than a person who accepts a quince as a gift
This is a membrillo. Or a quince, if you prefer. Judging by the trees it grows on, it must be related to apples and pears. It's delicious cooked into a paste with a bunch of sugar and spread on bread. It's also good baked. What is not great is membrillo eaten out of...
Have you seen all of Chile?
I am often asked if I "know all of Chile" or have traveled most of it. Sort of yes and no. I mean, I've come in through the tippy top from Peru and been to Arica, which is far, far from home, and yet I'd never been up into the Aconcagua valley, to San Felipe, before...
Birds and a dog, but not a bird-dog. Suriname and Chile.
You would not believe how many times I got slapped to see these birds. These birds, by the way, are the scarlet ibis, visible in Trinidad and Suriname. These particular birds I saw in Bigi Pan, an Everglades-like (so they say, I've never been to the Everglades, but I...
The OMG okra in Chile/Midweek Vega report
I know, bla bla, we have awesome produce in Chile bla. But a recent possible facebook throwdown from some friends means I have to keep my game on. Though since there are two of them, and only one of me, their haul and story has to be twice as good as mine. And I don't...
The view from above in Valparaíso
I have blogged before about people's views, and in fact have thought of doing a series on nothing more than the views from my friend's houses. I love seeing the city (any city) from above, and I believe that what you see on a daily basis affects how you feel. When I...
Quick spin to Santiago’s biggest fleamarket. Unblocked iPhones, hand-lettered signs and a horse-drawn carriage
The first time I said I was planning on going to the Persa Bio Bio (Santiago's giant, sprawling fleamarket and surrounding stalls near the Franklin metro stop, follow the signs that say "salida a placer" and try not to laugh), the guy I told narrowed his eyes, and...
Returning from injury, now with feria report
I have begun to think that perhaps fruitflies have the most sensitive sense of smell (or whatever it is they have) of the whole animal kingdom. They come in droves the second you get fruit into the house, which means you have to put said fruit in fridge, which makes a...
Doored again, adventures in cycling in Santiago
There's this moment between when you see the car door start to open and when you actually finally make impact that you think, shit, what's going to happen here? Then there's the sprawling, slow-motion fall onto the asphalt and the gasp of the surprised (usually)...
