Thanksgiving – A United States Holiday Chilean style
Villarica, Chile
Each time we set out a goal and reach our destination, it brings us joy and excitement about eating some food and giving our bodies some well deserved rest. Villarica was no exception. As we pulled into town and saw the streets filled with city-goers, eating at the outside lake-view tables, and walking with ice-cream cones in hand, we couldn’t help but be so excited about our potential couch-surfers offer to stay a few nights.
We are proclaiming that we will indeed leave tomorrow, after 4 nights, and copious amounts of tasty food. We have been lured to spend another night to share a ratatouille meal prepared by two French-man who joined us on our third night of couch surfing.
Our host Bernardita, a high school Biology teacher, has been incredible. She has opened her home and given us a set of keys, we come and go, mostly to the supermarket, and enjoy talking about how difficult Chilean Spanish is to learn, speak, and understand, and about environmental issues, which she is also very passionate about (she took her students on field trip to visit the landfill on this beautiful saturday morning.
Thanksgiving was spent washing our bikes, our laundry, and shopping for a big feast. Melissa experimented with a Chilean casserole, which supplemented our baked chicken breasts, mashed potatoes, and fresh bread. Don’t forget desert, an apple crisp that was also an experiment with the help of Melissa’s mom and grandma via video chat on the ipad. We are so grateful of our loving family, friends, and fellow travelers who share stories from the road.
When our French friends arrived (one has been traveling by VW bug from Mexico to Villarica and the other joined a few days ago), we shared our evening leftovers with them and they planned a fun Saturday for the five of us. They prepared us sandwiches, and we picnicked along the shoreline with sandwiches, wine, and chocolate while admiring the mighty Volcan Villarica and taking deeps in the refreshing lake. Le sigh…..
The afternoon was spent doing arts and crafts with Bernie, making new wallets out of milk cartons! Love this girl!!
Now with bellies full of Ratatouille, we rest, chat more with our dear family, and prepare to head out into beautiful Patagonia.
~Justin & Melissa
(oh… and while I update this in the morning… Julien is making us CREPES with Nutella and bananas! Can someone pinch me again?!)
Charquican Recipe:
Ratatouille Recipe:
* Start with olive oil, onion in a big pot
* Slowly add these vegetables in the order listed:
– Eggplant
– Bell Peppers
– Carrots (cut very thin)
– Zucchini
– Tomato
– Garlic, Oregano, Thyme, and salt & pepper to taste
* First boil covered as the juices from the vegetables release and fill the pot with water. When the pot is full, uncover and let boil for as long as you have patience, longer the better. Delicious!
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