The Charm of Chile

During Anthony Bourdain's adventures in Chile, we find a much overhauled country, once faced with internal political struggle, thriving with culture and life. In 1973, Chilean domestic forces ravaged their own government, killing more than 3,000 civilians in the process. Now Chile seems to be so blissfully separated from war that Bourdain can hardly believe it. He travels the nation's most popular cities for just a taste of local home-cooking--like a pork sandwich on fresh bread, slathered in the classic Chilean combo of guacamole and mayonnaise. In the city, Tony and his guide stop at the Cafe Caribe, where girls in tiny neon dresses and black heels serve tempting espresso shots to desirable customers. Later, while watching the rodeo, Chilean cowboys win favor of their fans if they happen to squish a calf adequately against the wall of the ring. All of the while, Bourdain and his friends entertain themselves by feasting on one of his favorites--blood sausage, and drinking a potent and delicious combination of pineapple ice cream and white wine, a common alcoholic drink in Chile. At the end of the episode, Anthony meets and eats with a couple who've inherited a little piece of paradise--a place called Patagonia, an amazing area simultaneously bursting with brush and wildlife while facing a rocky magnificent beach. Bourdain ends the segment fittingly by recalling that his editor was injured in a drunken "hot-tub related incident"--indeed, life is good in this colorful country.