Cow With a Pearl Earring

Santiago, Chile

An amazing wind storm in Rochester made our plane to Atlanta late, but we made our connection to Santiago, and, surprisingly, our bags made it too.  It was an overnight flight with a two-hour time change.  After checking in at our hotel (and they had our room ready at 11 AM), we promptly went to sleep and got up in the late afternoon.  We have an envelope full of material from Tauck, the tour operator we’ll be joining on Friday evening, which included two whole pages on South American beef.  So we knew that Argentina was well-known for its beef, but did not know that Chile prized beef also.  We learned all about the different cuts from the ones we’re used to, and that Chileans and Argentinians prize flavor over texture, so the promotion of “very tender” beef has no meaning here.  Beef which is a bit tough to chew is accepted if the flavor is wonderful.  So of course, for dinner, we went to a very highly rated steak house named “Happening”.  We arrived at 7:00 and were the only customers—the locals didn’t begin to arrive until about 7:45.  On the walls was a selection of reproductions of famous art work, substituting cows for humans.

We had a wonderful dinner, and we’re off to bed.  Plans for tomorrow include the very highly recommended pre-Columbian museum, and before dinner we’ll meet up with our group.