Friday afternoon, my host brother Diego stopped me in the hall. "My girlfriend and I are having a celebration in the park tomorrow," he told me in Spanish. "Would you like to come? You can invite your friends if you want. Let me give you directions."
The party was supposed to start at 1 PM, so I left the house around 1:30 the next day, planning to get there a little after 2 PM. Chileans usually arrive late, and it is actually quite rude to show up on time for an event like this because the hosts will not be ready for you! I got lost on the way to the park, arriving a little after 3 PM, yet I was still one of the first guests there. Diego, his girlfriend, and all of his friends welcomed me with a kiss on the cheek, the common gesture of greeting here in Chile.
Diego was starting the grill when I arrived, cooking vegetables and a type of small sausage called chorizo which is served with pebre, a mixture of herbs, garlic, and hot peppers. Later, Diego began to cook the heavier cuts of meat, including several types of beef.
This gathering is called an asado, which describes both the barbecue atmosphere and the grilling technique. An asado like this can last for hours, with lots of talking, drinking and smoking, which is a more common social habit here in Chile than in the United States.
