I’m in Vancouver right now, so I stopped by a new Chilean restaurant downtown – Puro Chile on Denman. They’ve got all kinds of Chilean fast food, including big meat sandwiches, hot dogs, and mixed drinks. It’s a great spot – the staff was really lovely and friendly. They’ve also got South American football going on a screen (Colombia vs Argentina, with many yellow cards!)

I ordered a completo – a big hot dog topped with sauerkraut, fresh tomato, and mayo. It was delightfully messy and hit the spot. Sauerkraut is a common topping in Chile, coming with the waves of German immigration in the 19th century.

I washed my completo down with a big glass of jote (“black vulture”) – a mixed drink that’s half red wine, half Coke. And it….was actually pretty good! The wine tones down the sweetness of the Coke, and it turns into it’s own unique brew, like a spicy sweet wine. It’s popular with students in different parts of the world – it’s called kalimotxo in Spain and motorină (“diesel fuel”) in Romania.