By the time we reached Arica, everyone was famished. Unfortunately, we did not time our arrival well as it was past the prime lunchtime and many places were closed. We trudged down a few city streets, passing store after store with brightly colored (albeit cheap) children's toys which called our kids' names. Our crew was dragging but finally we spotted a place that was open and seemed to fit the bill. Little did we know we had arrived at an Arican landmark!
The restaurant, Roly's, offered piles of greasy but oh-so-yummy french fries as well as almost any kind of hot sandwich. In addition, they sold pichangas (which in Chile is a huge mountain of sauteed french fries, onions, sausage, chicken and steak meat) and salchipapas (a huge mountain of fries with sliced hotdogs.) The little boys tried the latter - I consoled myself with the thought that Ian can use a little extra meat on his bones - while Martha tried the former (which ended up providing three whole meals for her because it was that huge!)
But the true surprise of the meal were the sandwiches. Unbeknownst to us, Roly's sells GIANT sandwiches. They also serve the french fries not on the side, but ON the sandwich in between the globs of mayo and the supersized bun! Their completo - Chile's traditional hot dog with everything on it - is incredibly huge and poor Isabel looked like a startled bunny when it was placed in front of her.
I did not have my camera with me but thanks to the trusty internet I can share a few pictures to verify my story. The first picture shows the size of the bun and the stack of fries on a churrasco, which is what I ordered. The second picture is of the famous completo, and the third gives you a perspective of its size in contrast to a mustard bottle. Crazy, huh! We definitely made an unexpected but fun (and funny!) memory. :)
The restaurant, Roly's, offered piles of greasy but oh-so-yummy french fries as well as almost any kind of hot sandwich. In addition, they sold pichangas (which in Chile is a huge mountain of sauteed french fries, onions, sausage, chicken and steak meat) and salchipapas (a huge mountain of fries with sliced hotdogs.) The little boys tried the latter - I consoled myself with the thought that Ian can use a little extra meat on his bones - while Martha tried the former (which ended up providing three whole meals for her because it was that huge!)
But the true surprise of the meal were the sandwiches. Unbeknownst to us, Roly's sells GIANT sandwiches. They also serve the french fries not on the side, but ON the sandwich in between the globs of mayo and the supersized bun! Their completo - Chile's traditional hot dog with everything on it - is incredibly huge and poor Isabel looked like a startled bunny when it was placed in front of her.
I did not have my camera with me but thanks to the trusty internet I can share a few pictures to verify my story. The first picture shows the size of the bun and the stack of fries on a churrasco, which is what I ordered. The second picture is of the famous completo, and the third gives you a perspective of its size in contrast to a mustard bottle. Crazy, huh! We definitely made an unexpected but fun (and funny!) memory. :)
The lady who served us at Roly's was very kind. She was super friendly and especially excited to see the little boys. It turns out, she told us later, that she has a daughter with Downs Syndrome which is why she sees all children as so very special. I was reminded again that everyone has a story.
1 comment:
OK, so the french fries in the sandwich is a personal favorite. There is a place in Pittsburgh that does this on EVERY sandwich. It is SO good.
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