Mote con Huesillos

What is it? Mote con Huesillos

Okay, but what IS it? First, dried peaches are cooked with sugar, cinnamon, and water to make a sweet, tea-like liquid. This nectar, along with the whole dried peaches, is then poured on top of cooked barley, and the whole concoction is eaten with a spoon. In some ways, it's like the Chilean version of bubble tea - a drink that you also have to chew.

What circumstances led to this drink... snack... thing? Hostels often need to be fumigated; this is just a fact of life. And when fumigation day comes, all of the hostel patrons are forced out into the street for a few hours. On one such day, I found myself doing some forced sightseeing in Santiago, Chile. Attracted by a commotion in the center of the plaza I was walking through, I attempted to get a better look, only to be pulled by the street performer in question into the middle of the crowd. For the next 45 minutes, I was "saved" from a "burning building" by a series of men who were forced to carry me, princess-style, across the plaza. At the end, I received a free copy of the performer's DVD: Loco Freddy 2, El Beso de Gringo, or in English: Crazy Freddy 2, the kiss of the foreigner/white person. Parched by my ordeal (after all, I WAS stuck in a "burning building" for nearly 45 minutes) I bought this from a street vendor.

Where can I get some? All over Chile during the summer, and apparently into the fall as well

How much did it cost? I don't remember, but I don't think it was more than $2.00USD.