“Fomingo”: A Lazy Sunday

Fomingo: Fome + Domingo – a chilean spanish word that is the combination of the two previous words “fome” and “Domingo”. “Fome” meaning lazy; “Domingo” spanish for Sunday. Hence, Lazy Sunday.

A YouTube’d Bossa Nova playlist fills the air with the sweet aroma of sautéing onions, as I keep a close eye over the stove, sipping a chilean Tempranillo [red wine]. I prepare a simple dish of lentils, rice, and sauteed onions for my buddy and first couchsurfing host in Reñaca, Jonathan, and myself. This would be the definition of a “Fomingo.” Earlier we walked to the local supermarket, Santa Isabel, a chilean chain of supermarkets which is part of a family of corporations: Santa Isabel, Jumbo (a huge supermarket), Paris (department store), and Easy (a home improvement store). While sitting on the back patio with the sun setting on a cool summer evening, we opened up some wine while discussing chilean politics, chileanismos (chilean expressions), and the beauty of travel. Unlike most of my other writings, which I hope are more of a more inspirational nature, this one is just a short glimpse into a Sunday evening in a town about 30 minutes from the beach.

Over the past three days, I have been in a small, quaint town called Quilpue, staying at a buddy’s parents house while he watches his parents dog while they are out of town. Quilpue is a half hour trip by bus inland from the beach destinaiton of Viña del Mar.

It’s an evening such as this, cooking, practicing my spanish, drinking cheap local wine, and making new friends are the reasons why I am here in South America. And while they are not grandiose events, marveling in the awe of spectacular sights like Machu Picchu or the like, to me, they are equally as gratifying.

For a month and half, I have been in Chile, which is the longest amount of time that I have been in a single country. I recently lost my steady job in Reñaca, due to work visa situations, and have since been feeling the urge to get back on the road, heading south to the spectacular lake region of southern Chile. I came across a website workaway.info that may change the way I will be traveling through the rest of South America. My plan will be to volunteer with this site and have free room/board.

I should get back to my sauteing onions, they are ready to be showered with a bit of my Tempranillo from the Pirque Valley of central Chile.

Bossa Nova, Tempranillo, cebollas fritas, lentejas y arroz. Un Fomingo hecho correcto.