It's been a lazy saturday evening after a crazy busy week and I'm topping it all off with a big glass of wine in bed while I stream Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episodes. I pretty much always watch Anthony Bourdain and drink wine frequently, but I just started to think about how much of the wine I drink in Chile is drunk in bed.
Eating/drinking in bed is one Chilean (or maybe just the Chileans I know?) habit I've adopted. I kinda hate it/kinda love it. Italo and I often eat breakfast in bed on Sunday mornings and since we both work late, we also end up crashing in bed when we get home at night and because I require a glass of red wine after a long day, I end up drinking it in bed because I'm so tired. This may seem symptomatic of alcoholism to some, but I see it as my adaptation of a pretty universal Chilean custom: eating in bed.
I was never, EVER allowed to do this growing up and I had no problem with it. Eating in bed just doesn't feel right. I hate crumbs in the bed and since I'm a messy person, they're inevitable. But when I first got here, my host family would always encourage my breakfast and me to get a room. In fact, we all went our separate ways in the morning to "enjoy" our crappy nescafe "en cama" and then I just sort of picked up the practice and never looked back.
Now, I rarely have time to eat breakfast and I almost never eat lunch at my apartment during the work week, so I've taken to eating my dinner or at least taking my wine to bed with me. Since I'm messy, this also means that halfway through the next day, you're almost sure to find an empty (SOMETIMES half-empty, but not often) wine glass on my nightstand. Some people have a glass of water next to them. Others just a bedside lamp and a magazine. But me? No. No. I have the remnants of my nightcap.
I don't think many other people drink wine in bed, but plenty of Chileans drink tea and eat bread inbed. I still hate that I do this because the thought of crumbs in my sheets drives me crazy, but I haven't been able to fight it, either.There's something so decadently wrong about making your bed your kitchen table, too.It's also completely understandable sometimes. Especially during the winter months where the only semi-warm place is under the covers, it's hard to argue against it.
I've resolved to kick this nasty habit once I have heat and manage to get the tv out of the bedroom and into the tv room where it belongs (another Chilean habit I cannot shake), but in the mean time, salud and goodnight!
6 comments:
I don't usually eat in bed but I've always loved having a glass of wine in bed while reading a book! Wine with dark chocolate is even better! Mmmm!
Hah! Really?!? My in laws NEVER eat anywhere except their table with full table settings and folded napkins. I always thought Chileans were so formal. I however, computer in my bed, eat in my bed, etc. I thought it was leftover college dorm habits when your bed was just about all that fit in your room.
ohh Lou, that idea is taunting me right now!
And Amanda, not even breakfast? When I was living with a family here, we always had very formal dinners, but breakfast was always in bed.
Hi There,
Great to find this little blog.
I am Chilean but I live in Australia since 2007.
I have a blog called: wineswithchile.blogspot.com
Please have a look.
Cheers.
PS: I hate eating in bed, unless Is mum looking after me when I was sick.
I'm with Amanda - my host mom will not eat without putting a placemat down first, and even when my host brother and I would come in late after a soccer game we'd set the table because it was such a habit for him. My in-laws aren't that formal, but they do always have a tablecloth on the dining table, and they don't eat in bed.
I taught English to professional adults for years and learned a lot about the personal lives of my students. I was amazed to learn how many people (those without kids anyway), get home from work at 9:30 or so and go straight to bed with a tray of dinner and a remote control.
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