Vocabulary Word of the Week: Salchicha

Thus begins a new weekly installment (Maybe? That statement could be a little audacious). Let's face it, amigos; the time has come to make this blog concretely edifying for its legions of followers.

This week's new word: Salchicha

(pronounced "sahl-chee-cha")

Chileans and Mexicans alike salivate at mention of this word. Very Pavlovian it is. Salchicha = sausage. And what is the sausage of choice in these countries? Why, the hot dog, of course!

Great on pizza, in sandwiches, served over pasta, cut into rounds and bathed in mayo, what-have-you. And of course, there's always the classic salchicha in bun. Nothing's more versatile than a processed by-product meat, you see.

There are quite a few salchicha fast food joints here in Chile, and they're always swarming with customers ravenous for their favorite food, the national treat.

Here's the salchicha aisle at our grocery store. Yes, I said aisle. I'm serious. It's all hot dogs. I don't know why there are so many choices for this product (I guess there are different quantity packs one can purchase, and that could lead to some tough decision-making). But as evinced in the photo, picking your desired hot dog pack is a dilemma that merits serious contemplation.

It can be guaranteed that the person in line in front of you at a Santiago grocery store will drop a pack of weiners on the ol' conveyor belt. And in your head you'll think, "Ah! You went for the 12-pack! Interesting! Very interesting!"