Snapshots from Chile: Café con Piernas
From April 13 to 19, I traveled around Chile with two other American food journalists on a culinary media trip. Here's another snapshot from that week. —Robyn Lee
"They don't serve any alcohol?" asked Jenn incredulously.
"No," insisted Carolina, our Chilean host. "They just serve coffee."
Jenn, Wes and I—the clueless Americans in Chile—were befuddled by the Chilean institution that is café con piernas, or "coffee with legs." Think Hooters, but with a focus on long legs and dainty cups of coffee instead of boobs and chicken wings. Sex appeal sans booze? Interesting. As these cafes have been around since the 1960s, the formula of coffee and legs must work pretty well.
Although visiting one of these cafes wasn't part of our original itinerary—methinks it doesn't qualify as one of the foremost attractions that the Chilean government wants to promote to outsiders—we made it a point to visit Cafe Caribe, just one of many of these types of cafes near Plaza de Armas, the main square in downtown Santiago.
The bright and spacious mirror-lined interior, which looked like it hadn't changed since the 70s, consisted of a long, winding counter for customers to stand in front of while enjoying their drinks. Behind the counter, waitresses in skin-tight red tube dresses and nude-colored tights milled about in semi-high heels while balancing cups on saucers. Although the dresses just barely covered the nether regions, the top was conservative, with necklines that came up to...well, the neck. You won't find any cleavage here.
The clientèle was, unsurprisingly, mostly men, but women certainly wouldn't be refused a caffeine fix as well. And in a country dominated by Nescafe* (although the coffee choices are getting better these days), it's a place where you know you can get a good cup of coffee. I opted for a hot chocolate, which tasted mostly of cocoa and required the addition of a few prolonged shakes from the sugar dispenser.
The dress code varies depending on what cafe you're in; I suspect I saw the most tame of the lot. Although Carolina had never been to a cafe with blackened windows, she told us that these more risqué cafes potentially have mirrored floors and something called "happy minute." She didn't explain this minute of happiness in great detail, but we could use our imaginations.
Note: At the first hotel we stayed at in Santiago, each room came equippped with a Mr. Coffee machine accompanied by a single pack of Nescafe. Why have a full-blown coffee machine when it comes with instant coffee? We didn't ask.
Related
Cafes...with legs [Salon.com]
Hooters Try This on For Size - Coffee With Legs In Santiago, Chile [The Chile Information Project]
Out on a limb for coffee with legs [San Francisco Chronicle]
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5 Comments:
For some reason, I think it would be cool if they all collected at different points during the day and reenacted a Robert Palmer video. I know that's just me, though.
OneWallKitchen at 3:16PM on 04/24/08
I took some visitors from abroad (including my gf at the time) to cafe con piernas and they all thought it was quite interesting. Indeed you went to the tamest of them all (and the one that started it -- it was cafe caribe who changed the concept of a coffeeshop to the legs version).
The happy minute was popular at a placed called "Baron Rojo" (Red Baron), where the girls definitely wear way less clothing and at random times during the day they would loosen up their tops for a minute. (I think this place went out of business, but I'm not sure...haven't been back to Chile for a couple of years now).
Some of the tainted-window places do serve alcohol, the music is really loud, and every time they open the door, there's so much smoke inside that you could probably make bacon.
For me one of the most amusing parts was always the people who would hang out outside the Red Baron waiting for the doors to open so they could catch a glimpse without buying the coffee.
nicoeats at 2:04AM on 04/25/08
@OneWallKitchen: I hadn't even seen a Robert Palmer video until you mentioned him. (This is what I missed in my early childhood, I guess...maybe not the biggest loss, haha.) And yeah, that would be pretty cool.
@nicoeats: Any less tame and it might not have been safe for Serious Eats. ;D And alcohol/smoke sounds more like what we would've expected. Maybe it's for the best we didn't check any of those places out...
roboppy at 11:20AM on 04/25/08
Mmmm, a 70s style coffee shop full of men? Sounds good to me Robyn. ;) Haha.
Although the mirrored floors sound scaarryyy....
SeraCandyEnthusiast at 12:07PM on 04/25/08
Huh, interesting. I think there are coffee stands similar to this in Washington St., according to a show (20/20, Primetime?) I watched, but it always included boob shirts... Because that's what American men are into... lol
ChristinaINP at 4:20PM on 04/30/08