SANTIAGO.- If Anthony Bourdain were to visit Chile along with his girlfriend, he wouldn't think twice about taking her out for a leg of pork at "El Hoyo" (which he describes as a restaurant that is "exciting and shockingly good"), served with a piece of tongue and "prietas" (Chilean blood sausages). If he were looking for a bargain, he might even invite her out for a hot dog or lomito sandwich in Valparaíso.

This was what the "cookstar" had to say at his first official meeting with the Chilean press at the restaurant "Emilio", where Bourdain drank wine and beer and explained his fascination with street food and its high cholesterol contents.

The chef also stood out due to the elegant attire he wore to the press conference. Sporting a white dress shirt and recently-ironed blue jacket, the icon's look varied greatly from the image of him on cable as a guy willing to choke down poisonous snakes.

As soon as he opened his mouth however, Bourdain captivated the audience with his sincerity as he declared that he had not been surprised by any particular wine and hated the "piures" (edible tunicate, a small filter-feeding marine species native to Chile).

Before bidding farewell to Chile, Bourdain opted to sample a portion of "mote con huesillos" (stewed barley with dehydrated peaches) and said that he would like to invite Iggy Pop to the new season of his show "No Reservations".