You know cafe con piernas?

I had a great discussion with one of  my classes today, but first I should explain the context of where the conversation came from.  We are on a unit about making ethical decisions, and frankly some of the examples in the book are kind of dumb and nobody would want to have any prolonged discussion about the ethical calculus they use to make decisions in those situations. 

So today we did a telephone activity, where I got into another room and call each student and have a conversation with them.  This is a challenge for both them and me because you can't see each other and there is interference from the phone.  One of my students said that she was kind of sick today because she went to a party last night.  We all chuckle and discuss the dangers of too much pisco, but when I got back into the classroom is when things got interesting.

We continued talking about the party- she told us a dancer was ordered that also took her clothes off.  All of her clothes.  I think it is important to note here that some/all of the males in the class were very excited about this.  This party sounded pretty bitchin' to them.  I was also informed that you could only look and touch- it was not, as we would say in English, "full service".  This is where things started to get really interesting, and I only want to highlight a few things I found interesting.


First, you can legally get "full service" here.  Prostitution is essentially legal, but you have to go through a company and not a pimp.  Pimping is illegal.  (The students did not know the word for pimp, but after asking what to call the person that administers over the "bitches",  I figured it was just best to have them say pimp.) 

After learning about the legal status of prostitution in Santiago, my students told me that a politician (or group of politicians) are pushing to create a "red light district" (I forgot the phrase they used in Spanish, but it was not red light district) here in Santiago.  I am curious to learn more about this and how the Catholic church, ever present in this city, feels about it.

At one point, a clear line was drawn to distinguished what was considered the objectification of women and what was not.  Looking at them and touching them while they dance naked is not objectification, but once you cross the line of actually having sex with them, you have crossed the line and  objectified the woman.  I thought it was an interesting line to draw, especially considering it was ok to touch. 

I really enjoy when students ask me if I "know" a place.  More often than not, they are asking if I have been there.  When I was asked, "Teacher, you know cafe con piernas?"  I had to smile and say I know of cafe on piernas, but I have never been to one.  They are coffee shops with waitresses that wear very little clothing.  It's like Hooters, only less clothes (from what I understand).   It was also brought to my attention that there are cafe con piernas, and then there are cafe con piernas where they wear even less clothing and you have to know the right places to go to really get the full experience.  Since I have this blog marked as not containing adult content, I am not going to post any photos of what cafe con piernas looks like.  When I asked if these places should be consolidated into a red light district, it was decided that they should not be because now, spread throughout the city, they "keep a low profile".  Like I said, you have to know the right places to go to get the full experience. 

Students also talked about how there is a strange sort of dichotomy between the naughty side of Santiago and the conservative Catholic side of Santiago.  Students thought the church seemed to "put their hands over their eyes" and ignore what was going on.  And then there is the naughty side that will always be around...being naughty and whatnot.  It was interesting to see the students themselves recognize a strange dichotomy existing in the Chilean ethical psyche when it comes to sex and sex related things. 

All in all, I would say that today was a much more stimulating discussion than talking about what you would do if you got undercharged for your dessert or what you would do if the cashier gave you too much change.  I even learned a few things, and I got to see into the minds of Chileans and their views on many a sex-related topic. 

PS- Don't worry.  I asked if there are male strippers like Chippendale's, and there are.