Buenos Aires (Day 18): Argentime

Buenos Aires is only 4 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, but it seems as though Argentines here are on their own special schedule. 45 minutes late? No problem. Not showing up when you say you would? Ehh, whatever. Everyone from the landlord to the maid to the Argentine PG&E guy has either been extremely late or has stood us up for an appointment. Maybe it's a cultural thing... or maybe the wifey and I just smell funny... but it's a wonder how anything ever gets done around here. There's a term for this in Chinese called lau hay... which basically means you heeelllla unreliable. But I've coined a new term for this Argentine laissez faire attitude: Argentime.

Like you'd think we were on some tropical island or something with how relaxed and indifferent everyone is. Sheesh. This is, after all, a major metropolitan city. But when you're on Argentime, the world moves just a little slower. No, let me rephrase that... the world moves just a little later. Dinner, for instance, starts around 9:30 in the evening and doesn't really get into full swing until about 10pm. Walk into a restaurant at 7pm and the waiters will look at you funny and ask if you're there for lunch. Who eats lunch at 7 o'clock at night? Apparently, the wifey and I do. But when you're on Argentime, you might as well be on PST, as it all kinda works to our advantage since the restaurants are completely empty when we're eating. I guess it's kinda as if we were back home and showed up for dinner at 4:30. I'd give us funny looks too.

When you're on Argentime, meals last for hours. I guess, here, eating is more of a social event rather than an act of survival, and the waiters won't shoo you away after you've finished your meal... even if there's a line waiting out the door. The only problem is, it takes forever to get our check since they expect people to mill around. I'm sure to them, we look like we're in such a big rush. I also hear they take 2 hour lunches and nap quite often. Hmmph... Argentime. Maybe they know something we don't.

Oh, and speaking of time, we really don't know what time it is over here. Apparently, Argentina usually observes daylight savings this weekend, but for some reason decided not to do it this year... but the problem is, someone forgot to tell the official world clock people on our iPod Touch. WTH? I don't wanna show up for lunch when it's really dinner time.

Random Stuff:

• When we first arrived and were looking for a place to have dinner--around like 7pm--we were like, "Dang, this city is dead... there's like no one eating out." Little did we know that we were just hella friggin early.
  
• Going back to the apartment for a mini seista.
  
• Checking out the Biblioteca Nacional, their public library. It's a huge and stranging looking building with tight security and the gaurd wouldn't let us in. Umm, it's a library.
  
• Admiring the photo exhibit at Centro Cultural Recoleta.
  
• Strolling around Recoleta and Plaza Francia at night.
  
• Fugazza Pizza (mozzerella and unions) at Morelia. Yum.
  
• Today is the anniversary of the beginning of Peronism. Woo hoo.

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Picture of the Day
Centro Cultural Recoleta Artwork