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

Buenos Aires (Day 17): Argentine Snackies

As if we're not eating enough here already. With all the beef and dulce de leche consumption between the two of us, I'm pretty sure we're single-handedly bringing stability to the Argentine Peso. But every time we visit a new foreign country, we try to immerse ourselves into the local culture as much as we can. Do what the locals do. Eat what the locals eat. So, in the name of cultural goodwill, we've sacrificed our blood pressure and cholesterol levels for the greater good... our tummies. Tummy, meet your new friends...

Alfajores. Ever wonder what would happen if an Oreo cookie had sex with a Hostess Ding Dong in a vat of dulce de leche? They'd have funny looking kids called alfajores. Well, they're not that funny looking, but they sure taste damn yummy. They basically consist of a slab of dulce de leche sandwiched in something that's not quite a cookie, not yet a cake... and completely covered in chocolate. The most popular ones are made by a company called Havanna, and there are even cafes all over the city that serve them. Although, we personally prefer the more ghetto brand sold in supermarkets called Jorgitos. I guess that's kinda like saying we prefer Chips Ahoy over Mrs. Field's.

Te Con Leche. Nothing goes better with an alfajor than te con leche... or tea with milk. In other words, milk tea! Milk tea, oh how I love thee! My addiction to this drug of choice has brought me to 5 continents... each with its own distinct goodness. Here, te con leche is similar to what you'd find in England... with one big difference: our old friend, dulce de leche. It adds a creamy richness that you don't find in the UK. Jolly good show!


Helados. With 25 million Argentines claiming some sort of Italian descent, it's hard not to have good ice cream. Helados is the Argentine answer to Italian gelato. Smooth and creamy, it's to die for... which just might be the case if you have too much. So far our favorite flavor is almendrato [almond] from a heladeria called Chungo.

Chocolate Churros. I'm not sure if this is an exclusively Argentine snackie, but they sell them everywhere here. It's soft enough to bite into, yet crispy enough to go crunch in your mouth. These guys give the Costco churros a run for their money [gasp!]. Filled with dulce de leche and covered with chocolate, it's suprisingly not as sweet as it sounds. We had some from a street vendor... and it was sooo worth the potential trip to the porto-potty.

New friends, get in mah belly.

And Now, A Word From the Wifey...

Um, Am I An Addict?
I found out that they sell the Salamandra Dulce de Leche at the grocery store. So, of course I bought it. Now I sit in the apartment eating it straight out of the jar. I think I'm like one of those alcoholics who first start their addiction by drinking socially. Then they buy a bottle and go home and drink alone.

I'm to that point.

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Picture of the Day
Limonada with Mint and Ginger

Buenos Aires (Day 16): Got Hairy Crabs at Cafe Tortoni

Did you know that there's a huge Jewish population in Buenos Aires? I didn't either. But evidently, there is... since the word under the Golden Arches reads "Kosher." Hmm... neat. This is the only Kosher McDonald's in the world outside of Israel. And it's here. In Buenos Aires. In front of me. I feel like I found some Jewish holy grail, but too bad I'm not Jewish... nor am I 100% sure what "kosher" really means. Something about food being prepared under rabbi supervision or something. But looking at the posters they have of the Big Macs, quarter pounders, and hamburgers, I notice that there's one thing missing: the cheese. I guess kosher also means no diary. Perfect for the wifey, but since she's accepted her new-found-southern-hemisphere lactose tolerance, the point is rather moot. Personally, I like my cheeseburgers with cheese.

Speaking of lactose, this decadent hot chocolate we're drinking at Cafe Tortoni should be giving her the runs. Luckily for me (and everyone else in the restaurant), it's not... which gives us an opportunity to enjoy the elegant 19th century decor of this Buenos Aires institution. Cafe Tortoni has been around since 1858, and the wonderfully stained glass, polished woods, and yellowing marble floors make us feel like we've stepped into a time machine. From the autographed pictures and memorabilia hanging on the walls, it seems as though every famous Argentine politician, artist, and writer has frequented this place. Literary porteños greats like Jorge Luis Borges did their best work at these very tables. And, as I'm enjoying our chocolate con churro and writing notes for this blog entry, I'm thinking they might want to add my picture and autograph to their collection as well. Ok, maybe not. How about a happy face drawn on a post-it note with my name on it instead? Got Hairy Crabs in Cafe Tortoni... sounds catchy.

Random Stuff:

• The Jewish neighborhood is called Once... pronounced On-say like Beyonce.
  
• Hanging out at Abasto Shopping Center in Once and Falabella, a Chilean department store like H&M. Stuff isn't any cheaper than in the US, but lots of people are actually buying stuff, unlike the lookyloos in China.

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Picture of the Day
El Obelisco

Buenos Aires (Day 15): The Streets of BsAs

Ok, we just jaywalked across the widest boulevard in the world. Leave it to a couple of Chinese people to make any street their personal Chinatown intersection. But hey, we did it for a great cause... to get a self-portrait shot of us and the beautiful French embassy. Leave it to us to risk life and limb for a picture. The building is a classic example of Belle Époque architecture, and it's hard to imagine that the whole street was once lined with these works of art before the government decided to raze them all in the name of Avenida 9 de Julio.

In fact, Buenos Aires (unfortunately abbreviated BsAs) is a remarkably beautiful city. Walking down Avenida de Mayo or Avenida Santa Fe with it's outdoor cafes really makes us feel like we're in Paris again. Or, strolling through the ritzy area of Recoleta takes us back to Manhattan's Upper East Side. Avenida Avlear's LV and Cartier stores remind us of Rodeo Drive. Palermo, like SF's Union Street.

But that's not to say the streets of BsAs aren't without it's own unique quirks... some good, some bad, some just plain gross. The buildings here are grand, with opulent facades, but some are in dire need of repair like the abandoned old church or the empty hospital in Recoleta. Practically every street in the city is lined with tall, lusciously green trees... absolutely beautiful, but you can't admire them too long since you'll need to pay attention to the obstacle course of dog poop and broken-up ass sidewalks, which btw, seem to be the responsibility of the home/shop owner since each plot in front of each building is paved differently... and sometimes not paved at all. There are no pedestrian lights on some streets, so you'll just have to look at the signal for oncoming traffic to make sure it's safe to go. Many intersections are blind, where the right of way is given to the car that doesn't feel like stopping. The cars get pretty close to you, but they'll honk before they run you over, unlike in China. Graffiti is rampant, but some look as though they should be hanging in museums. It's not uncommon to see dog walkers hanging on to like 20 dogs. Oh, and there's PDA all over the place... and I don't mean the Blackberry kind. These people need to get a room.

Anyhoo, the streets of Buenos Aires definitely have a lot to offer... and not just a sole-ful of crap.

Random Stuff:

• There aren't too many fancy cars on the road, though there are a lot of 60's and 70's classics... and some 90's "classics" as well.
  
• The Iglesia du Nuestra Senora Del Pilar is a nice, elaborate church next to the Recoleta cemetery. We paid $4 pesos to see the cloisters but it was worth it to see get a birds eye view of the mausoleums.
  
• Shopping at Patio Bullrich, another high end mall.
  
• For dinner, we had locro at Las Cabras, an Argentine stew of beans, vegetables, and beef. Pretty yummy.

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Picture of the Day
The Reason We Do The Palermo Hop

Buenos Aires (Day 14): Don't Cry For Me, Nacho Libre

Buenos Aires is full of good looking people. The dudes are generally well groomed, and a lot of the chicas are tall and statuesque like movie stars. In fact, we've been running into an unprecedented amount of celebrity look-alikes... or maybe the wifey and I are just trying to keep ourselves entertained. Whatever it is, I can't exactly sneak a picture of these unintentional impersonators, so you'll just have to take my word that: the baker guy at the empanada shop is a dead ringer for Robert DeNiro; the manager at Morelia looks just like Stephen Baldwin; and the waiter at Miranda might as well be Jack Black's twin brother. We've dubbed him Nacho Libre (not to his face, of course). Ehh, for all I know, everytime we walk into these places they're probably saying, "Hey, there's Jackie Chan and Connie Chung again!"

I'll show you two celebs that don't look a thing alike: Madonna and Eva Peron. Apparently, Argentines were up in arms when the Material Girl was cast as their beloved Evita. They got even more pissed when the president at the time allowed her to film on the balcony of the Casa Rosada, where Evita famously made her speeches. I'm sure they busted a vein when they found out how much the movie sucked.

Anyhoo, as we're discovering at the Museo Evita [Evita Museum], Eva Peron was an accomplished woman. She was a budding actress-turned glamorous first lady and political activist who championed women's rights, the working class, children, and the elderly. She's like Jackie O, Eleanor Roosevelt, Grace Kelly, and a little bit of Ceasar Chavez all combined into one! Now that's an ugly baby. And to think all I knew of her was that she sang that Don't Cry For Me Argentina song. Oh wait... or was that Madonna?

Random Stuff:

• Evita died at age 33 of cancer, yet she accomplished so much. People here love her, but quite a lot hate her just as much (apparently, the rich and wealthy class).
  
• The wifey is obsessed with finding this eco-friendly supermarket bag she saw in some Argentine magazine. The bag reads Mi Bolsa Eco Amiga and it's sold at a supermarket called Disco. I kinda equate it to some foreigner coming to the states and saying, "Dang, I gotta have that canvas Safeway bag!"

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Picture of the Day
Plaza de Mayo at Night

Buenos Aires (Day 13): Dulce de Leche

The other day, we were having lunch at Oui Oui, a cute little French-style cafe located near our posh Palermo apartment. It was pretty bustling, but the bright orange patio chairs and tables, along with the plethora of mouth watering baked goods laying on the counter, took my attention away from the crowd. It was 2 in the afternoon, but candles were lit ever-so-much adding to the already quaint ambiance of the place. The wifey and I were sharing a plate of homemade waffles, but instead of maple syrup, there laid a dollop of dulce de leche on the side... and it was hella good. That's when we realized what the Argentines have known for years: dulce de leche on anything is hella good.

Here, dulce de leche is practically it's own food group. It's that creamy goodness made of boiled milk and sugar that you might know better as caramel. They put it on everything here. It's used as a syrup, a sauce, in ice cream, on pancakes... I wouldn't be suprised if they bathed in it. There's even a whole section devoted to it at the supermercado [supermarket]. It's a national obsession... and for good reason, as I noticed the wifey licking the plate clean. It actually tastes a little different than the caramel we get at home... creamier, less rich, and more flavorful, a testament to the purity of ingredients here. Among various pastries and sweets, we've also encountered this heavenly stuff filled in crepes, flavored in helados [Argentine gelato], sandwiched in a Ding Dong-like snack called alfajores, mixed into tea, and even spit out from a soft serve machine at Burger King. Mmm... it's dulce de-lish-che.








And Now, A Word From the Wifey...

Because we were cash poor, we stumbled into this little cafe which takes credit cards called "La Salamandra". They serve 2 things: buffalo mozzarella and dulce de leche. Um, why didn't they just call this place "Sandy, Eat Here" because I LOVE both.

Dulce de Leche has always been my favorite Haagen Dazs flavor, but I had no idea what the real thing was. Oh my...it's good. We ordered a crossiant (also very good) and a serving of dulce de leche. It's pure heaven. I don't know if I'll be able to go back to that stuff they call "caramel" in the States.

Random Stuff:

• No real plans today, so we just go where ever the wind takes us... and it takes us on a stroll down Avenida Santa Fe, a main thoroughfare with interesting shops and architecture.
  
• On that street is El Ateneo, a huge bookstore in an old converted theater. It's as if a Borders moved into a grand opera house. What was once the stage is now a cafe, the opera box seats are now reading areas, and the upper story curved walls are lined floor to ceiling with books. This place is amazing.
  
• While crossing Avenida 9 de Julio, a huge motorcade of soccer fans/players zoom by with packed buses, kids hanging off the sides, and armed police and helicopter escorts. They take their Fútbol seriously here.
  
• Thin crust caprese pizza at Morelia for dinner. Mmm, mmm good.

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Picture of the Day
El Ateneo Bookstore