Parque Pereyra Iraola, former owner's home, now a museum
An asado is a term used to describe a South American style barbecue usually consisting of beef cooked on a grill called a parrilla over an open fire. Due to the almost year-round beautiful weather, they are quite popular in Argentina. This afternoon I ventured all the way to Parque Pereyra Iraola outside of La Plata to watch other people eat a hell of a lot of meat. I had vegetables and bread. Fun.
Aside from the meat eating I had a great time resting on the grass and watching Argentines drink their mate. It didn’t hurt that the weather was fabulous. I love Argentina. There is no other place I’ve been where so many people are out enjoying the day in such quiet solitude. The majority of locals I’ve met are the calmest and easiest going people I have ever encountered in my life. From the bottom of my heart I thank them for teaching me so much peace.
A very low-key, but traditional Argentina asado
Yes I took a photo of meat. I figured I should see what all the fuss is about!
There were horses everywhere!
The road to La Plata
After the asado I perused the flea market
This magazine is called "Very Interesting" so I had to take a photo
The view from Mattias' and Cecelia's La Plata apartment
Ramiro was born in the province of Santiago, a place where — if legend is true — no one wakes. It’s a running joke in Argentina that people from Santiago are always sleeping. When Ramiro was a teenager he and his family moved to the province of Tucumán where things are a little livelier.
I have never met a person more calm or serene than Ramiro. He’s an exceptionally quiet individual. He’s also very generous. He has allowed me to stay with him in his apartment for seven months now, in spite of the fact that I’ve broken or nearly tarnished every valuable possession he owns.
Sure he’s never here, and I’m basically the housekeeper, but I don’t complain. Ramiro has two sisters, one older and one younger. The oldest lives with her husband and three young daughters in Tucumán and the youngest lives in La Plata, Buenos Aires. His mother owns a clothing establishment, and his parents visit Capital Federal frequently to peruse the shops for clothes to sell in their store. Sometimes they sleep here in the apartment. Sometimes they don’t. But they visit. Often. If you catch my drift. Often.
None of them speak English. I don’t speak Spanish. It can get… interesting. I can never fault them on their kindness. When they visit they make lunch, or dinner, and are always observant that I don’t eat meat, and therefore make vegetarian meals. This is not something that I ask of them, and to their credit, in this meat eating country, they never complain. But then again, how would I know any better if I can’t understand a word that they say?
The whole brigade is in town this week and his mother brought over a food that I had never heard of before called humita en chala. Here is a little history lesson that I swiped form this blog. In 1879, the forces of Tucuman-born future president of Argentina General Roca wiped out most of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the Pampa, leaving the country with a predominantly European population. One of the few traditional recipes that survived from the native population was humita en chala and it was passed down from the Andean Incas and Mapuche tribes. Today it’s considered a national dish filled with hot corn pudding spiked with roasted piquillo peppers.
Inside humita en chala
At first sight it just sat on my plate. I didn’t know what to do with it. Eventually I grabbed a pair of scissors, cut the string and carefully opened the contents to reveal a mushy substance in the centre. It was yummy and I helped myself to three servings.
It demonstrates that though a vegetarian diet in South America is more challenging, it isn’t impossible. Corn provides a lot of dietary fibre, and carbohydrates needed for energy. I am thankful to Ramiro’s parents for introducing me to this simple yet fabulous traditional culinary experience and for being remarkably generous while I’ve mooched off their son.
To finish this post I welcome you to listen to a song by the late Mercedes Sosa, an Argentine treasure.
I’m blogging a lot because I’m glued to a desk writing articles all day. Today I completed 6 assignments, each requiring intense research because I know little about the topics. But that’s life. When I need a break I write blog posts, or view videos on YouTube.
This evening I had dinner with Ramiro who recently returned from his work-related trip to Dallas and Miami. There’s this take-out place on Cabildo in Capital Federal called La Soberana that he thought I might like. The man who took my order was really nice and tried to speak English with me. I’m always surprised at how proficient Argentines are with the English language.
Anyway, for dinner I ordered bomba de papa y queso, (a rice ball stuffed with potato and cheese):
Bomba de papa y queso
And for dessert I had a delicious slice of budín de pan (bread and milk) with a dollop of dulce de leche:
Budín de pan con dulce de leche
Ramiro ate terrina de verdura stuffed with espinaca:
Terrina de verdura
And for dessert he had a tiramisú doused in rum:
Tiramisú
I devoured my portion in record time. Now I’m listening to the news. I love the ominous music they play with everything. So dramatic. It’s almost worse than CNN or FOX. Almost.
When I first moved to Argentina I was taken aback by how much sugar porteños consume. A lot. One thing I can’t fault them on is dulce de leche. Nothing has rocked my world more than this delicacy. This afternoon I ate lunch in Nuñez and treated myself to a little dessert. At first I thought I was ordering lemon meringue but inside was, you guessed it, dulce de leche. Yum. I have to remember to take a few jars back with me to Toronto.
A couple of weekends ago I went to El Club de la Milanesa for, you guessed it, milanesa! All the milanesa one could possibly hope for is served at this Recoleta establishment. I took some photos, mostly of the beer tower, none of the food.
Priorities. Check it out if you’re in Buenos Aires.
The beer contraption thingy. It was a lot of beer.
This is what Argentina uses for air conditioning. They are rarely enough to beat the formidable heat and water often leaks from them.
Today I ate. A lot. I ate so much my belly hurts. I heard of a German restaurant buried somewhere in the country side of San Rafael and couldn’t resist checking it out. Owned and operated by a friendly German expat who speaks fluent Spanish and a little English I was treated to a unique experience. The vegetable strudel was to die for and the hospitality the best I’ve had in Argentina so far. Maybe that’s because there wasn’t a single Argentine employee!
This morning I met Fabian who owns the home where I’m staying and he couldn’t stop talking about how white I am. He didn’t understand how I could have lived in Argentina for six months without getting a tan. I told him there’s this new invention called sunscreen. By the looks of his leathery, wrinkled, and cancer fetching skin, he could benefit from just a little.
This is my last day in San Rafael, I leave tomorrow morning for Buenos Aires. Mendoza city was on my itinerary but I was comfortable in sleepy San Rafael, and I appreciated the solitude it afforded me before I have to return to the energy and vitality of BA. On the trip back I have one more stop scheduled at Luján Basilicaand I’m eagerly anticipating it.
The butter was delicious
Vegetable strudel -- to die for!
Life would be meaningless without beer
The restaurant is far from the beaten path, a remote location 10 km from the main road
While in La Plata I stopped by this unconventional restaurant/bar called Mondongo Cultural. It serves as a meeting place for artists, and musicians with a full menu and a limited, yet nourishing wine list. One of the highlights for me was the local beer, a nice addition to any hot summer afternoon.
I’m struggling to find the right word to describe the venue. I want to say bohemian but that doesn’t sound right. It’s a welcoming youthful establishment with plenty of character that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s run by a young couple from Tucumán who have a relaxed vibe. There’s lots of art work on the wall and a room where musicians entertain.
Anyway, for what it’s worth — and please remember I lack credibility and don’t like to take pictures of food because I completely suck at it — I would recommend you check this joint (yes you read that word correctly) out. Just for the décor alone. I was there for lunch, but it doesn’t come alive until the evening. Obviously.
Music room
Cabra 52 beer
Lunch. Completely vegetarian. And delicious.
The patio, lots of smoking and drinking goes on here!
Such lovely windowsill decorations
Dining area. I had to use the flash so it doesn't look as good as it does in person.
I had to take photos of the peanut things, 'cause I felt like it
La Siesta. All images courtesy of La Siesta's facebook page.
Note: I am not a food reviewer, and I hate taking photos of food. I am not a foodie, I repeat I am not a foodie. In fact, I’ve drafted an entire article about food in Argentina from a rabid vegetarian’s perspective. Food does not excite me like it does countless others, but I had such a lovely experience last night that I thought I would share it.
In Chacarita there is a quaint little restaurant with just the right amount of tasteful charm to prevent you from gagging. What I mean to say is that it doesn’t knock you over the head with how cute it is, that’s how much confidence it oozes.
All images courtesy of La Siesta's facebook page
It’s called La Siesta and that’s where I found myself after last night’s concert, nestled in my warm cardigan, on their outdoor patio. Based on what I’ve heard from locals, it’s apparently owned by a lesbian couple (incentive much!) who change the menu every month to accommodate their creative flare.
It’s small, but there wasn’t an empty table. Situated on Av. Elcano it’s a little far from the beaten track but worth the trip. The menu, for you foodies out there, was excellent in variety. The most decadent was the stuffed portobello in rolled egglpant served with ricotta, walnut and rice with lemon and rosemary, spinach and almond strudel with sweet potatoes and onions in balsamic and a honey reduction. Phew! Got that out. Dessert included creme brulee with dulce de leche, chocolate volcano (my ultimate favourite) with ice cream and homemade cakes.
The menu is usually heavy on organic and vegetarian cuisine but this month they’ve added more meat dishes to compliment the heavy summer we’ve been enduring. I just made that up, I don’t know why they’re serving more meat. No idea at all. It’s Argentina, common sense isn’t all that common.
I suppose what I liked about it the most was how unpretentious it appeared. The staff is mostly queer and the clientele was mixed, which I understand is the norm in Buenos Aires. To be honest I would never have known about La Siesta on my own. Yet another reason it’s great to know porteños. That or I’m a bad researcher. I think it might be the latter.
I didn’t stick around for the dessert but I’ve had the chocolate volcano with ice cream at other establishments and let me confess: You haven’t lived until you’ve tried it. It’s that good. You can’t even build it up enough, nothing will prepare you for the experience. It’s better than winning the lottery.
Living in meat country can be hard for a vegetarian like me. Argentina doesn’t exactly offer a plethora of variety when it comes to food. We’re not talking well-balanced meals here.
That’s why whenever a great vegetarian restaurant is presented to me I make a reservation. I love to support anything that celebrates the herbivore. Especially in Buenos Aires, where people like myself are few and far between.
Enter Jueves a la Mesa, a weekly dinner cooked and served by American expat Meghan Lewis at her home in the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires. It’s a 100% vegetarian three course meal. Each month includes two originally inspired menus, served two weeks in a row in the event that you miss it or want to come back for more. Last night’s theme was oriental flavours in recognition of Chinese New Year.
The menu
The food was delicious but the best part is that Meghan shares her recipes with her dinner guests. She is committed to spreading the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Her roommates help her cook and serve the meals and they do so with charm and flare.
Jueves a la Mesa operates like a closed-door restaurant: Reservations to join an intimate group of ten guests is required, and payment is accepted in cash only.
The starter
The main course -- there was a rice concoction that came with this... I forgot to take a photo of it!
Dessert, Meghan makes her own chocolate and it's delicious
Beautiful flower decorations
The company included Porteños, visitors, and expats like myself. I had a great time speaking with a visiting couple from Australia who were enjoying their last day in Buenos Aires before flying off to a wedding back home in Melbourne. I also met a lovely Argentine woman who now lives in Colombia who entertained me by talking about — wait for it — the weather.
Probably the most interesting was a young lady from Edmonton, Canada with a very large personality who has been living in Buenos Aires for one year. I was on the floor laughing when she reminisced about her first unfortunate experience at a Buenos Aires hair salon. Sufficed to say she ended up with a traditional Argentine mullet.
After dinner we headed to a bar in San Telmo for some beer. Wait, where's the beer?
However I have two criticisms about the evening. The first was the acoustics in Meghan’s apartment made it almost impossible to have a decent conversation. The room was small and voices became louder and louder until it was practically vibrating. The other was that most of the guests seemed to know each other and were friends with Meghan. When the guests have already formed exclusive cliques it makes it difficult for someone — on the outside — like myself to wedge their way in. Perhaps altering the table set-up so that people are forced to interact with individuals they don’t know would help make newcomers feel more comfortable and included.
Other than that I recommend that you make a reservation and check it out. It’s a lovely experience.
Three samples of beer to choose from! Oh My! They didn't take long to devour.
First let me state that I am not a beer connoisseur, nor do I pretend to be. However, I love beer, and when I heard about Buena Birra Social Club I knew I wanted to check it out. Owned and operated by brother and sister Maria Eugenia and Ariel, Buena Birra Social Club — a puerta cerrada, or a closed-door, reservation-only establishment – attempts to rectify the lack of fine microbeweries in Buenos Aires. Ariel concocts all the beers himself in a small room in his backyard and runs Buena Birra Social Club (do you think I’ve plugged the name enough?) from his own home — he lives upstairs. The Travel Chica does a much better job than I could at explaining the experience so I’m just going to let her get on with it and show you my pictures from the evening.
Wait! I have a startling factoid: Did you know that beer in Argentina contains only 3.5% of alcohol? Mind. Blown.
As usual the only thing I could eat was pizza! Hello belly!
Retro wall decorations -- loves it
Succulent beer
I coaxed Ramiro to come with me, and thank God I did. No one, not even Maria Eugenia and Ariel, spoke English! Ramiro is traveling to Miami and Texas in February leaving me as the primary caretaker of his apartment. I hope I don't burn it down. I hate gas ovens!
I have no idea what this board was supposed to represent. It was all a blur.
