Buenos dias from Buenos Aires

Florida Street

Arriving in Buenos Aires this week has been a shock to the system.  It is now week 4 on the road and I was not prepared for Argentina at all.  So much time away has apparently caused me to be lazy in doing any research before arriving somewhere new but the element of surprise has it advantages.  I came across the Rio de Là Plata (the body of water that separates Uruguay and Argentina) by ferry and it was one of the most enjoyable ways to travel that I have done in awhile.  I could not believe the difference in the cities that are so geographically similiar.   Buenos Aires is noisy, crowded, grimy and beautiful all at the same time.There are little less than 3 million people in the city and the first time I left my hotel for a walk, it felt like half of them were on the same street that I was.  After being in Uruguay where the entire country has a population of 3.4 million, I wasn’t mentally prepared for this at all.  

Beef hanging in a local butcher shop

Beef certainly remains king here, it takes up at least 75% of retail space in all the grocery stores I have been in and proudly states that it is product of Argentina.  Argentina also claims to be the second largest consumers of beef in the world (I am still looking for a good source to confirm this). Beef is the headliner on every restaurant menu from burgers, steaks, pasta dishes and empanadas.  As part of the consumer research component of my Nuffield study, I feel that is my duty to try as many of these dishes as possible and nothing has disappointed yet.  Don’t even get me started on the desserts here….they are fantastic beyond anything I have had before and I am already thinking about how much I will miss them when I return home.

I am staying at a hotel in the Palermo Hollywood district of Buenos Aires.  It is quieter here than in the downtown district and there are many more trees around which makes me like this neighbourhood even more.  My attitude towards the city is softening somewhat. Palermo Hollywood is the so- called neighbourhood where people go to be seen and for gastronomic delights; it houses the city’s greatest concentration of bars and restaurants.  Even though I am here for but just a few days before heading out to the countryside, it is my quest to try as many of the restaurants and beef dishes as possible.  I am luckily back again next week for more while I visit the famed La Rural Show, held right here in Palermo district.  Where country comes to the city: Argentina style.

Casa Rosada; allegedly painted with cow's blood