Taste of Buenos Aires from a Beginner
The food in Argentina, on a day-to-day basis, is very affordable. For the equivalent of $5-$10 a day, you can eat various kinds of steaks—breaded ones are called milanesas, grilled ones costillos, and the filet mingnon types are called lomo. Steaks can be beef, chicken, or pork. Beware, this city can only boast of 7 genuinely vegetarian restaurants.
Often steaks come with more than just potatoes. Most restaurants will top the steak with cooked ham and cheese, or a runny egg. If you are really lucky, they will put all of those on your steak with marinara sauce—a milanesa a la colombiana. The only problem is that I have no idea if that is truly representative of Colombian cuisine. There are cafés and restaurants on every corner which all feature the same foods: steaks, pastas—gnocchi, fettuccini, lasagna, spaghetti, and ravioli, salads—mixta, primavera, and plain, as well as the same desserts—flan, tiramisu, and all kinds of cakes.
Steet side cafe in Belgrano
However the quality of food can be directly related to the price. Just make sure to walk in, and read the menu before deciding to sit down. Every restaurant is different: some charge for bread, some do not. Some charge for water and table service. Others don’t. You have to be careful, and know your order before you pay. Foreigners easily can pay too much for a meal if they do not read their cheque.
Service in Argentina is particularly slow. You cannot just go into a restaurant and sit down, usually a waiter seats you as you come in, and they expect you to order something besides a glass of water. There is another other side to this: while they may be quick to hand you a menu, don’t expect less than a twenty minute wait between the menu, the drinks, and then thirty minutes for the waiter to get your food. This is customary because the idea is to create an ambiance of comfort, so that groups of friends can charlar—chitchat, and generally allows for more social time. Lunch and dinner begin late, and end even later than in the States. I have eaten lunch at 2 pm, and had it last until 4:30pm, subsequently started dinner at midnight until 3 am. In this culture, mealtime equals talk time.
However, this does not apply to people who are rude, or to those who only speak English; I went to a restaurant with a friend, and Canadians and people from the US were considered rude for speaking English in an Argentine establishment. It is not an unfounded sentiment. How many times have I heard people complain in the United States that immigrants should learn English? The feelings are true for some Argentines as well; and many consider it not only respectful, but wonderful if foreigners practice Spanish and make an effort to learn more about the culture.
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#1: 2/29/2008 at 12:13 p.m.
While Swarthmore students do tend to be keenly interest in world cultures, I can't help but wonder if a piece marginally more pertinent to our daily lives could have been run in this piece's stead. I may indeed someday travel to Argentina, in which case basic knowledge of traditional steak dishes will certainly come in handy (provided I still recall the content of this article), but a piece on dining in New York or Washington DC would have been of much greater immediate utility to the Swarthmore community.
— anonymous | Unregistered, Swarthmore
#2: 2/29/2008 at 12:56 p.m.
Anonymous,
Stephanie Appiah is a columnist for the Gazette writing about her time in Argentina. She asked to be a columnist, and we've had no similar requests from Swarthmore students in New York or D.C.—though we'd certainly be interested in discussing the idea.
Moreover, we do regularly write reviews about dining in the Philly area. Check out our Dining Map, and you'll find reviews, prices, and directions for a wide array of places.
— Miles Skorpen | Staff
#3: 2/29/2008 at 1:15 p.m.
Stehapnie you need to look for
Cervantes II: The Lomo there is the best I got in all Buenos Aires
A cuban restaurant by the docks is supposed to be amazing
There is a Korean restaurant which I forget the name of- do you have a Lonely Planet?
And then you might want to consider a superepic journey to a small town called La Falda, and then, there, eat at la parilla de raul. That was one of those places where the meat comes for as long as you can eat. Each serving was ethereal. The food might be what I miss most about my summer there.
P.S. you can get peanut butter in china town.
— Seth Green | Unregistered, Swarthmore
#4: 2/29/2008 at 1:49 p.m.
I more or less know what dining experiences in the United States are like, and I enjoyed learning about something I wouldn't otherwise know.
— Liz | Unregistered, Swarthmore
#5: 2/29/2008 at 2:38 p.m.
Actually, I thought this piece was great. I'm trying to decide where to study abroad in Spain or Latin America, and this was very informative and helpful. Food is high on my list of concerns about living in another country, so this was comforting! I've really enjoyed all the study-abroad related articles recently.
I disagree that "a piece on dining in New York or Washington DC would have been of much greater immediate utility to the Swarthmore community." Maybe Anonymous goes to D.C. for dinner, but I don't know any other Swatties who do.
— M | Unregistered, Swarthmore
#6: 2/29/2008 at 6:56 p.m.
I was amazed to read that you think that pleople in Argentina will be offended or irritated by someone speaking english or any other language. I've been to Buenos Aires many many times and if anything I've found Argentines very friendly indeed. There are many pleople in Argentina and in particular in B.A
that can speak english, and the truth is I've found them more than willing to practice their english and find out what tourists are all about.
And yes, the food there is Woooowww!!.
— Sergio | Unregistered, Non-Swarthmore
#7: 2/29/2008 at 8:30 p.m.
Hello,
I don't know how appropriate it is for a columnist to respond to comments in the forum--I will respond by email if there are more questions.
I am writing this from my own personal experience. So if there is anything you can add, subtract, or suggest to me while I'm abroad I really do appreciate it.
In the three restaurants that I visited before writing this, I was looked down upon or at times frowned at for speaking English.
I may have just been one tourist too many. And that's something else that I've learned. There's no way for me to look like anything but a tourist, because the african-american population here is very low. So sometimes, I have a bad experience more because I'm a tourist, and as a tourist, I FREQUENTLY misunderstand the system, than because the place is bad or anything like that. It's just another type of cultural adjustment.
Thank you all for your comments by the way!
— Stephanie Appiah | Unregistered, Non-Swarthmore
#8: 3/1/2008 at 2:41 p.m.
In Buenos Aires, and many other countries the speed of the service is dependent on customer.
The waiter will stand back and wait for your signal. Eye contact and a simple nod will get them to come take your order, bring you another drink or the check.
This frustrated us until a local friend told us about this. Once we knew it was great. We could have a very speedy lunch or a long leisurely one. It was up to us...not the waiter.
Best,
Michael
http://www.familyhack.com
— Michael | Family Hack | Unregistered, Non-Swarthmore
#9: 3/3/2008 at 12:12 a.m.
You should definitely go to restaurants in Palermo! So trendy and cool.
— oMG | Unregistered, Non-Swarthmore