Food for Thought

The Argentine diet. I know I've spoken about it before. But at this point, I think it deserves its own post.

Desayuno (breakfast): Practically non-existent. Coffee or tea. Toast with butter. Medialunas. I don't understand how a sugar-covered pastry can be enough to start your day. Or how, if you eat enough of them to fill you up, you still stay skinny. Because people here eat sugared pastries all day and it doesn't seem to reflect. I have managed to find cereals in most of my hostels, but they eat the smallest tiniest bowls ever. Breakfast is tiny, but they build throughout the day.

Almuerzo (lunch): I still haven't figured out WHEN they eat lunch. There is no lunch time. Mostly I see people lounging in cafes having a repeat of breakfast. Though many tourists find large slabs of meet or sandwiches of breaded meat (milanesas) to keep them going for their busy days. Sometimes pizza is an option, too.

Cena (dinner): Famously eaten past ten o'clock at night, this is the biggest meal of the day for Argentines. At the same time, you pretty much get one course. There is no salad and then your meal. In fact, I don't think they believe in salad here. Their version of a salad is lettuce. Sometimes you can get tomato or onion (they are BIG on onions here). But really, its all about the huge portions of meat. For us "vegetarian" folk, it's pizza or pasta.

That's what I've found. The Argentine diet consists of four food groups: Coffee, meat, pastries, Italian (pizza and pasta). How these people don't walk around obese is beyond me. I think maybe it's because they smoke so much. Speeds up the metabolism, burns the extra fat. EVERYONE smokes here. Or maybe its genetic.

Either way, my dad knows that the first thing I want to do when I get home is eat some pancakes or waffles or french toast - maybe all of the above.

BESOS!