Comida

Comida (food)

One of my cultural goals has been to learn about Argentine food and the practices and values relating to it. Eating and sharing food is a big part of the culture here and I think I have definitely achieved what I set out to do!

Argentina is famous for beef (la carne de vaca)and pasta, pizza and gelato (thanks to the Italian heritage). The food also has Spanish influences such as empanadas.

Because it is such a large country the food is very varied depending on what is readily available in the area. For example; Patagonia is not a beef producing region so lamb and seafood is more common. And because my city Crespo just happens to be the poultry capital of Argentina I have been eating my fair share of pollo (chicken) and huevos (eggs)!

Desayuno (breakfast) tends to be something from the panadería (bakery) and is smaller and sweeter than what I'm used to at home! Almuerzo (lunch) is the main meal of the day. Children either go to school in the morning or the afternoon and people who work normally stop between the hours of 12pm and 3pm so families eat together at home. Cena (dinner) is less important than the midday meal and is often something leftover. It is not common here to eat cena before 9pm!

Every house I have been to has its own asado “oven”. Asado refers to the barbecue technique and also the social event of hosting or attending a barbecue. Asados happen all year round and on Sundays families normally get together to share one.

Alfajore- Argentina's most famous biscuit!

Carne!

Tripa gorda!...intestines!!!

Asado fish.

An asado oven.

                                       

                                                 Protein!!!

                                       

                                                Locro- a hearty stew made with corn and meat.

            

                                     

                                               Empanadas

Making empanadas!

Facturas

                                     

                                         Dulce de leche- caramalised milk. Every family has a tub in the fridge.

Dulce de leche goes in anything and everything!

Batata-sweet potato often served with cheese after dinner.

Torta fritas- a kind of fried bread. Often enjoyed on a rainy afternoon.

Milhoja-the sweetest thing I've ever eaten!

Rosario

Rosario

My lovely host family took me to Rosario for my last Saturday in the country.

Rosario is the third largest city in Argentina and it is also important because the national flag was designed and then raised for the first time here. The national flag memorial is a monumental complex and Manuel Belgrano (the flag's designer) rests in a crypt beneath the enormous 78m high tower.

The city's big claim to fame now is that Lionel Messi (a world fútbol god incase you didn't know!) is a rosarino (Rosario born and breed).

I only had the day here but I think that if I lived in Argentina it would be in Rosario.

In the city centre.

The flag memorial.

My host family!

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The lights at night are the colours of the flag.

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

We had another long weekend here on May 25^th so I made a bus trip down to Argentina's capital city Buenos Aires.

The residents of the city are known as porteños. Porteños have a reputation for being broody and I definitely found them different to people in the provinces (perhaps this is how people feel about Aucklanders!?). Don't expect to walk into a shop and be greeted; if you get a smile you're lucky!

When walking down the street you could easily be mistaken for thinking that you were somewhere in Europe (it is known as the Paris of South America). Most of the city was built around the turn of the century during Argentina's boom time so buildings and infrastructures were big and lavish. However the boom times finished and people from other parts of the country began moving to the city and the population increased too quickly. Social issues such as poverty, unemployment and pollution began to grow and are still problems today.

Buenos Aires has a reputation for being peligroso (dangerous), especially for tourists . There there are places that foreigners are advised against visiting even during the day. As soon as I arrived from New Zealand an AFS representative told me that recently a French tourist who had been in one of those places was killed for not handing over his camera (not what you want to hear when you've just stepped off the plane!).

I really enjoyed my time here. It is a beautiful, exciting city with so much to do. However it is a big city with extreme poverty and you can never feel entirely relaxed as you always have to watch your back and your bag.

And sorry there aren't many photos; I was to scared to use my camera!

In La Boca neighbourhood. Famous for it's coloured houses and La Bombonera stadium (home of the Boca Juniors futbol team).

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Street futbol

The beutiful Teatro Colon a world-class facility for opera, ballet and classical music . The acoustics are so good that performers do not use microphones. 

The ceiling inside the teatre.

The Golden Room (Salon Dorado). The roof is gold plated!

  

The roof inside the main hall

The foor in the foyer. These tiles were all hand-laid!

Adios

Adiós Argentina

It's been awhile since my last post so here is a bit of a catch up!

The last few weeks have been extremely busy and I have been making the most of the time that I have left. Today is my last day in Crespo! Tonight at midnight I will leave on a bus bound for Buenos Aires. And from there I will catch my flight to Peru.

I have meet so many wonderful people who have all gone out of their way to help me and and make me feel welcome. It's hard to find a way to thank them all.

I hope that I will be lucky enough to return to South America sometime in the near future and of course Crespo, Entre Rios will be on the hit list.

Chau chau xxx

Iguazú Falls

Iguazú Falls

Last weekend I decided to take a long bus trip to the northeast of Argentina to visit Iguazú Falls.

Iguazú Falls have recently been named as one of the seven natural wonders of the world and now after seeing them I know why. The cataratas (waterfalls) are awe inspiring and the sound of all that water really makes you appreciate their power.

The falls lie split between Argentina and Brazil with Paraguay nearby (yes, you could visit all three countries in one day!). Both the Brazilian and Argentinian sides are national parks with much of it being rainforest full of unique plants and animals. Even pumas and jaguars live there but luckily they are mostly nocturnal and tend to avoid humans. Both sides are full of coatis. Coatis look cute and friendly but they become very aggressive around food and can bite and scratch. I witnessed one snatch a banana from a lady's hand and another run off with a packet of biscuits the second they fell on the ground.

I was lucky enough to get a clear, sunny afternoon so through the spray rainbows were visible. The 17 hour bus trip was definitely worth it!

Birds actually make their nests in the rocks under the water.

 

I didn't wander too far off the beaten track!

Caiman (small crocodile)

Cheeky coatis!

After the boat ride that took us VERY close to the falls!