Speed-Eating, Argentina Style
Filed Under: Things move more slowly in Latin America.
We tended to believe this. That is, until we were urged to inhale a three-course meal in ten minutes, courtesy of our first long-distance bus trip in Argentina.
It all began when our bus – double-decker, shiny, and uber-modern — pulled into what looked like a bus depot around 9:30 PM. We were a few hours into an overnight trip from Puerto Iguazu to Buenos Aires.
The bus attendant poked his head into the upper deck where we were seated and mumbled in fine Argentine Spanish, “We are going to [whah, whah, whah] in 10 minutes.” (Earlier that day we were taking great pride in our Spanish language skills after coming to the aid of several travelers who couldn’t speak Spanish. Travel irony is so cruel.)
We figured our bus was just collecting more passengers. Then the woman seated next to us got up; we assumed she was headed to the bathroom. But why did she need to? After all, there was a perfectly clean bathroom on board.
As we pondered this, the bus became silent. We turned around and noticed the seats behind us were empty. From our front window seats, we peered out onto the pavement; a crowd milled at the doors of what looked like a cafeteria. A sign outside read “For Crucero del Norte passengers in transit only.”
“Wow, this is strange. Are they eating dinner in there? Maybe we should go down and ask the attendant.”
Our bus tickets included dinner, but we expected to be served at our seats.
Concerned that we might be missing our meal, we got up and headed downstairs. Everyone on the bottom deck had also vanished. The bus was completely empty – no driver, no attendant – and the side door was wide open.
The crowds outside had thinned. As we tentatively considered entering the cafeteria, a uniformed waiter approached us and indicated we were to sit, “Now.” No proof of bus tickets was required to enter. We imagined poor college students skulking around the corner, waiting for buses to arrive so they could sneak in for a free meal.
Inside the cafeteria, passengers from multiple buses were seated 100 in a row, making the scene vaguely reminiscent of a Texas-style outdoor barbecue.
The 10-Minute Speed Dinner
9:35 PM - A waiter zipped by carrying a basket of empanadas. One to a plate. Our first course, apparently.
9:38 PM - Another waiter rushed his way through with a cartload of quiches topped with marinara sauce and sided with vegetable risotto. He breezed around corners and through narrow table spaces, the napkins dangling from his pockets flapping in his wake.
Give him scrubs and he was ready for the emergency room. Why the rush? Were his quiches in danger of expiring?
Like magic, our main courses appeared before us.
9:41 PM – The drink man was pouring soda. Noticing a wine bottle on the drinks table at the front of the room, we asked, “Is wine possible?”
“Sure.”
As the waiter poured our wine, the man at our table took our cue and directed the waiter to his glass: “Vino.”
His wife gave him a roll of the eyes and tee-totaling “tsk.”
We smiled and toasted them — he with his wine, she with her cola. This had become positively civilized.
9:43 PM – Civilization was short-lived. The waiters made their final round – a la roller derby line change – with generous bowls of strawberry ice cream.
No sooner had the waiters finished dishing ice cream at our table than empty spoons hit the tables and the masses headed for the door.
9:45 PM – We hesitated, hoping to let our meal settle, but our bus attendant poked his head through the door two or three times. He looked right past us, but we figured this a clue that we should leave.
Two final hasty gulps of wine.
Not Standing Out, Not Fitting In
When we returned to the bus, the driver and attendants seemed to be laughing — likely at us. They didn’t say a word, however. Everyone was on board; all the people who had vanished had reappeared. The woman next to us explained, “We’ve been waiting for you. The attendant was looking for you.”
Good to know. The information you need – always offered ex post facto.
We realized then that for the first time in Latin America we were not seen as two gringos — just two passengers, two ordinary people. This explained why the attendant failed to recognize us during his search. We no longer stood out.
The Correct Dinner Hour
About an hour later, the attendant made his rounds and served dinner on the airplane trays we had been expecting all along. We received our wine and champagne (in oddly reversed order), but were not given the option to eat.
Only then did we realize that dinner in the cafeteria was not the plan for us. Rather, the cafeteria was reserved for the next class of bus service down (buses in Argentina are divided into three classes of service).
We had eaten at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Argentina appears “easy.” It is, particularly when compared to the overnight Paraguayan river boats and Bolivian mountain buses of our recent past. But just when we thought we could tune out because of the comfort of familiarity, we became “those tourists” who failed to comprehend the routine.
As the woman next to us poked through her soggy vegetables and dried cake, it occurred to us that our mistake worked to our benefit — at least this time. Our freshly cooked meal and ice cream — although hastily served and consumed — looked the edible alternative.
Sometimes mistakes have a silver lining.
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Help us enjoy a slow eating experience in Buenos Aires: Please send us your suggestions (via comments below, Twitter, Facebook, email) for your favorite Buenos Aires food and restaurants. We will be staying in Buenos Aires for at least a month and would love to hear your recommendations for the best parilla/steak, alfajores, ice cream, pastries, coffee, pizza, empanadas, sushi, wine, home-made pasta, and anything else you may think we may enjoy.
For those of you on Twitter, please tag your suggestions with #buenosaireseats so that they are collected in one place for everyone’s benefit.
December 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Actually, I would say that it is quite an achievement that you didn’t stand out as the gringos. I think that says a lot for your travel skills and ability in Spanish. And, even though it was a hurried meal, at least it was tasty!
December 28th, 2009 at 7:53 pm
Amusing story. I can relate. Once when I was in Munich, my wife and I stopped to eat at a traditional German restaurant/brewhouse. We didn’t speak a lick of German – though we tried – and couldn’t decipher the menu. Surprisingly, the restaurant lacked an English menu. Most other restaurants we’d been to had one easily accessible if not on the table. We managed to request one much to the dismay of our waitress. I think we actually offended her, unfortunately. She got her revenge – we were charged for the pretzels we’d eaten from the basket on the table.
December 28th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
My Argentine friends explained to me in the early 90s that they ate so fast whenever we went out for lunch or dinner because during the hyperinflation years, the menu prices changed in front of them at the table WHILE THEY ATE. So, the faster you ate, the “cheaper” the price of the meal. We must have seemed like turtles to them…
December 29th, 2009 at 1:17 am
What an oddly educational experience! I also say big props on blending in instead of sticking out – that is truly no easy task
December 29th, 2009 at 3:39 am
It is always so satisfying to realize you’ve become comfortable enough in a new place and with a new language that you no longer stand out. Do Argentine buses also have Bingo on them (like the Peruvian ones)? Enjoy BA and I will email you guys with some food suggestions. Jodi
December 29th, 2009 at 3:40 am
p.s. Best alfajores are easily Havanna. So. Ridiculously. Good.
December 29th, 2009 at 3:48 am
Anytime I think of eating in Buenos Aires, I think of this place: http://www.tematareramirez.com/
It was incredible. Far from raunchy (as it may appear to be) it is a very classy place and when I was there it was filled with couples of all ages, even families and large groups of friends. It was one of the most unique and enjoyable eating experiences I have ever had in my life. Bring a dictionary though, as the words on the menu do not involve common, everyday Spanish vocabulary!
December 29th, 2009 at 6:50 am
I’ve tried my fair share of empanadas in Buenos Aires over the last few months – my favorite places are La Morada (on Hipolito Yrigoyen between Chacabuco and Piedras) and Cumana (Sante Fe and Rodriguez Pena) in Recoleta area.
As far as wine, sample the wines from Cafayate (you can get Mendoza wines anywhere), especially recommended are Don David (Bodega El Esteco), Cafayate (Bodega Etchart) and if you can find them, Jose Mournier.
For a good beer, I recommend Gibralter in San Telmo. It has the best beer I’ve found in Argentina (try the Gambrinus Pale Ale).
Lastly, if you’re craving Indian food, try Tandoor in Barrio Norte.
December 29th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
What a great story! This bus experience (despite the eating mishap) sounds wonderful! Is it pretty cheap to travel by bus? Your description of the bus ride reminds me of the government buses in Thailand. Fantastic service – better than an airplane!
I loved this article.
Lindsey
December 31st, 2009 at 4:20 am
Haha, there is nothing better than making a mistake and having it work out to your benefit. I love how quickly you managed to get it all down. That is amazing that you don’t stand out anymore. I don’t think I will ever blend in, but you never know, maybe after 3 years on the road we just might be offered a fine meal on the side of the road ourselves.
Just one question… I wonder where everyone went while you were eating?
December 31st, 2009 at 10:02 am
Put dulce de leche on everything. Hoard the little containers it in your pockets. Turns a crappy piece of bread into something sweet and good.
Shun water and cola. Only consume Malbec.
Pizza – So many good spots, but I liked Pizzeria Guerin, not to far from the Obelisk, a little touristy but great pizza. The anchovy was great, like nothing I ever had before. Located at Avda Corrientes 1368. Everyone from the BA Free Tour comes here, but it doesn’t disappoint.
Tapas – Tancat. If you miss traditional Spanish (really Catalan) tapas, this place has it. Charming, but a little expensive, but good for sharing and only ordering what you need. We love this simple dish called pan con tomate, grilled bread rubbed with tomato and garlic served with Serrano ham. In Retiro, Paraguay 645.
Outdoor Cafe – La Biela, next to Recoleta Cemetery. Touristy, but I really enjoyed sitting and watching other people. So idly European. Had drinks, a snack platter, and a milanesa. The kids had submarinos, hot milk with a chocolate bar to melt inside. Its a relative ripoff, but I loved it. Sometimes that happens. Av. Quintana 596 in Recoleta.
La Cabrera in Palermo for steak. Awesome, but packed. Quality is still excellent and price good. I dream about the steaks here still. Cabrera 5099, Palermo Hollywood.
Piccolo Pane in Palermo just North of Plaza Italia. I don’t have the address. Awesome empanada and sweet shop, only a takeout counter with half a dozen ladies in hair net waiting for you to pick something from the hundreds of offerings. One of my favorites. I think it is on Borges.
Choripan at the Mataderos Feria.
Alfajores at Havanna.
My favorite though is El Sanjuanino. Posadas 1515, Recoleta. More traditional northern stuff, but you may not want it since you just came from theat region. Empanadas though are great and we ordered some great locro, which was good on a chilly day (we were there in August). Very friendly waiters and empanada makers (will let you watch them work and take photos).
If you go to Colonia, Uruguay, I highly recommend Parilla El Rincon. Nice people, pretty setting, great asador.
Happy New Year!
Bill Robinson
December 31st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Bill, wow, lots of good recommendations. But, by far, the best is to shun colas and drink Malbec. Salud!
January 1st, 2010 at 11:42 pm
@Akila and Shannon: Thanks for the kudos about not sticking out! Perhaps the fact that we looked comfortable in the situation had something to do with it, but I also think that Argentina’s northern European influences (e.g., from Germany/Switzerland) also helps in that there are light haired/fair skinned Argentinians. Actually, my mother’s side of the family comes from Argentina, so maybe that helped
@Keith: We were fortunate to visit restaurants in Munich with a German, so we managed to avoid a similar situation. But, Bavaria is known for not wanting to have things in English.
@Raul: I had thought that the days of rampant inflation in Argentina were over, but I was talking with someone today who said the price of his favorite ice cream cone went up 40% between August 2009 and December 2009. So, perhaps we should continue to eat quickly…
@Legal Nomads: No Bingo on the bus like in Peru (we once thought we won and jumped up and ran back to the attendant, but we had missed a number – so disappointing), but the free wine and champagne was nice on the Argentine bus.
Thanks so much for sending the list of Buenos Aires food/restaurant recommendations. We look forward to diving into it – and the alfajores at Havanna – in the new year!
@Earl: Thanks for the tip on Te Mate Ramirez and explaining that it is a fun – and not raunchy – place to eat before I clicked on the website. Hope to go sometime soon – we’ll let you know how it is.
@Jared: Great advice about Cafayate wines! The night before we posted this we opened our first bottle from Bodega Etchart – really fruity, tasty and reasonably priced. We definitely need to seek out Don David and Jose Mournier wines next. Thanks also for the beer, empanada and Indian food tips.
@Lindsey: Compared with all the other places we’ve traveled in South America, bus travel in Argentina is not cheap. However, you do get a comfortable seat (that reclines 160-180 degrees), food, wine, and movies on the bus. And, the roads here are paved (as opposed to many of the roads in Bolivia) so the journey is much more enjoyable.
@Dave and Deb: We wondered the same thing – did the whole bus go to the bathroom?? It really was bizarre how everyone disappeared.
@Bill: We’re getting close to following your advice of: “Shun water and cola. Only consume Malbec.” The wine here is good, cheap and everywhere – we try a new varietal almost every day. Thanks for the rest of the advice – look forward to trying these places in the new year.
January 3rd, 2010 at 12:12 am
BA is a wonderful city. Palermo Soho has some very good restaurants. I’m mostly vegetarian and ate at a restaurant called BIO http://www.biorestaurant.com.ar/restaurant/bio_restaurant.html several times. It’s much more expensive getting a veggie meal but if you need a break from the carne try this place
January 3rd, 2010 at 11:49 am
@Cori: Small world. When we were returning to our place by bus last night, I saw Bio. It was still hopping at 12:30 AM and looked like a fun place. We’ll have to give it a try – thanks for the tip!
January 7th, 2010 at 5:15 am
There are some great restaurants in La Boca too. Or what about a grilled meat feast at the Gauchos?
January 10th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
@Yukiba: We’ve heard good things about some select restaurants in La Boca. Do you have a favorite (or 2) you’d like to share?
May 11th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
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