A friend offers an American tune in Plaza Vincente López
Week two. I think I like week two – it’s the first week I’ve started to really understand the shape of my immediate neighborhood, the local bus lines, which subway stations take me to my friends house or the best bar spots. It’s a week full of the first pieces of the puzzle coming together – Oh, Pueyrredón is only ten blocks down Sante Fe or So the 60 bus could get me to Plaza Italia AND school or Is that Teatro Colón, only 4 blocks from my house? Week two is the week you can walk to cafes and shops in your neighborhood sin mapa, and, at least in Buenos Aires, the week you establish yourself at the local plaza, in my case, Plaza Vincente Lopéz. Week two should really be called week one, since it’s the first week you really feel like you are (somewhat) successfully living here. And week one should just be called W(TF)eek.
What else can I say about week two – the chaos began to normalize, as the city appeared before me in a way I hadn’t understood before. I went to class, I went out to dinner, I even tried typical maté. As I had been told, it was quite bitter; a friend observed it tasted like tobacco, which was weirdly true, it had a faint sweet taste surrounded by immense bitterness, like that of a hand-rolled cigarette. Unlike cigarettes, however, maté is on the whole good for you, full of caffeine for an afternoon pick-me-up, and tastes divine with a spoonful of sugar.
Also, I was sunburned (damn that South American sun).
But I also kind of like being sunburned in February.
Speaking of pink, Valentine’s Day was last week, and in Buenos Aires, el día de San Valentin might as well be a national holiday, because they take this day seriously. Which brings me to what I like to call…
List of discoveries that no guidebook prepared me for, in no particular order.
1.) Valentine’s Day is no joke here. I often forget most Valentine’s Days in the US, even on the day itself. Meanwhile most single women in my life celebrate Galentine’s day or lament the commercialization of romance. But not in Buenos Aires – cynicism and mockery have yet to infiltrate this city of romance, as Valentine’s day is full of restaurants turned pink, bar specials for women, and throngs of men with panicked faces carrying massive bouquets down Santa Fe avenue. A friend and I made the choice to go to a bar on Valentine’s Day for some chicken wings and beer, and were party to 4 table’s (quite aggressive) make-out sesh. It almost felt awkward to not be making out.
2.) Notice the aforementioned chicken wings? Turns out I’m not yet done discovering how they can do us better than we can. OK, maybe their chicken wings aren’t better than our best, but they’re pretty damn close, and only for 50 pesos for ten (or $5). If you’re a buffalo chicken wing fan, or just want a hot date on Valentine’s Day in Buenos Aires, head to Casa Bar in Recoleta (they also make a cheap whiscola).
3.) Speaking of foods they do better than us, the Chinese food is delicioso. First, there’s a lot of it. Second, unlike most cheap Chinese in the US, sodium is not the only ingredient you can taste. It seems that no matter where you are in Buenos Aires, you’re always in a neighborhood for great Chinese food, especially if you’re in Barrio Chino (or China Town), that rivals the China Town’s of US cities in size and quality. Yes, I know Chinese food comes from China, but as a millennial who grew up on chow mein and the offerings of general gau, Chinese food is as a part of my American culture as apple pie. And I swear to god, if I discover they can make that better here than at home, I’m moving.
The steak is also ON POINT here, and, in this case, $6.50 USD.
4.) However, one thing I will cry for, Argentina, is some free tap water with dinner. First of all, get your priorities straight, BA – ordering water with your dinner will add more to your bill than a glass of wine, two empanadas, and in some cases, hard liquor. And it’s always given in small bottles that a dehydrated survivor of a Buenos Aires summer could down in a swift chug. Second of all, it rains enough here to make a drought-weary Californian weep, and, in flood prone areas, cause the occasional fatality. Tap water runs freely and often, and from what I hear, is a cheap commodity to come buy. So, why, then, in a city this hot, can we not drink any of it? Not once has any yankee I know become sick from the tap water here, but many have spent 100 pesos or more to stock up on some Bon Aqua after a hot day. So don’t give me that look when I ask for some tap water with my carne picante, I’m thirsty. And besides, I need to save my money to order another cerveza.
5.) Speaking of cervezas, a word of warning to the young traveler of Buenos Aires – the nightlife might not start until 2AM, but liquor sales stop here past 10PM. I’m assuming it’s because they want you to drink the liquor in the bars and cafes at that point, but I want you to know this, dear reader, so you don’t end up like I did on Friday night, raving like, well, a dumb American, desperately asking strangers for the nearest tienda de alcohol. I really think this one should be in a guidebook, because it can vastly affect your night if your caught dry at 10:30PM. (But don’t worry, my story ends happily, as a particularly determined friend of mine asked a pizza storeowner if he would sell 3 liters of beer to some dumb and desperate yankees, to which he graciously allowed).
6.) This city loves it’s coffee, and I love them for it. All hours of the day and night are cafes open to serve the bustling porteños. I’m assuming it’s because of the nightlife that throws caution (and sleep-deprivation) to the wind, but coffee is everywhere. As a young yankee who’s existence is made possible by caffeine, I’m enamored with the city that drinks coffee this early and this often. However, I do have some qualms (or one big qualm) about the state of coffee in Buenos Aires, but as I hear the rant building in my head, I think it deserves it’s own blog post. Check back soon for the rare experience of hearing an American complain.
Yes, I did just admit to you that I will dedicate an entire post to my thoughts on coffee. You will soon learn, dear reader, that it is often on my mind (but I probably don’t have a problem or anything).
OK, BA 