Big meets bigger Argentina

[Markgeezer]

Good links and thanks for the post Perry, the fried pasta was a first for me as well. I got the impression though that the fizzy pop was more important to that family than fruit and veg, because they are hooked on it, and as you know it costs more than veg at least. I disagree that Argentina is as fat as the USA though, because there you see the super overweights almost daily (I mean the 200 kg kind), whereeas not here. That actually shocked one of my Argentine kids when we last went there ! Note also that the frying tendency is actually rife in Py, Bo and Pe which accounts for a large % of the villa populations. The buried cows head is hardly common practice here, and I though that was off-topic. But the producers did a great analogy with this documentary.

 

[mini]

There are lots of fat people all over the world. But we live in Argentina & this site is about life in Argentina, not in the US or Togo, etc.

 

[Crema Americana]

Argentina is not as bad as the US. Yes, there's heavy people and the number has grown dramatically in the last few years, but from my own experience the US is still king (sized). (That Mississippi episode is good, too.)

Go to a county fair, a steak house, or any Walmart in the US and you will almost surely see a number of severely obese people. Even going to the supermarket you see very heavy people riding around in scooters. You don't see that as much in Argentina, even in the villas. We live in a poor area and the people in general aren't obese. And I think it should also be pointed out, that many of these overweight people aren't native Argentines (like the Paraguayan family in the video.) Our cook is severely obese as well, and like many others, she's from Paraguay (I had no choice in the cook, and despite the adage "never trust a skinny cook" I think I'd rather not look like the cook either.)

First time I heard of frying pasta I was in France of all places! And I don't believe her for one second that she'd buy vegetables instead of the "scones" or cookies - what's the excuse for frying the pasta? Or for drinking soda instead of water? It's a lack of self control and good habits.

 

[T'Brigadier]

There are lots of fat people all over the world. But we live in Argentina & this site is about life in Argentina, not in the US or Togo, etc.

Its obious that the site es about life in argentina!... But some times ( or should I say many times ) its nessesary talk about another country for some reason... its a matter of common sense. In this case I've talked about US cuz many here apologise about the diet in this country whyle in their countrys the situation its 10 times worts in healty issues.

 

[chris]

The cow's head was for a special occasion. That was explained in the video. They were welcoming the English couple.

There are millions of Argentines of Paraguayan, Bolivian etc extraction. They are also Argentines the same as those of British, Italian, Spanish etc descent. They have become Argentine and they should not be marginalized because they come from neighboring countries. The number of these people has greatly increased in recent years.

The family in the video were decent people of little education. They far more typical Argentines than Barrio Norte families. Just go into the province of BA and you will see the real Argentina. If anything, the video revealed typical life in Argentina and not the artificial ideas a lot of expats have from Barrio Norte and Zona Norte.

Obesity is now an Argentine problem. You can see it even in the best parts of town. Men more than women. Why pretend it isn't there? The US has its own obesity problem. Like Argentina, the upper classes tend to be a lot thinner. The issue here is Argentina, not the US. Why must everything revert to the US?

 

[T'Brigadier]

its easy... when the people GETS cinic, I just try to put'em in their place.

 

[Thuraya]

It really is a class issue. It's true that poor people have a choice about what they eat as well. But soda and high sugar, processed foods are literally addictive. That makes it so hard to break away from that lifestyle, especially when everyone around you is doing it. Obesity has been shown to be contagious -- people get fat when their friends and families are fat. So it's much more than a personal decision. Also, when you're struggling to make ends meet, you don't have the energy to even think about things like a well-balanced diet. Cooking up pasta and meat is easy. Creating vegetable dishes is a lot, lot harder if you've been working all day or all night. I think the problem is not that people choose these foods and choose not to care about their weight. The problem is much bigger and involves education, food pricing and quality, education, and access in all of society.

 

[chris]

It really is a class issue. It's true that poor people have a choice about what they eat as well. But soda and high sugar, processed foods are literally addictive. That makes it so hard to break away from that lifestyle, especially when everyone around you is doing it. Obesity has been shown to be contagious -- people get fat when their friends and families are fat. So it's much more than a personal decision. Also, when you're struggling to make ends meet, you don't have the energy to even think about things like a well-balanced diet. Cooking up pasta and meat is easy. Creating vegetable dishes is a lot, lot harder if you've been working all day or all night. I think the problem is not that people choose these foods and choose not to care about their weight. The problem is much bigger and involves education, food pricing and quality, education, and access in all of society.

Yes, it is essentially an issue of education. Argentina used to be a country with a much larger middle class who had strong middle class values. Now it is a country of largely uneducated people who do not share those values. Obesity is one of the consequences. The government is simply not concerned with this issue. They merely want votes. At the same time, there is such a thing as individual responsibility. There are always those poor people who rise above the culture in which they grew up. It can be hard to do of course.