Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[Caribbean Cool]

You just have to get used to ordering the same thing over again....and over again....and over again.

 

[chris]

I'm sure you can get great blue cheese here, and I have had great morcilla here.

My gripe is more with the horrific/inconsistent quality of the food in Coto and other everyday places compared to the ease of getting quality food in Uruguay.

For me, I work, do sports, study, I don't have a spare 2 hours each day to go to such and such fiambreria for the cheese, then such and such carniceria for my morcilla, and then such and such the panaderia for my bread. 3 different places to prepare 1 meal I'll eat in 5 minutes - it's ridiculous.

In Uruguay, I got great quality ingredients, with much more choice in an everday supermarket in like 5 minutes - something that here in Argentina is a wild goose chase. But I guess it's all personal opinion, I'm a typical personality A-type who sees cooking as a massive inconvenience

COTO is one of the worst supermarkets. Low quality goods.

 

[DarrenKK]

Having read the whole thread with interest and agreeing with the general sentiment, I’m surprised that bread hasn’t received a heavier focus in the discussion. One or two posts dance around it a bit but for me it’s the one food item I have the greatest problem with.
It’s Friggin awful for the most part and what’s available costs ridiculous money no matter how bad it is.
I will be honest. Full disclosure. I’ve never made bread. But it doesn’t have many ingredients for the most part. So why is it so shit and so expensive?
Edit: my personal frame of reference is I’m British. A nation not renowned for its bread in comparison to other European nations. But even a £1.40 sliced loaf in the UK is infinitely better than a 6-7k pesos loaf in Argentina.

 

[Paige55]

Having read the whole thread with interest and agreeing with the general sentiment, I’m surprised that bread hasn’t received a heavier focus in the discussion. One or two posts dance around it a bit but for me it’s the one food item I have the greatest problem with.
It’s Friggin awful for the most part and what’s available costs ridiculous money no matter how bad it is.
I will be honest. Full disclosure. I’ve never made bread. But it doesn’t have many ingredients for the most part. So why is it so shit and so expensive?
Edit: my personal frame of reference is I’m British. A nation not renowned for its bread in comparison to other European nations. But even a £1.40 sliced loaf in the UK is infinitely better than a 6-7k pesos loaf in Argentina.

I'm wondering if anyone in the thread has tried a smaller panadería for their bread? I used to go to L'Epi Boulangerie which had amazing pistachio/chocolate croissants and great french bread, other loaves to try. I'm not sure if the quality still stands and I'm certain now the prices have shot up but I've found several smaller, fresh-baked bread joint to be more than palatable.

The grocery store bread here is a nightmare, I agree, but you can find incredible food here, it's just never a one-stop shop. My grocery-getting takes me to a handful of specialty shops each week. Which in turn keeps me moving and my health thanks me for it.

When I go out to eat, I've had so much success finding really great food in this town, on par with major culinary destinations. It's an oversaturated market—the local palette having some say in the matter—and without doing a bit of research first and only jumping into random eateries you happen upon, it can seem a herculean task to satiate the varied wants on this thread...for sure.

 

[Che1990]

You just have to get used to ordering the same thing over again....and over again....and over again.

Sandwich de jamón y queso or jamón y queso?

 

[Che1990]

Uruguay went thru austerity and paid off its debts decades ago. Argentina didn't. On top of mounting debts and socialist protectionism, and corruption, there's also high tariffs. Yet here you are,back in Argentina, instead of moving to Uruguay why?

Lol, I've been here 10 years, am married, have a business, a dog, an ageing mother-in-law, a rental contract. Moving to Uruguay because I discovered I randomly like the cheese a month ago? I wish life was that simple haha

I don't doubt your point at all though about the possible political reasons behind poor-quality food.

 

[Jimbob]

Argentine friend told me she and her family were in London for NY eve. The only restaurant they could find that would give them a reservation was Indian. I asked how the food was. She said they hated it - couldn't eat a thing. Too spicy.

Should have had a Korma, unless coconut is still too spicy for the argy palette.

 

[FrankPintor]

Sandwich de jamón y queso or jamón y queso?

I think you're coming down too hard on the sandwich fillings. While I disagree with the whole sandwich de miga concept (designed for people without teeth), almost any sandwich shop will have 9 or 10 fillings, jamón y queso obviously, but also egg mayonnaise, roquefort, chopped olives, tomato and cheese, palm hearts and various combinations.

About Coto, they have discounts on Fridays for paying with MP so we occasionally go, I actually like their own-brand unlabelled cheeses, and Mrs. Pintor generally buys some meat from there. They have a decent selection of frozen fish, and they're one of the few supermarkets to sell frozen turkey (not always). There are different levels of Coto (just like there are different levels of Carrefour), find a nice one with two floors, like the ones on Av. Monroe in Colegiales, Av. Santa Fe in front of the Botanical Garden, or out our way, the Tortuguitas Open Mall (TOM), or even Nordelta (maybe just one floor, I don't remember, but it's upmarket).

If you really want cheap, check Vital out, and stock up for a month with one shopping expedition. That's a really basic experience, though.

 

[LuckyLuke]

If you really want cheap, check Vital out, and stock up for a month with one shopping expedition. That's a really basic experience, though.

Vital is my go to for everyday common items (cleaning supplies, yerba, dairy, etc.). It's a pain buying in bulk, and I had put a pantry together to accommodate everything. Although cheap, I found their meat to be awful though.

 

[Lanick]

For those who only want to spend 5 minutes eating a complete meal, then why even discuss flavor? Just a get a fullly nutritious powdered milkshake. Buy a months supply so shopping and eating is almost never a waste of your time. That is what many type-A do.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/11/11/20953750/soylent-huel-sustainable-meal-replacement-tried

He is not saying he wants to spend 5 minutes, he says; he can get all the flavour in 5 minutes in Uruguay, whereas it takes serious travelling around the city in BsAs. I’d prefer to get everything I need in 5 minutes under one roof. And Argentina fails to offer that. My local supermarket is Jumbo in Nordelta. And it’s a bit of an affluent area where people can afford gourmet food and there’s nothing apart from the fruits. In Argentina they don’t have good food.