Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[nikad]

I think it’s possibly a generational difference too.

I have lots of Argentine friends who are like me. Millennial, mid30s.

They live alone, parents in other parts of town or the country. They work full time, in the office at 9am, finish at 6pm, then in the evenings go to the facultad, pilates, drama class - you name it. They busy. Monday to Friday.

Days finish by 9pm/10pm and at that point, after being out and about doing things all day, you don’t have the time energy to go to the butchers or cook etc. Plus, they all closed.

So you just end up a poor diet eating pizza, empanadas, panchos every day as there is nothing else. In other countries, that’s not the case, you can get better quality, healthier food in a quick end-of-day run to a Dia Carrefour Express-style place.

It’s all lifestyle and we’re all different I guess. If I had to choose between going to the butchers cooking a meal or taking a French class and go to the gym, I'd choose the latter any day of the week. It's personal preferences.

The available options for food delivery through the locals apps has gone downhill and 95% of what they carry is awful. I like to order once or twice a week, but lately the selection and quality has dropped so much that I do not enjoy it anymore and would rather cook something myself. At your age, unless you are a foodie or enjoy cooking, I can understand you will not go around the neighborhood shopping with your cart, etc. This being said, you would be better off buying some prepared meals and keeping them in your freezer. Not sure where in the city you are but try a different supermarket chain, some Coto stores are just bad. Best meat: Coto by Abasto mall, if you want to stick to them.
Many deli stores will prepare a sandwich to you, with your choice of bread, cheese, lunchmeat, etc, they just don't advertise it most of the times.
If you like olives https://www.laesquinadelasaceitunas.com/ and get a good batch at home.
And never disregards MercadoLibre for preserves, sauces, rice, etc. and just get it delivered.

 

[Paige55]

For those seeking convenience food because of a lifestyle/time factor...there have also been places like Vino Tinto Cocina popping up and online weekly delivery services of vacuum sealed meals (looking far better than the standard fare) that you just heat and eat. It seems a growing trend as I see neighbors getting these sorts of food services delivered weekly (on account of the boxes near the recycling bins in the hall). These services still seem to be growing and likely a lot of work yet to do to pass muster but the Vino Tinto meals were good the two times I've tried them at home, and more inventive than just empanadas, etc...

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[carride]

Just want to wake this thread up to whinge about the poor quality of the food here

A few weeks ago, my other half and I went to Uruguay. We went to Tienda Inglesa, the Coto/Walmart etc of Uruguay.
…….
Delicious. I ate so much in Uruguay because of how tasty it was.

So you just end up a poor diet eating pizza, empanadas, panchos every day as there is nothing else. In other countries, that’s not the case, you can get better quality, healthier food in a quick end-of-day run to a Dia Carrefour Express-style place.

It’s all lifestyle and we’re all different I guess. If I had to choose between going to the butchers cooking a meal or taking a French class and go to the gym, I'd choose the latter any day of the week. It's personal preferences.

That is great you know you have chosen your preference!
So it could be that your statement to wake-up this thread is not realistic. You exclaimed the need to rebroadcast that the food here is of poor quality, poor taste, etc… It is perfectly fine that you know that your daily busy life does not include time to enjoy food. It seems that when you slowed down your life with a weekend getaway, you finally had time to experience well prepared and tasty food. Probably not because you were in Uruguay, only that you just happened to have some time to “stop and smell the roses”

 

[Ries]

I have been in Tienda Ingles, and was not wowed.
But I never shop in supermarkets anywhere. In Argentina, supermarkets are especially bad for bread, or cheese, for fresh and interesting vegetables, or natural foods. Or, any beer that isnt from AmBev.
I find within a few blocks of my place in BA, specialty stores with excellent cheeses, meats, and vegetables, but you have to look. I avoid mass produced food in general, and eat very well here.
Its more work, but once you find the good suppliers, quality is out there.

 

[perry]

Just going to leave this here.... a couple photos from my last grocery run in Anonima

View attachment 10267View attachment 10268

Fotos speak a thousand words and this looks like the meal you leave outside for the most needy . the chicken is overcooked and extremely scrawny and for this price in Asia You would get three chickens with fragrant Jasmine rice served with a increíble ginger sauce . The food Quality in Argentina has gone to the dogs and it is certainly much worse than before . everything seems to be cheaply Made with scarcity the only common factor

 

[perry]

I have been in Tienda Ingles, and was not wowed.
But I never shop in supermarkets anywhere. In Argentina, supermarkets are especially bad for bread, or cheese, for fresh and interesting vegetables, or natural foods. Or, any beer that isnt from AmBev.
I find within a few blocks of my place in BA, specialty stores with excellent cheeses, meats, and vegetables, but you have to look. I avoid mass produced food in general, and eat very well here.
Its more work, but once you find the good suppliers, quality is out there.

The real argentina does not live within a few blocks of speciality butchers delicatessens etc etc . they live with their local butcher verduleria panadería . These ítems are now extremely expensive with bread and vegetables prices the dearest I have seen anywhere . for example south american fruits of bananas . papaya . mango are so expensive that US 20 dollars is just for one filling meal of fruit . There are fruitarians who go to Thailand just to exist on their succulent fruit and they pay a few dollars a day maximum . here You would require 10 times more but with low Quality and very scarce supply .. Dried fruits are over 20 dollars a kilo in many cases here 8 times dearer than Thailand !

 

[Che1990]

That is great you know you have chosen your preference!
So it could be that your statement to wake-up this thread is not realistic. You exclaimed the need to rebroadcast that the food here is of poor quality, poor taste, etc… It is perfectly fine that you know that your daily busy life does not include time to enjoy food. It seems that when you slowed down your life with a weekend getaway, you finally had time to experience well prepared and tasty food. Probably not because you were in Uruguay, only that you just happened to have some time to “stop and smell the roses”

It was definately because I was in Uruguay

I'll explain how it was. We'd be out all day, being tourists, walking around Ciudad Vieja etc, and it was 9.30pm, we were tired from doing stuff all day - similar to my life Monday to Friday here - we wanted to chill out back at the airbnb, not go to a restaurant and spend money.

So we went to Tienda Inglesa, rounded up the quickest and easiest things we could find to eat: blue cheese, olive, french baguette, morcilla. It took like 5 minutes, there was no line to pay either.

Walk back to the airbnb, cook the morcilla in 5 minutes, and - it was delcious. It surprised me. I had similar experience with the supermarket Carulla in Colombia.

We then came back here, had a busy day out and about in BA, went to buy same sort of food in Coto Santa Fe, quick and easy cheese bread morcilla, and the food had no flavour. Like eating air.

That's the crux of my frustration with food here and my original need to vent. That easy 5-minute meal I got at the end of a busy day in Uruguay, doens't exist here. To get decent food here, I'd need to structure my whole day around going to the fiambreria, panaderia, carniceria, etc. It's a ballache.

But that's me and my persoal preference. You can get great food here in Argentina, yes, it just takes hours.

And before anyone tells me to go live elsewhere, I'm married here, been here for 10 years etc and there are many things I love about BA and Arg - just not the bread, cooking culture etc jaja - hence I like to vent from time to time.

 

[Jimbob]

The real argentina does not live within a few blocks of speciality butchers delicatessens etc etc . they live with their local butcher verduleria panadería . These ítems are now extremely expensive with bread and vegetables prices the dearest I have seen anywhere . for example south american fruits of bananas . papaya . mango are so expensive that US 20 dollars is just for one filling meal of fruit . There are fruitarians who go to Thailand just to exist on their succulent fruit and they pay a few dollars a day maximum . here You would require 10 times more but with low Quality and very scarce supply .. Dried fruits are over 20 dollars a kilo in many cases here 8 times dearer than Thailand !

I just carried back four bags of fruit and veg for 19k earlier, some of these posts are seriously exaggerated or you are genuinely being taken for a ride.

 

[Lanick]

I just carried back four bags of fruit and veg for 19k earlier, some of these posts are seriously exaggerated or you are genuinely being taken for a ride.

Yes entire Palermo and Belgrano being taken for a ride!

 

[perry]

It was definately because I was in Uruguay

I'll explain how it was. We'd be out all day, being tourists, walking around Ciudad Vieja etc, and it was 9.30pm, we were tired from doing stuff all day - similar to my life Monday to Friday here - we wanted to chill out back at the airbnb, not go to a restaurant and spend money.

So we went to Tienda Inglesa, rounded up the quickest and easiest things we could find to eat: blue cheese, olive, french baguette, morcilla. It took like 5 minutes, there was no line to pay either.

Walk back to the airbnb, cook the morcilla in 5 minutes, and - it was delcious. It surprised me. I had similar experience with the supermarket Carulla in Colombia.

We then came back here, had a busy day out and about in BA, went to buy same sort of food in Coto Santa Fe, quick and easy cheese bread morcilla, and the food had no flavour. Like eating air.

That's the crux of my frustration with food here and my original need to vent. That easy 5-minute meal I got at the end of a busy day in Uruguay, doens't exist here. To get decent food here, I'd need to structure my whole day around going to the fiambreria, panaderia, carniceria, etc. It's a ballache.

But that's me and my persoal preference. You can get great food here in Argentina, yes, it just takes hours.

And before anyone tells me to go live elsewhere, I'm married here, been here for 10 years etc and there are many things I love about BA and Arg - just not the bread, cooking culture etc jaja - hence I like to vent from time to time.

I just carried back four bags of fruit and veg for 19k earlier, some of these posts are seriously exaggerated or you are genuinely being taken for a ride.

I travel constantly and fruit in Argentina is outrageously expensive and the quality is very poor .In Peru fruit is luscious and very fresh and its available up to 5 times cheaper in US dollars . In the amazonian city of Iquitos in the famous Belen Market huge papayas are sold for one dollar . You can get one killos of bananas for 30 cents and the best mangos of the planet two for the dollar . Here a normal papaya is going for like 10 us dollars and mangos 4 us dollars in most places . Bananas the worlds cheapest fruit is the most expensive in Argentina on the planet .Why ? Everything healthy is at least double Australias prices but peoples wages in Argentina are 7 times less . Does this make sense?

Las bananas más caras del mundo se venden en Argentina

Así lo sostiene un informe, que concluye que el kilo no baja de los 2.000 pesos y en general se vende a $ 2.500. Afirma que en el país hoy se consumen 10 kilos por habitante al año, lejos de los 25 kilos de la década del ‘90.

www.diariopopular.com.ar