Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[steveinbsas]

Yes, you can, but you do sometimes have to work at it. If you find a good carniceria or granja, you should be good for meat, eggs and chicken. Vegetables are trickier, in my experience. Even good verdulerias many times don't have good stuff. I walk a lot and I always bring my mochila, and I'm always on the lookout for good fruits and vegetables. Most verdulerias also carry eggs; if you find one with good eggs, they're usually always good at that place (at least until they're suddenly not).

The fruits and vegetables in Villa Arias are not very good and get even worse the day after they are delivered because they cannot be kept cool enough by any of thevendors.

The vegetables in the supermarkets in Punta Alta usually look great because they, as well as some of the fruits, are kept cool enough. I cannot comment about how they taste these days because I no longer consume any.

It''s funny that you mention pale egg yolks. I bought some eggs recently at a verduleria near me, and the yolks were almost white. I'd never seen that before. I felt bad for the poor chickens.

I buy eggs eggs from a frend in Viĺa Arias. The hens are never caged and free to roam all day and the yolks are bright orange. These photos show what I eat for "breakfast" every day around noon...and also what I eat for "lunch" about 4 pm.

 

[SinPulgas]

The fruits and vegetables in Villa Arias are not very good and get even worse the day after they are delivered because they cannot be kept cool enough by any of thevendors.

The vegetables in the supermarkets in Punta Alta usually look great because they, as well as some of the fruits, are kept cool enough. I cannot comment about how they taste these days because I no longer consume any.


I buy eggs eggs from a frend in Viĺa Arias. The hens are never caged and free to roam all day and the yolks are bright orange. These photos show what I eat for "breakfast" every day around noon...and also what I eat for "lunch" about 4 pm.
View attachment 9970View attachment 9971

Well, Steve, nothing there surprising. We live in different worlds.

 

[mmoon]

Pick Up the Fork Buenos Aires always had the best, updated restaurant recs. I see it's a couple of years behind now, but there are still some great places listed in there.
A lot has changed since the so-called golden era for being a BA expat, and much of the food is definitely repetitive (and the beef is no longer de facto grass fed), but Argentina is a tough drug to quit for many, many reasons. If it wasn't, this site wouldn't exist.

 

[sergio]

Pick Up the Fork Buenos Aires always had the best, updated restaurant recs. I see it's a couple of years behind now, but there are still some great places listed in there.
A lot has changed since the so-called golden era for being a BA expat, and much of the food is definitely repetitive (and the beef is no longer de facto grass fed), but Argentina is a tough drug to quit for many, many reasons. If it wasn't, this site wouldn't exist.

The food has always been repetitive though in recent years there have been more 'ethnic' restaurants than ever. Obviously a depressed economy and continuing inflation are causing restaurant operators to find ways to reduce costs often resulting in inferior quality and smaller portion size. As for the 'golden era' for expats, it was always ephemeral, based on inept economic policies that were advantageous to those with hard currencies. If the peso were liberated as promised, the exchange rate would almost certainly be far better for expats. Meanwhile it seems obvious that Argentina is not going to be attractive to potential expats but those already in the country, especially those married to or in relationships with Argentines, are going to have to find a way of coping.

 

[JoeBoston]

I agree with a lot of the comments about food in Buenos Aires.

I'll preface it with that there are a lot of fantastic restaurants in BA and a lot more variety now than you could find 10, 15 years ago.

As mentioned here if you look around you can find high quality food from speciality shops.

That being said, the average food you buy in a supermarket is not good at all. Beef in general here is not what it used to be. Beef in Uruguay and Paraguay is much tastier these days.

It's a part of national pride "we have the best beef in the world" but it's simply not true anymore.

I never bring this up to locals because they are quite sensitive and believe their food is the best in the world.

If you go to a country like Italy or France, you'll find average supermarkets in middle class neighborhoods with food that blows away the fanciest Jumbo in Argentina.

Go to Peru, you'll have food with so much flavor and creativity.

Argentina’s food is average at best.

 

[sergio]

I agree with a lot of the comments about food in Buenos Aires.

I'll preface it with that there are a lot of fantastic restaurants in BA and a lot more variety now than you could find 10, 15 years ago.

As mentioned here if you look around you can find high quality food from speciality shops.

That being said, the average food you buy in a supermarket is not good at all. Beef in general here is not what it used to be. Beef in Uruguay and Paraguay is much tastier these days.

It's a part of national pride "we have the best beef in the world" but it's simply not true anymore.

I never bring this up to locals because they are quite sensitive and believe their food is the best in the world.

If you go to a country like Italy or France, you'll find average supermarkets in middle class neighborhoods with food that blows away the fanciest Jumbo in Argentina.

Go to Peru, you'll have food with so much flavor and creativity.

Argentina’s food is average at best.

True but I don't know about Uruguay or Paraguay so I can't comment on that.

 

[steveinbsas]

Please a better picture. Can't see.

I had already finished my dinner on Saturday evening when you asked for a better picture. I did not cook any meat yesterday,

Here's what's on the plancha at the moment:

 

[steveinbsas]

PS: I eat all of the meat as well as the fat.

Eating only eggs (four or five for breakfast and the same for lunch) and 500 grams of beef for dinner has had a surprising result:

I am never hungry when I get up in the morning and I never have the desire to snack or eat anything between meals or after dinner, including anything sweet.