Disappointed with Food in Argentina

[Ries]

I think thats backwards.
In the vast majority of case, China, or other countries, doesnt "decide" to send anything.
they ship what argentine buyers order.
The decision of quality, price point, even color or model, is entirely up to the buyer.
Much of the really cheap chinese stuff here is bought by trading companies that serve "bazars" and mercado libre, and they are ordering based on how fast things sell.
You can buy a brand new $75,000 USD Ducati on Mercado Libre, or a ciclofox moto for $1380 USD also on Mercado Libre.
In neither case, did the exporters in asia or italy "decide" to send them- Argentine buyers order them.

It is true that some food products may have import restrictions by the Argentine government.
But the grade of maple syrup is going to be based on the importer, and their experience with what sells.
I actually have never been anywhere that has more watch stores selling rolexes, for example, but most argentines buy very cheap chinese watches.

 

[sergio]

I think thats backwards.
In the vast majority of case, China, or other countries, doesnt "decide" to send anything.
they ship what argentine buyers order.
The decision of quality, price point, even color or model, is entirely up to the buyer.
Much of the really cheap chinese stuff here is bought by trading companies that serve "bazars" and mercado libre, and they are ordering based on how fast things sell.
You can buy a brand new $75,000 USD Ducati on Mercado Libre, or a ciclofox moto for $1380 USD also on Mercado Libre.
In neither case, did the exporters in asia or italy "decide" to send them- Argentine buyers order them.

It is true that some food products may have import restrictions by the Argentine government.
But the grade of maple syrup is going to be based on the importer, and their experience with what sells.
I actually have never been anywhere that has more watch stores selling rolexes, for example, but most argentines buy very cheap chinese watches.

Then let's say that Argentina orders the low quality stuff because it's cheaper and more likely to sell. In the end the quality is low. Don't know about the Rolexes.

 

[Ries]

Then let's say that Argentina orders the low quality stuff because it's cheaper and more likely to sell. In the end the quality is low. Don't know about the Rolexes.

much like the large chain stores in the area of my farm in Washington State.
Home Depot there sells plastic kitchen faucets, "chrome plated", and my local Target and Fred Meyer stores have lookalikes to name brands...
And Walmart, which has failed I think twice to penetrate the Argentine market, sells vietnamese jeans and indonesian t shirts.
That is, besides the 60% of their products that are from China.

However if you drive up past where Cabildo starts changing its name, there are plenty of very expensive stores selling imported things like Audis and 500,000 peso tennis rackets. And on weekend mornings in the eco reserva, you can see lots of three thousand dollar bicycles riding by.

The food issue is simple- most argentines like argentine food, not hot sauce or maple syrup.
If they liked those things, you would find them here.
I see hams from Spain that come in their own zippered cloth suitcase, which sell for $400 to $500 USD for an entire bone in iberico.
Argentines buy those, not tourists.
If its something they want badly enough, be it expensive makeup, apple watches, or limited edition nikes, somebody here sells it, and somebody here buys it.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Isn't this the case with just about everything exported to Argentina - countries like China send their lowest quality goods that wouldn't be accepted in richer countries?

Carride and Ries are right, nobody is "deciding" to send low quality stuff here other than the customer themselves. Go to any Mercado Libre item and you will see low to high end models of the same product category, guess which one has the most sales? It's not that there is no selection available. It's that people here can't afford it.

Economically depressed areas buy pretty cheap stuff. There's no mystery to it. You can get gold plated food in Dubai, because that's what the clientele can afford.

The real question is...why can't they afford it, or why is it so expensive? Here is a fun one for you:



To the left is the USA, the right is Argentina. Can you tell me why it's twice the cost down here for this cheese? Maybe that's why nobody buys it and why there's no "selection".

 

[RogerTotal]

Why are carrots so gross here I would pay 10x for a bag of carrots the same quality as USA grocery store carrots but it's impossible to find.

Why do red beans have this hard disgusting quality compared to the USA and Mexico succulent and juicy

So many foods that were mastered hundreds of years ago in the rest of the world are still so awful here. If life is a simulation video game the creator assigned Argentina minus 20 food points

 

[FrankPintor]

Why the beating up on carrots? We get maybe a handful every week, they’re 1-2cm across, 15-20cm long, we use them cooked in Russian salad and shredded raw in coleslaw. Our puppy likes them too. Mrs. Pintor generally doesn’t add them to other dishes like soup because they add too much sweetness, like the bell shaped pumpkins favoured by Argentinians (the round dark green ones are not so sweet, use them with the skin).

About the beans, I honestly can’t say, we use mostly black ones (caraotas) or white ones for salads.

Either way, I don’t see any major motivation to complain. What’s up with everyone else?

 

[Vossos]

Why the beating up on carrots? We get maybe a handful every week, they’re 1-2cm across, 15-20cm long, we use them cooked in Russian salad and shredded raw in coleslaw. Our puppy likes them too. Mrs. Pintor generally doesn’t add them to other dishes like soup because they add too much sweetness, like the bell shaped pumpkins favoured by Argentinians (the round dark green ones are not so sweet, use them with the skin).

About the beans, I honestly can’t say, we use mostly black ones (caraotas) or white ones for salads.

Either way, I don’t see any major motivation to complain. What’s up with everyone else?

I’m British and henceforth I’m used to people mocking the quality of food in the UK as a stereotypical hangover from WW2 rations. I’ve been to a plethora of countries and Argentina by far has the blandest food. I’ve experienced bringing prawn cocktail crisps that have been considered too spicy.

I’m used to being able to eat cuisines from anywhere and everywhere and it being accessible. It’s bizarre to pay silly money for poor imitations of other cuisines and a lot of food in Argentina is of such poor quality

I have had absolutely lovely meals in Argentina but by and large the quality is utterly miserly. I’ve had the best steak of my life in Argentina and concurrently I’ve had the worst - steak so poor in Corrientes that I’ve thrown it to the dogs and even they’ve turned it down

 

[RogerTotal]

Why the beating up on carrots? We get maybe a handful every week, they’re 1-2cm across, 15-20cm long, we use them cooked in Russian salad and shredded raw in coleslaw. Our puppy likes them too. Mrs. Pintor generally doesn’t add them to other dishes like soup because they add too much sweetness, like the bell shaped pumpkins favoured by Argentinians (the round dark green ones are not so sweet, use them with the skin).

About the beans, I honestly can’t say, we use mostly black ones (caraotas) or white ones for salads.

Either way, I don’t see any major motivation to complain. What’s up with everyone else?

When I lived in the USA and my dog was alive I always gave him carrots he loved them. If I had a dog here I wouldn't feed him Argentine carrots it would be animal cruelty

 

[Ries]

There are more than one variety of carrots available here.
Supermarket carrots, anywhere, are usually pretty tasteless.
If you want good produce, you buy straight from the farmers at Sabe La Tierra or similar markets.

https://buenosaires.gob.ar/noticias/donde-encontrar-las-ferias-ba-market-y-sabe-la-tierra

Bonpland has good carrots.

Mercado Bonpland | Buenos Aires Ciudad - Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Disfrutá de las variadas opciones que ofrece el Mercado para realizar tus compras de forma responsable y sustentable.

buenosaires.gob.ar

And in any barrio, there are always a range of verdulerias- some good, some just cheap.
You have to find the good ones, and establish a relationship.
Thats just how it works here.
Usually once they get to know you, they will buy specific things for you when they go, usually daily, or at least bi-weekly, to the central market.

 

[Rich One]

Maybe at Jumbo you can find baby carrots in a plastic container, pricey