I've been here in Buenos Aires for nearly 7 years. While I can say that I feel that the quality of life in general has gone downhill in the years I have been here, I personally think the food selection is improving. While I don't think it will ever be on par with other world cities of this size and flavor, thanks to the Chinese immigrants, and their salad bar by the pound restaurants all over the city, it's now possible to eat a vegetable based meal without meat or some bland pasta being the main thing on your plate. I also see Argentines (mostly women, not men) eating more vegetables than before. There are still those people that eat milanesa napolitana with french fries or mashed potatoes on a regular basis. I work with one guy who eats milanesas almost every single day, except for one day I saw him eating fiambres, I guess he wanted some variety so insteaed of eating milanesa that day he had a ham and cheese sandwich. In addition to that he drinks several bottles of coca cola per day and smokes cigarettes - I think one day we are going to find him shriveled up in a corner. It's hard for me to believe how unevolved some people are when it comes to food and nutrition.
I think Buenos Aires would greatly benefit gastronomically from a huge influx of immigrants from south asia or the middle east. I would say they should invite 10 million immigrants from Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and the Philippines. We would certainly see some huge changes in food offerings if there were more of these immigrants here.
I am originally from New York City and grew up with almost all Italian neighbors back in the 1970s and ate some truly delicious Italian food prepared by my neighbors and their Italian grandma's who I still have in my memories to this very day. Christmas was so awesome at their houses, Christmas eve they served a platter of 7 fish and seafood, unlimited pastas, lasagna, all kinds of deserts and rainbow cookies and cookies with pignoili nuts on top, and struffoli, my favorite.......and I hate to say this but I've never had a "good" italian meal here, not pasta, not anything, passable I guess, but in no way memorable or even tasty, just bland and mushy. And tomato sauce? They have no idea! Tomato sauce can ONLY be made with a base of skinned, crushed, PLUM tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, onions, and olive oil and a bit of salt - NOTHING ELSE, except when the sauce starts bubbling, throw a whole carrot in the sauce and let it cook with the sauce, the sweetness will leach out of the carrot and into the sauce. This was a trick I learned from my neighbor Nonna Maietta in New York. She was the BEST italian cook ever to have graced the earth. Here they make tomato sauce out of that tomato liquid in those cardboard boxes - truly gross!
