Food revolution bypasses Buenos Aires

[sergio]

El hombre....Of course you are right, it is always difficult to replicate ethnic cookery outside the country of origin. That's not my concern. Argentine cookery is very simple and requires nothing more than the most basic of ingredients. Many of those ingredients are simply unavailable or extremely hard to obtain in good condition. Part of the problem is the poor transport system. Have you noticed how goods are delivered on flatbeds? As a result the items being shipped bake in the hot sun. Lettuce may be perfectly fine when it leaves the farm however when it is on market shelves it is withered and miserable looking. Another problem is the way that Argentina has moved away from producing natural ingredients. Farmers spray with toxic chemicals (there was an article posted here not long ago), fruit is picked way ahead of time, chickens are raised under unsanitary conditions, cattle are now put in feedlots, markets (including the most elite like Disco) have no compunctions about selling substandard goods etc. You mention food in the UK. I find that dairy products there are spectacular: superb cream, an extraordinary array of quality cheese, a great range of fowl and organic food. Aside from the fowl which few Argentines care about, other than tasteless chicken, these are ingredients that Argentines eat daily but the quality can not compare with what you can get in the UK nor can it compare with what the Amish in North America produce. Now I know we are in Argentina and should accept that however I believe that an agricultural country can do better. As for the Amish, I know that the more liberal Mennonites exist in Paraguay. I have not heard of any here. Does anyone have any information on that?

 

[nikad]

There's an entry for visitors on the 2nd site.

Thx

you also have http://www.cotodigital.com.ar

 

[nikad]

El hombre....Of course you are right, it is always difficult to replicate ethnic cookery outside the country of origin. That's not my concern. Argentine cookery is very simple and requires nothing more than the most basic of ingredients. Many of those ingredients are simply unavailable or extremely hard to obtain in good condition. Part of the problem is the poor transport system. Have you noticed how goods are delivered on flatbeds? As a result the items being shipped bake in the hot sun. Lettuce may be perfectly fine when it leaves the farm however when it is on market shelves it is withered and miserable looking. Another problem is the way that Argentina has moved away from producing natural ingredients. Farmers spray with toxic chemicals (there was an article posted here not long ago), fruit is picked way ahead of time, chickens are raised under unsanitary conditions, cattle are now put in feedlots, markets (including the most elite like Disco) have no compunctions about selling substandard goods etc. You complain about food in the UK. I find that dairy products there are spectacular: superb cream, an extraordinary array of quality cheese, a great range of fowl and organic food. Aside from the fowl which few Argentines care about, other than tasteless chicken, these are ingredients that Argentines eat daily but the quality can not compare with what you can get in the UK nor can it compare with what the Amish in North America produce. Now I know we are in Argentina and should accept that however I believe that an agricultural country can do better. As for the Amish, I know that the more liberal Mennonites exist in Paraguay. I have not heard of any here. Does anyone have any information on that?

I saw Mennonites at the bus terminal in Retiro a few times, so they must be hiding somewhere. I also recall reading articles about groups of them living in the country... I just cannot remember where

 

[nikad]

ok here they are
http://www.google.com.ar/search?hl=es&q=menonitas&meta=cr%3DcountryAR&aq=1&oq=meno

oh wow, there are some in the city in Floresta

 

[perry]

I was reading through some travellers blogs on Buenos Aires and have to say that this this post had some truth to it. Read the Link Below
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/lindajbrown/a-gustatory-delight-argentina-is-not.html

But, why can´t they cook? Like everyone else, I was taken in by the Myth of “Argentine Beef” and I so looked forward to experiencing a taste and tenderness found nowhere else on earth.
Sorry folks! It´s only a myth! My first steak dinner here was very ordinary and tasted no better than a cheap cut of meat from any grocery store back home. And, I´m not talking about the fine cuts of prime beef that I buy at the organic food store, free of antibiotics and hormones. I´m talking about the regular adulterated stuff found in your ordinary store. Even I can make those unfancy cuts taste better than the ones I´ve been served here.
Plus, these steaks are very greasy. I´m sure that all the fat (though I cut it off, the steak itself was slippery with it) was responsible for big problems, usually associated with Montezuma, later that evening….one of the few reactions I´ve had to food in all of South America. I gave beef a second chance today, and the same was true - tough, tasteless, and fatty - though served in a high-class, expensive place with white linen and wine glasses.
After that first meal, it has been downhill from there, foodwise, because I can´t find anything with flavor. I´ve eaten all over town, trying various menu items, paying mostly between $10 - $15 per meal, for food that has so little taste or preparation talent, that I´ve had to pour on the salt or lemon juice just to get it down. It´s just not good cooking. And always, the french fries with everything. But, at least those provide calories. Bland and tiresome as usual, but filling. Because of the sadness which comes with each meal, I´ve taken to eating only one per day and filling up with breakfast here at the hostel. In the evening, a little fruit is better than scrambling for something open out there, since all eating places seem to close between 7 and 8 p.m

 

[sergio]

I think part of his problem is his budget. You have to spend a lot more than $15 for a good meal in Buenos Aires. What I found more interesting were his comments on the deteriorated state of San Telmo. I know the potential the area has but the place remains a mess and I could never see why tourists would want to stay in such a dirty and dangerous part of town. Now it is expensive to boot!

 

[syngirl]

Part of the problem is the poor transport system. Have you noticed how goods are delivered on flatbeds? As a result the items being shipped bake in the hot sun. Lettuce may be perfectly fine when it leaves the farm however when it is on market shelves it is withered and miserable looking. Another problem is the way that Argentina has moved away from producing natural ingredients. Farmers spray with toxic chemicals (there was an article posted here not long ago), fruit is picked way ahead of time, chickens are raised under unsanitary conditions, cattle are now put in feedlots, markets (including the most elite like Disco) have no compunctions about selling substandard goods etc.

You just described 98% of the world's food market.

I don't think the USA version of transport and "food safety" is doing them any better -- look at the innumberable outbreaks of lysteria, salmonella and E. Coli in the past couple of years in the USA, all due to it's method of production and transport. Organic peanut farming resulted in a huge recall. People think organic is safer, but if it's not even safer in the USA, how can people think it will be safer anywhere? those yummy jars of peanut butter had the great taste of rodent dropping, molds, and bird crap mixed in. Organic certification apparently doesn't mean you have to have pest control or clean environments for growing. It just means you're not spraying with chemicals.

Elsewhere in the world you'd need to spend a lot more $$$$$ to buy organic and naturally grown product that aren't subect to toxic spraying, unsanitary conditions, cattle from feedlots, substandard goods etc etc etc. Why do you expect it to be different here? If you want product free from the above, you can get it, but you have to be willing to pay.

I'm sorry but your argument that this is a problem in Argentina is ridiculous -- it's a problem everywhere in the world! That's what mass agricultural production is about.

Here you have organic options but don't complain they are expensive. You can't have it both ways. If you want good local product, like anywhere else in the world, you'll have to pay the price. If you want to buy product that has actually come from a farm with some ethics, you're going to pay more.

However, the further outside of capital you go, and the closer to the source of the product, the price starts to go down. You can buy fantastic product direct from farms -- we do so whenever we go on a trip outside of the city.

Stop trying to find import foods, it's bad for the environment anyway, instead of investing your time asking for European cheeses, spend some time lookng for artesanal cheesemakers here in Argentina, and get them to send you product direct. Dan at SaltShaker has done some cheese tastings, he probably has some decent sources.

 

[cricri58]

Hi,
-Can anyone discuss the difference of flavour between Argentinean meat/BBQ and for example Texan BBQ?
-Where to buy directly fresh products from farmers, outside Bs As?

 

[blondie]

I haven´t traveled around the world ( yet! ) but my guess is that except for US, Australia, UK, France, Italy, Spain cities and maybe a few more, most countries have a limited diet...try to have an asado in Peru...or good pasta in Germany...great pizza in Sweden (?).

Ok, that was ignorant, to say the least. But it also shows quite clearly that you haven't been to Sweden (yet) so you are forgiven. Everyone who has, knows that you can get great pizza here, basically because of the large number of italian immigrants who came here during the 60'ies. Nowdays teh italian restaurants aren't neccessarily owned by italians, but swedes do know what a good pizza is and wouldn't go for anything less. My local pizza place is i.e owned by an hungarian and my argentine boyfriend admitted it was the best pizza he ever had had (but the argentine average pizza beeing so bad, it doesn't count for much, I know...). In my town (Malmö), having just above 300 000 inhabitants you can get a wider variety of food than you can in the whole of Buenos Aires. Within ten blocks from my house I can find chineese restaurants, thai, sushi, indian, meze and greek apart from the above mentioned italian.
I've never been to Germany either, but I'm quite sure you can find good pasta there too. It's just argentine food culture that's soooo bad. None of the over twenty countries I've visited in my life so far have had such a depressing lack of good food. Though Israel came close.

 

[nikad]

Ok, that was ignorant, to say the least. But it also shows quite clearly that you haven't been to Sweden (yet) so you are forgiven. Everyone who has, knows that you can get great pizza here, basically because of the large number of italian immigrants who came here during the 60'ies. Nowdays teh italian restaurants aren't neccessarily owned by italians, but swedes do know what a good pizza is and wouldn't go for anything less. My local pizza place is i.e owned by an hungarian and my argentine boyfriend admitted it was the best pizza he ever had had (but the argentine average pizza beeing so bad, it doesn't count for much, I know...). In my town (Malmö), having just above 300 000 inhabitants you can get a wider variety of food than you can in the whole of Buenos Aires. Within ten blocks from my house I can find chineese restaurants, thai, sushi, indian, meze and greek apart from the above mentioned italian.
I've never been to Germany either, but I'm quite sure you can find good pasta there too. It's just argentine food culture that's soooo bad. None of the over twenty countries I've visited in my life so far have had such a depressing lack of good food. Though Israel came close.

Your rude uneducated tone and lack of manners prevent me from discussing anything with you any further sorry.