Grocery Stores in the USA

[sergio]

Maybe some expats feel superior. I just feel tired of the pretensions of many Porteños when the reality is quite different. If the attitude of people in Recoleta, Barrio Norte, Zona Norte etc (the Expat Protection Zone) was not so smug and superior, it would be easier to take the inefficiencies and low standards. BA is not Paris. Argentina is NOT Europe (and when Portennos make a fuss about how European they are, they invariably think of pre-war Europe and not the multi-racial, multi-ethnic Europe of 2011 about which few Porteños really know very much at all). The last thing in the world I want is for Argentina to be like the US. I am not interested in replicating the US. I'd just like to see things better - and that includes the standard of living for the people. We can fuss and complain about mediocre food (which I am afraid is the norm though there ARE good restaurants for the lucky few with $). There is NO reason for millions of Argentines to live under substandard conditions, to be denied decent medical care, livable pensions and the benefits they should be enjoying as citizens of a country with vast resources. Sadly, it's a vicious circle because the country would not be what it is if the people did not allow it. After many years in Argentina I have just grown tired of seeing a little progress, then regression and more regression. It's pathetic. The WHOLE FOODS supermarket that was the original subject of this thread is a metaphor for the differences between the US and Argentina in terms of access to good food, reasonable cost in relation to incomes etc. When I was in Whole Foods a week or so ago I thought that the WEALTHIEST Argentine does not have anything remotely like this. You can be rolling in money but this does NOT exist. I find it sad that Argentina can not progress, progress in its own way with its own style but nevertheless PROGRESS. I am not Argentina-bashing. I am saying this as someone who cares about the country he has lived in for a long time but who is discouraged. My Argentine friends are of a like mind, so you can say I am unfair or whatever but my views are shared by a lot of people born and raised in Argentina, especially the ones who have traveled extensively or lived abroad and know what they are talking about.

 

[cbphoto]

Well said Sergio

 

[ssr]

...In Washington I met Europeans who looked down on the Americans because they lacked refinement...

Hah! Getting to hang out with Europeans who say nasty things about Americans must be like a dream come true for Argentines.

After reading this post, it dawned on me that perhaps some people choose to live in Argentina because they need to feel "superior"...

Eh, Argentina has always attracted the same sort of people. Every time Argentina's economy crashes and burns, relatively wealthy foreigners (who are just middle-class schlubs back home) will swoop in and buy mansions and land on the cheap and become instant Argy aristocrats. You just happen to be witnessing the latest wave. In a generation or two, the children or grandchildren of the people you're complaining about will be sitting at polo matches and talking about how great Argy beef is and be every bit as frightened of outsiders as Argies are now.

Go to Galeria de Jardin on Calle Florida between Lavalle & Tucuman. There are over 50 different computer supply places. You might pay 110% of what it would cost in the U.S. or you might pay 200%. It depends on how common your item is (among other things).

You'll definitely find it from one or two or ten of the locations...

Well, for anything to do with electronics, I would check MercadoLibre.com before dealing with those idiots down on Calle Florida. You don't need to buy whatever you're looking for through Mercado Libre; many stores just use it to advertise their prices and list their addresses and phone numbers on their ads. My girlfriend and I wasted a couple of hours going from store to store down in that computer mall looking for a keyboard for her laptop and it's amazing how little interest those people have in selling anything. We almost bought the lowest priced keyboard we found down there but, thankfully, held off and checked Mercado Libre when we got home and found it MUCH cheaper at a store in Belgrano (and we just called and had them hold it and picked it up the next day without going through Mercado Libre at all). Going to that mall on Calle Florida was just a waste of a time.