How Do You Deal With Sellers In Fast Food Restaurants?

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Nice. Tall woman!

Yeah, and at 177 cm tall, I fancy she can do very good in fashion industry there in Tokyo, potentially to making good earnings there, the Euro talents are well paid know a few working there, be svelte and long legged a must despite!

 

[BAPaul]

Serafina it is a soccer shirt that costs £45 in the Uk as they all do...many people here wear UK soccer shirts as well and I have seen many Manchester city and united and Chelsea shirts...although I think they are all the fake copy ones lol..I will dress down or I could wear one of those white with stripes shirt and look like all the other office workers here lol...but yes I guess I could not wear my UK soccer shirt when alone as this shows I am an UK gringo.....not as tall as you as I am about 5ft 9...not sure what that is in cm's lol but I gather you are tall.

Redbeanz I think the above gives me answer and it is English..My Spanish is limited to about 3000 or so words and a few 100 phrases but I plan to put the hours in more now to learn as I will be moving here in several months.

As to reply to the others of you: I guess I always go to Micro centro area as it is close by and I usually stay in a hotel in Recoleta as that is where my girl lives with her family, or micro centro...I guess the area is really only for tourists and people who work there, but I usually go there to one of the internet cafes if I am out and about, or to eat sometimes in the fast food restaurants. I ate a mcflurry the other day in the Mc donalds in Lavalle and there were still a few sellers that came in there and upstairs..one pointed at my Boca shirt and then lifted up his sweater to show his and then thought we were brothers lol and I would buy something, but I said no dinero and he left.

It does generally happen every time I go in one of these places in micro centro and they go from table to table with all the non gringo looking persons also.

I don't eat there much just when I am out and about in the day sometimes as my girl is working and I explore the city alone...at night I eat with her and her family and in restaurants....I love to wander the city though but as I have been here 4 times now totaling about 2 months I think I have done it all now anyway...bets to stay away from the micro centro area as there is not much there anyway except to use a locuturio....there were security guards in the past yes but I have not seen many this time.

It's obvious that all these types come into the city each day from the villas or whatever and sell, rob whatever they do...so one has to always be vigilant and keep an eye out....more than one person would always reduce the odds I guess, and yes my mistake was to talk English...I will learn more Spanish and then practice my deep smoking 40 marlboro a day voice (as I call it) that most seem to have here...I perform it for my girl and her family and say a lot of people speak loud like this here then I say....claro claro si si in that voice....I think I have got it down to a tee.

Thanks for all your advice, I am a wise person I think and it's obvious to stay away from these places when you think about it....after all the bees go where the honey is and the anst where the sugar is...think I have just invented a new quote there, but you never know if it was in your head from some place else lol

 

[BAPaul]

Also I think I have been robbed by a small shop earlier...like a maxikiosk but I don't think it was one of them....well I didn't see the name lol
I bought a large can of Guarana energy drink which I know is 30, and some pep palitos 175g and a small biznikke chocolate bar...I like to try new things and these were just some nibbles to eat in my hotel tonigh...well it came to 85...when I think about it I can't see the 2 other things totaling 55...I think I have been had here lol, in fact the girl behind the counter did look at me funny and then say the price...I was in a rush and stuffed the money in my pocket than dashed off through the rain to get back to hotel to see the second half of the football, but I checked my change and then figured something was up....wow I am really a stupid gringo...they must see me coming lol

 

[Girino]

Serafina it is a soccer shirt that costs £45 in the Uk as they all do...many people here wear UK soccer shirts as well and I have seen many Manchester city and united and Chelsea shirts...although I think they are all the fake copy ones lol..

£45 is a lot of money, we eat for 2 weeks with that money here in Buenos Aires.
i saw many shirts here too, also of Milan, Inter, Barcelona, etc. and also on people who otherwise looked like cartoneros. I guess they find them in the trash or are from charity or stolen.
Another thing that here on the forum was repeated many times, is that bad guys are not necessarily bad dressed. Indeed.

 

[BAPaul]

£45 is a lot of money, we eat for 2 weeks with that money here in Buenos Aires.
i saw many shirts here too, also of Milan, Inter, Barcelona, etc. and also on people who otherwise looked like cartoneros. I guess they find them in the trash or are from charity or stolen.
Another thing that here on the forum was repeated many times, is that bad guys are not necessarily bad dressed. Indeed.

Yes I am trying to work out food costs etc and rent. I plan to move here next year and with enough money to live for a year and a half to 2 years without having to work. I see many places for rent in the windows alquier I think the word is of these propiedades agencies (my Spanish is not great but in the UK they are called estate agents/house rental) it looks like one can get a nice place 2 bedroom for 7000 pesos 8000 pesos etc but I am not sure of the details as they are all in Spanish and I need to talk with my girl about this, and we will start looking next year....in the UK a 2 bedroom apartment is about £500-£600 which if you multiply that by 20 pesos is 10,000 - 12,000 a month...so I think one can get a nice place for this.
Still trying to work out the food price and what we will eat, me my fiancee and her daughter but I guess 3 can live on £10 a day = 200 pesos..maybe £15= 300....obviously I need to work it all out more correctly and the pesos to the pound can go either way. Since I first came here 18 months ago it has gone from £1= 13 pesos now to about 21.
Well there are many things to plan out financially but I am sure I can live work free for 18 months to a year whilst I perfect my Spanish and settle in here.

 

[syngirl]

The microcentro sucks. Sorry but it does. If you want fast food, go to the McDonalds in one of the better shoppings, Patio Bullrich, Alto Palermo, Paseo Alcorta etc. Not quite the same clientele. If you want free Wi-Fi, go to PRACTICALLY ANY CAFE in the city. This is not like other places where only the big chains have Wi-Fi, MOST cafes do. And frankly the prices are so high at the fast food places I wouldn't be surprised if you pay less at another cafe for coffee+medialunas.

• Havanna
• and Martinez
• and Tienda de Cafe
• and Nucha
• and Cafe Argentina
• and Tea Connection

-- all have decent coffee, free Wifi, multiple locations AND you can pull out your laptop at most of those places and certainly a fancy phone and you won't be bothered. Starbucks has free WiFi (haha note I did not say good coffee). It's a different clientele at those locations. Stay away from crap places in crap destinations. Sit inside if you don't feel comfortable. Use your laptop on the second floor if they have one. Don't sit outside if you want to have yoru nice things out and don't want people bothering you. And if I were you, stay away from MicroCentro, sorry it's crap, and on the weekends it's dead so why bother. Recoleta, Palermo, Las Canitas and Belgrano -- OFF of the main streets. ie don't go to a Havanna on Sta Fe and then complain about the same thing happening. Go to the Cafe Argentina on Virrey Olaguer y Felix or the Nucha on I think Malabia, and sit inside etc. Choose your places. If you're still hanging out in Microcentro I don't believe you have seen it all because most people with their days free would not head down there even if it was convenient, but up to somewhere like Palermo where they can walk around, take out their laptop on a rooftop terrace, and relax. Obviously Palermo gets a lot of vendors too, but you pick your places and the problem goes away. Go to any of the places I mentioned above, not necessarily the ones sitting right on Sta Fe mind you, and you'll see that you can pull out your ipad or laptop or whatever and actually sit for a pleasant breakfast and not have to buy socks.

 

[Girino]

Still trying to work out the food price and what we will eat, me my fiancee and her daughter but I guess 3 can live on £10 a day = 200 pesos..maybe £15= 300....

I don't want to stick my nose in your business, but since you posted all the details... Coming here to not work and maintain your girlfriend and her daughter doesn't sound quite right.
Come here with a better plan. Argentina is cheaper than the UK, but people earn a lot less and there are a lot less things available than in the UK. In the long run, you will find out that you miss them.

I don't see you sitting around all day and living the expat life while your gf works and raise a daughter. It could work for 6 months, but then you have to find your place in the world, either here or elsewhere.

 

[nikad]

Most restaurant / bars in microcentro are fine, and fast food restaurants are fine too, just avoid any intersection with 9 de Julio and all of Lavalle st if possible and you will be fine. Go to McD on Florida st instead, or any of the places on Reconquista st, etc.

Wearing a soccer Tshirt is perfectly fine too, as long as it is not one of those flashy bright green and purple with yellow, etc. Most guys wear soccer Tshirts here, and it is all brand names - they either wear the original or fakes - Or just go and get yourself the one and only, the best of the best: Boca Juniors Tshirt

 

[BAPaul]

In relation to one posts yesterday, I was in fact cheated as my girl said it should have come to about 50 not 85 ....Kioscochorro she called them lol...have to learn the prices a bit better I think, she probably thought right here is a dumb gringo, let me put on 30 pesos and pocket that in my back pocket.

Syngirl thanks for the advice and the name of all the cafes. I have been all over the city and to most of the places you say..and walked most of the streets as I like walking, I recently walked all of Av Sante fe all the way to Palermo where the botanical gardens is then around the corner I ended up at Plaza Italia which I get off at many times before when I got there, or when going to the mall we go tot Bulnes station, but yes a very nice area around there and safer, just have to watch out for the thieves that a nice area like that attracts, walked most of Ave Cordoba as well, done Once loads of times, been to visit most of the football stadiums and surround areas, been to La Boca on my previous tips...I think I have been to most places in the city and most subte stations in all my trips, always popping down to get a choripan at costanera sur but yes I think the cafes are much safer and inside especially. I only go to mc donalds as usually start off from the center, but really I can get anywhere from my local station Tribulanes, and as my Spanish is not great it's easier to say number 1 meal sometimes lol, but do eat choripans and empanadas etc that I now am confident to order myself...never been to a cafe by myself as was unsure of the etiquette and as I don't speak Spanish well it seems daunting lol, but in the future I will more as I like to watch the world go by and read some where safe.

Serafina it is not sticking your nose in, we are all here to learn from each other...my girl works yes and we will be supporting each other..I just plan to save and am saving enough for about 2 years so I can learn Spanish and work on my online marketing businesses which I don't have much time to in the UK as I work 8 hours a day etc...here I will be putting in 12 hours a day and 3 or 4 hours Spanish depending on where I go to study...I put in these hours now but only at weekends and days off....time is a factor really....so it wont be 2 years of sitting on my ass no no I have no option to fail otherwise I will have to get a job here in about 2 years time, but I am confident I can make enough money online in various endeavours when I put the time and effort in.

If not there are many other options such as fitness trainer (need to take course obviously) Spanish teaching when an expert (not just here as I know it does not pay well, but I don't know why more do not teach via skype and build a client base up...many do via skype and charge like $10 an hour..thinking of taking some myself soon when returning to England next week)...just an idea for others who teach Spanish here...so yes I have a few back up plans....the worst comes to the worst I will be on the subte selling socks or gums (although I am sure they are like a mafia and have the routes shared out lol) or you will see me in Florida shouting cambio cambio lol (I think tourists would prefer to deal with an English person I know I would)...just some of my crazy ideas here lol

I can't think of any great personal development quotes at the moment..well hey...jump and build your wings on the way down as they say. I am ready to work hard and do all for the future of me and my family as I will be marrying my girl next year

Yes Nikad I wear my football shirt when we play for good luck such as on Saturday and I am also a Boca fan and wear their shirt a lot as well I love to wear a shirt but I am aware people look at me with it on and think he must be English....fair white skin and all....just need to stay away from the touristy areas and only go there in numbers, it's all about numbers really...you never here of a group of 3 or more on here with trouble...only the solo person or sometimes 2 who have been robber etc....safety in numbers and all that.

 

[rjhiking]

Serafina he was definitely not looking to buy it, he wanted me to give it to him and was pointing at it with his face changing into a confronting face and screwed up face, as if to say give it to me give it to me...I quickly slided away from him then he went over to his friend and pointed at me, but I think he looked at me and didn't fancy confronting me. I look in my 20s although I am in my 30s and they looked both about 40 years old.

I like to get out and about in this city and in the future when I move here I would like to read or use my laptop in public but I think only cafes are safe now as they don't let this riff raff into these type of places, it would be great to sit in the sun with a laptop as well but is unsafe to do so in this city, reading a book in the parks I guess will be ok but go out with empty pockets, but one will still have people come up to them trying to sell something, it is just a part of life here being close to the villas and poverty.

Thanks for the advice Nikad, yes I understand that area is very touristy and not far from the villa at retiro and I never got anybody trying to sell to me in the Wendys on Av.Cabildo which is far out, or in La continental Recoleta nobody ever comes in there as they would be told where to go, so yes the fast food restaurants around the Obelisco do have many that come in....probably several an hour.

I did make the mistake to talk yes and said no hablo espanol etc, but he did not understand no and continued to talk and show me his goodies, then when he says speak English? he tries the little English he knows...hello good day you want to buy something...a few have tried this and they seem to revert to talking like 5 years olds then lol
In the future I will not eat in these places or go with more people, being alone is always a cause of problems for nearly every story I have read on these forums where people have been robbed, kidnapped etc and you have to keep an eagle eye all the time whenever you are out and about.

I wont let it put me off as although I get a bit shaken each time I learn from it and maybe will be prepared in the future with cs spray or something...I have seen many videos on youtube of motochorros and a paco documentary and the bad side of life here so I always like to learn and keep an eye out for the bad stuff....now I will be wary of all those who try to sell to me after this bad experience.....probably had 20 or more people before and they were all nice and friendly, I should have noticed there were 2 together as this was probably why this guy thought he was brave with his back up, after I went upstairs and scanned the area from the window I then took off my soccer shirt and put in underneath the other shirt...I did think if they were out there then I was going to ask the staff to let me go out the back lol, but after 5 minutes I went to the door and stood there for 30 seconds looking everywhere ready to run.

But well we live and learn in this city some call the wild wild west

I know the food for the most part sucks here but it is sad that you travelled so far only to end up at Burger King, McDonalds, KFC and Wendy's