It's an Expat Thing: Unsolved Mysteries

[SaraSara]

Argentines are very fond of bringing flowers when visiting. This is true even for close relatives - they seldom stop by without some kind of floral offering, even if it's only a small bunch of jazmines bought at a stoplight.

There's a strong tradition of never showing up at someone's home empty-handed: candies, chocolates, facturas, wine, or flowers are the preferred gifts. "Llegar con las manos vacias" is a social sin on a par with throwing up on the living room carpet.

 

[Slopey]

Thanks, Nikad and SaraSara. That makes sense.
I had forgotten the whole birth/death/social aspect of flowers, and was only envisioning lovestruck porteños

 

[emilyr]

This is hilarious! What a great idea for a thread.

Haha Slopey: And juxtapose the flower question with: why can you find 24 hour florists but so few 24 hour cafes on weekdays when porteños are supposedly night owls?

I totally agree about the walking thing! When someone was headed right toward me, I used to step demurely out of people’s way, like a slow polite Southerner. But I found I was jostled all around the street and other people behind me just passed me up and I looked like a beluda if not a tourist.

So, I figured the safest thing is what I do now, which is to aggressively barrel toward someone the way they barrel toward me. Then, at the last moment, it’s like we magically JUST MISS one another. How does that happen?


And this is not to complain; I truly want to understant. WHY are Argentine electrodomesticos SO MUCH MORE expensive than in the US and seem to break easier, when a lot of it is the same poquería from China???


I would like to ask the gods: Why do I always seem to show up to places when they are randomly closed? I think this is expat bad luck…and ignorance about feriados.


When/why the tradition of eating dinner so late, (e.g. 11p) and is it why I am gaining weight? : )

And who moderates this site?