sugar, oh lordy, lordy

[Napoleon]

ok, i say it out loud: i hate dulce de leche and i can't stand alfajores!! but with my argentine friends i'm in, uh, sheeps clothing....(or is it goat??)...

You're kind of a "D.A.D.T."* butterfly.

Sometimes it's safer not to mention that you don't like DDL or that kids under the age of 8 should not be out at 2:00am on a weeknight. It's a "cultural" thing. When in Rome... bite your tongue like the Greeks did.



*D.A.D.T. = Don't Ask Don't Tell

 

[mariposa]

napoleon,

my tongue is so bitten it is practically in shreds!! btw, what is more explosive: mentioning DDL or las malvinas??? jjj...

 

[citygirl]

jaaaaa - I'm another non-fan of DDL and alfajores. The overload of sugar - bleh. I simply smile and say I'm on a diet when offered - every Arg woman I know is on one so people don't give me too much of a hard time. (I'm not on a diet but it some cases, it's just easier to lie as opposed to saying I find them icky)

But seriously - it is frightening how much sugar there is. And the only vegetables I usually see are some chopped up potatoes and carrots that are cooked. What happened to a nice healthy salad?

 

[Amargo]

What happened to a nice healthy salad?

This sounds strange to me. Most people I know in Argentina prepare a lot of salads, of course almost always as a side dish for some churrasco or asado.

 

[andebobandy]

Yes, it's strange. There is a lot of sugar here, but far less obesity. What's worse a sugary ddl pastry that is a treat or a happy meal that's considered a meal?

 

[starlucia]

Yes, it's strange. There is a lot of sugar here, but far less obesity. What's worse a sugary ddl pastry that is a treat or a happy meal that's considered a meal?

Well, portion sizes here are smaller in general, and people dine out less frequently. But I sure see Argentines consuming McDonald's at a rate pretty much on par with the U.S. Whether in Capital or the provincias, I have NEVER seen lines so long for McDonald's.

Back to the original topic: I don't touch alfajores because they're made with grasa bovina, but dulce de leche makes my teeth ache. When I need my sweet fix, I'm willing to pay 3 times as much for the tiny jar of Nutella on the shelf next to 40 different brands of DDL.

 

[mariposa]

i see obesity everywhere!!

 

[esllou]

doesn't giving very young children/babies things like DDL hardwire them for their future? Isn't it more likely someone will get diabetes, etc if they've consumed a lot of sugar at a young age? Or am I making that up?

 

[citygirl]

I don't think you're making that up. Certainly a diet high in sugar isn't healthy and at the very least can make one much more suspectible for adult onset diabetes.

Re obesity - I see a lot of overweight people. And don't forget the large amounts of plastic surgery/lipo that goes on here so the percentage of skinny people may not be quite as high as it seems (naturally).

Portion size is definitely less though which does help. I'm always shocked when back in the US at just how much of everything there is there.

 

[andebobandy]

the lines are long at mc donalds because there are so few here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_McDonald's_franchises
only 186 in argentina. 13,000 in the US.

And obesity here is a laugh compared to the US. The amount of obese people here wouldn't even constitute a snack for the number of obese people in just one of the great southern states.