The promises and pitfalls of grocery shopping in Buenos Aires

[MilHojas]

https://buenosairesherald.com/what-to-do-in-argentina/what-to-do-in-buenos-aires/shopping/the-promises-and-pitfalls-of-grocery-shopping-in-buenos-aires

From verdulerías and carnicerías to Barrio Chino spice runs, an expat discovers that stocking the pantry is as much about curiosity as convenience

 

[carride]

It is good that the author has embraced the different life here, vs only talking about the difficulties.
Often I wonder if some of the surprise with food shopping that some expats experience, especially from the US, is that this is the first big urban walking culture city they have ever lived. The writer mentions good memories of Costo, which I never experienced in my whole life of living in USA. As an adult living in the US cities I always enjoyed walking from the veggie market to butcher and other specialty shops, so it was not much different than here. Just like here, I would also drive to some big supermarket only every two weeks or have them deliver big bulk and pantry items once per month.

 

[islandemoji]

If you try buying ice cream, decent coffee, fruit/veg, spices, or fiambres at the supermarket, you're in for some disappointment and/or expensiveness

 

[FrankPintor]

If you try buying ice cream, decent coffee, fruit/veg, spices, or fiambres at the supermarket, you're in for some disappointment and/or expensiveness

Why would you do that?

 

[SlowWalker]

Great article, and attitude of the author.

 

[Ries]

Like carride, I have been grocery shopping in the US in a very similar way to Argentina for 30 years, so not buying everything at one supermarket is entirely normal for me. I really enjoy the personal relationships I have built up with a variety of merchants over the years, and there is no denying that there are a wide variety of quality differences between stores.
You pay about the same price, often for mass produced items, and artesanal small batch, it just requires a bit of research.
This article doesn’t discuss the explosion in cheap delivery in the last ten years, which makes it pretty easy to have quality food from many different purveyors delivered to your door, ordering by whatsapp, and paying by transferencia.
This is far less trouble and work than my situation in the US, where costco is a one hour round trip drive in one direction, the good deli an hour rt in another, the good fish markets 20 minutes in two other directions.
The best meat markets, cheese shops, and even organic farmers market stands here will deliver, if you ask.