What do you wish you would have brought to BA?

[Crema Americana]

It's hard to guess what you're going to need. Everyone's tastes and needs are so particular. Even for myself, I don't actually realize I'm missing something until I need it. Some items are a question of price, others scarcity or quality. For the most part you can get by with what you find here.

I would focus on clothes, personal care products, and electronics for now. If you plan to stay long term you'll start to bring things down that you realize you want or need - like quality sheets, towels, small appliances, or kitchenware. It is impossible to bring everything in one trip... but if there's something you can't live without, bring it.

 

[oamter]

International food stuffs! Spices like Garam masala and berbere, brown sugar, pine nuts for making pesto (people don't even seem to know what they are!), can or two of pumpkin puree for quick pumpkin pies, GOOD dark chocolate for cooking and eatinh. I also agree with good knives, pots and pans. I just bought a good cheap knife online and sent it to my house in the US to retreive while I am there.

Also, cheap clothing basics like under garments, basic t-shirts, socks etc. These things tend to be poor quality and expensive. Same thing goes for makeup products. Lots of companies are currently leaving Argentina so even pharmacy cheap makeup is super costly.

Any electronic item you could possibly want you should bring. Anticipate now or you will pay twice as much!

 

[PhilipDT]

International food stuffs! Spices like Garam masala and berbere, brown sugar, pine nuts for making pesto (people don't even seem to know what they are!), can or two of pumpkin puree for quick pumpkin pies, GOOD dark chocolate for cooking and eatinh.

Not sure about the berbere, but everything else is available in buenos aires.

 

[ValeIT]

I would have brought IKEA, Swiffer wipes and my friends

 

[Montauk_Project]

Good knives?
You are buying them at the wrong place. Argentina actually has a long tradition of making knives. They just don´t sell them in supermarkets.
I know a lot of chefs in the US who import their sushi knives from Argentina (cheaper than Japan).
here is a video we made about one such knife maker:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAbIf3Li1go&feature=share&list=UUz48TBdYarrb53-SjlNE4KA

 

[John.St]

... a dish washing brush. They don't sell them anywhere that I've been in BA.

I buy mine in Carrefour, they are often placed in some obscure place where you wouldn't guess they are.

 

[Nailddict]

Haha thank you for kind suggestions! I am going to miss Amazon/Ebay for sure. I think coffee is a big one, if I recall correctly Argentine coffee was very watery and lifeless, a far cry on the BR counterpart! (no offense) I will definetly stock up on my makeup/cosmetic stuff, thanks!

Couple of questions:

Are basics such as good quality white cotton shirts too expensive/hard to find? (When Arg friends are here they take bulks of hanes shirts saying fabric quality is crap on Arg)

Are clothes / shoes in general very expensive?

Are things such as cake mixes, cupcake mixes on stores? I remember looking once but could nto find on a Carrefour, and the cupcakes at Starbucks were very flat and stale.

 

[Escu]

Breakfast Cereals! I'm flying down to BA myself in a couple days and half of one of my bags is all breakfast cereals. The selection of breakfast cereals in Argentina is pretty sad.

 

[Crema Americana]

Are basics such as good quality white cotton shirts too expensive/hard to find? (When Arg friends are here they take bulks of hanes shirts saying fabric quality is crap on Arg)

Are clothes / shoes in general very expensive?

Are things such as cake mixes, cupcake mixes on stores? I remember looking once but could nto find on a Carrefour, and the cupcakes at Starbucks were very flat and stale.

My husband stocks up on underwear, socks, and t-shirts in the US. The fabric here is much thinner and often cotton/polyester blends that don't last long. You can get a lot better quality in the US for less.

Shopping at department stores or malls is expensive (except for a few select shops.)
Here is Falabella's website so that you can browse prices. Falabella is a department store similar to Macy's.
http://www.falabella...3468&division=0

I've seen cake mixes in Jumbo. I don't remember the brand name or how expensive they were, but they are available. However, hey may be slightly different in texture than US brands... 'bizcochuelo' cake mixes tend to be more muffin-like than sweet spongy cake, but I suppose that depends on the brand. My experience with cake here has either been the hard bizcochuelo type, or a gooey mess of dulce de leche and cream. I've seen the little paper cups as well. Cupcakes and muffins are pretty common now.

 

[KasaMartinez]

Ziplock bags. They don't really have them here and they are expensive. I ration mine. Baby wipes are versatile and handy too but expensive and harder to find here. Good tupperware is handy too. Travel coffee mugs, since NO ONE walks the streets drinking coffee here. Any special kitchen gadgets you love you should bring (we brought our apple cutter and glad we did). i wish we had brought rubber scrapper spatulas.

Random food products: refried beans (still have never seen them here), salsa, or anything Mexican, Lemon Pepper seasoning, (bring any of your favorite seasonings). I find that it's not easy or ubiquitous to find other ethnice foods (indian, mexican, greek, etc). Italian food is plentiful here though. Expect any imported food to be extremely expensive here, so while you might be able to find it if you look hard, it will knock you over when you see the price tag. For example a jar of green chili sauce that's maybe $3 in the US is about $10 here.

Good luck.