What do you wish you would have brought to BA?

[steveinbsas]

If music is important to you I suggest you bring a Bose portable sounddock and an ipod loaded with your favorite music (if not your entire library). You could buy used ones on ebay and save some money as well as sell them here before you leave. If your going to sell anything prior to leaving Argentina I also suggest you bring an iphone 5 (an iphone 4 if you want something that you can buy cheap now and not risk so much if it is stolen in the street). I'd also consider buying a used ipad for the same reason.

 

[bellakoerfer]

i miss Amazon.com everyday and any yummy food.

 

[steveinbsas]

If you are going to prepare some of your own meals but want to travel light, here are a few suggestions:

Seasoning packets/envelops: Taco seasoning, beef and poultry gravy, and spaghetti sauce mix (Frenches used to make one just add a can of tomato paste, oil, and water). You can save a lot of money on salad dressing if you bring packets of salad dressing mix (which will make better dressings than most available here.)

Also powdered yellow mustard, wasabe powder, chili seasoning, and a decent pepper mill (fill it with whole peppercorns before you leave) or buy the refillable MacCormik glass bottle with the plastic grinder top (but it won't last as long as a good pepper mill). Cheap pepper mills here are not good..

Bring baking powder if you want to make biscuts (especially if strawberries are in season) or pancakes and 100 gram plastic "bottle" of Italian seasoning if you want to make pasta sauce from scratch. Other seasonings to consider (depending on what you cook) are dried mint (for taboule), tarragon, Thai spice blend, Szechwan seasoning mix. Dried celantro here may seem tasteless compared to what you might be able to bring from home. Montreal steak seasoning is heavy, but its worth the weight if you like the taste. If you make sushimi rolls bring your own seaweed (it will be more expensive here, even in Barrio Chino).

You won't find canned soup here (unless it's imported and very expensive) but Knorr and Maggi make good soup mixes in 4 serving envelops.

A few slightly heavier but still small items: Tobasco sauce, envelopes of white tuna, canned green chilies, Bring your favorite coffee but have it ground before you come unless you are sure you will have access to a 220V grinder (and that it's a good one).

Also, if you will be in BA for a while, consider a non stick muffin pan (and the paper inserts), a high heat, silicon pancake flipper. and rubber spatulas (available here but low quality), a couple of stainless steel mixing bowls, a flour sifter (the kind with a handle), and a Bodum coffee press. Knives made in Argentina are very good but they are also expensive. Bring a chef's knife to cut veggies and a paring knife...also the best veggie peeler you can find Decent steak knives are also much cheaper in the US than good ones here.

I'd also bring a small first aid kit and a small maglight flashlight as well small motion sensor alarms that you can use on the door of your apartment and in or on a compuer bag or purse (might save your stuff in a restaurant or cafe).

 

[fiftyshades]

Target and Marshalls....
Swiffer with lots of refills, undergarments, kids shoes as they are expensive here, workout wear and any equipment you might need to go with it, tennis rackets, etc..
Maple syrup, pancake mix, your favourite cereal, there are only 5 different sugary kinds here, any spices you like to use, good chocolate chip cookes, baking supplies, frosting, sprinkles, favorite cosmetics, shampoo, nail polish, OPI is hard to find and super expensive...
Anything that you think you will need to survive bring it here as it is very expensive to buy it, if you can find it!!

 

[Noruega]

Bring baking powder if you want to make biscuts (especially if strawberries are in season) or pancakes and 100 gram plastic "bottle" of Italian seasoning if you want to make pasta sauce from scratch.

Is it hard to find baking powder? I love to bake but didn't think that would be necessary to bring...

 

[TomAtAlki]

Is it hard to find baking powder? I love to bake but didn't think that would be necessary to bring...

No, it's in all the supermarkets.
Nancy

 

[ElQueso]

Yeah that's one thing you don't need, at least not in Buenos Aires. Maybe out in the sticks near Bahia Blanca where Steve lives they don't have it

I just had someone bring me 4 200-count boxes of ziploc bags. The Tupperware-like products sold here (I've not looked at actual Tupperware to compare quality and price, though my wife told me there's a Tupperware store on Santa Fe) are usually pretty crappy - hard to seal or don't seal well, don't last long. The ziploc bags are sold in small packs, like quantities of 5 or 10. The last time I looked, which was some time ago, the 5 count was something like 20 pesos. Cost as much as one box of 200 I just received from the States.

As mentioned, if you do a lot of cooking, bring spices. I also just had some Old Bay and chili powder delivered to me. You used to be able to find fajita, taco, burrito, guacamole (etc) mixes but I haven't seen any for almost a year now. You might be able to get chili powder in Barrio Chino, but I wouldn't depend on it and I wouldn't be sure what chilis were used to make it (unless imported).

Don't plan on buying clothes here. Bring as many as you can. You can find things here, but anything of quality is expensive, and anything not of quality doesn't last, sometimes for more than a few washes - a lot of people wash some of their clothes by hand because washing machines tear them up, even on gentle cycle. I wear X-Large shirts and find that here I have to wear XX-Large (I'm not fat, I just don't like tight-fitting clothes!). It seems that shirts are one size smaller and XX-Large can sometimes be problematic to find what you want when you see it.

Bring as many electronics as you can. Some things you'll have to buy here because of the size, most likely, but any devices that fit into luggage try to bring.

But, if you live here for awhile, you'll start to learn to do without a lot of things you're used to, or find a way to get the things that become a priority for you after being here for awhile.

 

[steveinbsas]

I buy the red tins of baking powder ( with a native American on the label?) because they have a plastic cap and less likely to spill in the cupboard. I even bring ground black pepper in the plastic containers with the two types of openings on the top (shaker or measuring spoon friendly). I do not like to buy the spices here in plastic envelopes, but I've been doing so lately as I have used most of my supply from my last trip to the US. I transfer the spices I buy here into the old containers.

Baking powder probably is available at most of the despensas in the village one KM from my house. I'm sure it's available in the nearby towns but I've never looked for it.

One reason I like the baking powder in the red tins is that it reminds me of my mother baking in the kitchen at home when I was young. Not much else here can do that.

 

[scotttswan]

If music is important to you I suggest you bring a Bose portable sounddock and an ipod loaded with your favorite music (if not your entire library). You could buy used ones on ebay and save some money as well as sell them here before you leave. If your going to sell anything prior to leaving Argentina I also suggest you bring an iphone 5 (an iphone 4 if you want something that you can buy cheap now and not risk so much if it is stolen in the street). I'd also consider buying a used ipad for the same reason.

I recommend spotify. With the premium version you can download all the tracks you want for a small subscription.

 

[Noruega]

One reason I like the baking powder in the red tins is that it reminds me of my mother baking in the kitchen at home when I was young. Not much else here can do that.

That is really nice! I like that. I just don't have much more room, so the only cooking related things I am bringing are my measuring cups and spoons. Doesn't take much space and that way I can use US recipes. (I use a lot of European recipes too but not bringing a metric measuring device.)

Thanks for all the ideas! I am going heavy on clothes and beauty products.