What's your Favorite (and Positive) "Only in Argentina" story?

[MorganF]

Ptolemy: No Negativity in this thread! Puhleaze! 5 minutes of being positive! Argentine deserves 5 minutes of positivity

 

[MorganF]

Oh, another positive-only-in-Argentina type experience: those stories taxi drivers here tell. HYSTERICAL. I'm going to start another thread in a few days where we can share some of those stories. Yeeees!

Argie taxi drivers are awesome and sooo funny... at least when they're not driving us on joy-rides.

 

[ptolemy]

Ptolemy: No Negativity in this thread! Puhleaze! 5 minutes of being positive! Argentine deserves 5 minutes of positivity

No Negativity meant. Boldo was actually a positive discovery for me.

 

[MizzMarr]

I've been thinking on this for awhile, as of course there have been plenty of positive experiences (to counter, but not necessarily outweigh, negative ones... to wit they're a bit harder to think of...) during my time here.

I, too, love the taxi drivers. It's my favorite when I get a tanguero taxista who will sing the old beautiful tango songs during the drive to the destination. I just love that, but it's only happened twice.

I love seeing big burly cops kissing each other in greeting (or the men in general, something just endearing about that).

I enjoy seeing the elderly men gathered in the park and playing chess (though I know that this is not specific to Argentina, but you really don't see that where I'm from), or the fact that the elderly are not relegated to homes and early bed times here but can be seen enjoying themselves out with their counterparts until early hours of the mornings in coffee shops, etc.

When I first arrived and was fairly helpless in my Spanish, I had a few occasions where I met people in the street and had some faltering conversations in Spanish where at the end of the exchange they gave me their phone number and told me to call them if I needed anything. I believed that if I had called that they would have made good on their offer, invites out to a fútbol game or asado, etc. A complete stranger giving you their phone number or immeditely inviting you to do something is something that would *never* happen in Seattle.

 

[brownlove]

If you want to get laid, get drunk & get lung cancer without breaking the bank, then this is your country...

 

[PhilipDT]

, get drunk...

Unless of course you want to get drunk on anything that doesn't taste like it's main use is to degrease engine blocks.

Oh wait, no negativity, my bad. How about this? Only in Argentina can you find, by pure chance, on the Internet, a guy selling the most fantastic cherry tomatoes you've ever had. And only here can you, after a quick PM, have that same guy showing up on your doorstep with 1.5 kilos of excellent goodness.

Thanks RobinsonGo!

 

[Ries]

I collect miniature anvils.
I know, its weird, what can I say.

On two different occasions, antique dealers have GIVEN me little anvils as gifts.
Now, of course, I have previously (not on that visit, but weeks or months in the past) spent money with both dealers- but still- I have never once walked into a Home Depot or Walmart or Target or 7-11 in the USA, and had them give me a present, when I didnt buy a single thing.

In one case, I had bought ONE table from them. The other case is somebody I have bought a few things from, but over the course of two years or so, not all at once.

In neither case was I a huge client, who threw a lot of money around.

Then, of course, there are the cab drivers who constantly LOWER the price so they dont have to make change.
I have never had any merchant of any kind in the USA lower a price to avoid making change.

I have had the lower the price thing happen with others from time to time, as well- occasionally at a kiosk, or from an empanada takeout place.

 

[tomdesigns]

Unless of course you want to get drunk on anything that doesn't taste like it's main use is to degrease engine blocks.

Oh wait, no negativity, my bad. How about this? Only in Argentina can you find, by pure chance, on the Internet, a guy selling the most fantastic cherry tomatoes you've ever had. And only here can you, after a quick PM, have that same guy showing up on your doorstep with 1.5 kilos of excellent goodness.

Thanks RobinsonGo!

I do not know what you are drinking but the Wine is here is without a doubt some of the best on the world!!

 

[Ries]

I am guessing he was referring to Fernet.
Me, I like the stuff.
I even bring it back with me to the states when I go north.

 

[Jvanka]

Five years ago today I arrived in Buenos Aires (for the first time). I went for a walk on Avenida Santa Fe from Palermo to Florida in Retiro. Within a few minutes of melting into the masses on Florida I was handed a small slip of paper that offered 30 minutes of intimate services with a "local lady " for 30 pesos (about ten dollars at that time).

Noihing like that ever happened to me in the USA (or even Mexico).

I guess you never visited Las Vegas... lol