South America - March 12th - Buenos Aires

Beth, from Sara’s group used to live in Buenos Aires and tipped us off to this great shopping center across the city. To get there, we took the subway. The subway was clean, easy to use, and on-time. While Sara’s was buying the tickets I wondered over to a class display case that housed a variety a cigars (apparently the subway is a good place to refill on nicotine). In the display case there were both Cuban cigars and Black & Mild “cigars”. So you had a choice between the cigars that all cigars are measured against, and the cheapest American cigars that kids smoke in white kids from the suburb smoke to prove how tough they are.

We get to the mall but were pretty disappointed in the offerings. Not that it wasn’t a nice mall. It was just that it was like a large American mall. Same layout. Same stores. Same prices. What the mall wasn’t lacking was McDonald’s, because it had three of them (Buenos Aires knows that these colors don’t run). In fact, there were two in the food court. You might think that sounds dumb, but you would be wrong. You are wrong because one of those two in the food court was McDonald’s Kosher (The only one in the world outside of Israel). Same great products, but with a Jewish twist. Actually, not the same great products because you can’t get cheese on anything at a Kosher McDonalds. Even though Kosher salt on french fries really makes them rock, I think I’ll stick with the regular, “unclean” McDonald’s. There is also a rabbi on staff to make sure everything is……kosher (that’s the first time I think I’ve used that term literally).

We spent the rest of the day walking around the city and pretending like we were locals. Of course, to do that we had to pretend like I didn’t have neon bright blond hair. We stopped at a Café Havanna for some coffee and alfajores (these disgusting little moon pie type things that Sara kept ordering…I don’t know if she really liked them or just wanted to be Argentine), and I became instantly addicted to this one drink. It was incredible. I’m pretty sure it was really bad for me, but then I’d have to know what was in it to know if it was bad for me…..I’ll pretend it wasn’t.

That night we went to this steakhouse around the corner of the hotel. We didn’t know if it was going to be good until we stuffed in and they had a stuffed cow and stuffed horse in the entry way. Then we knew we picked a good place. Steaks and empanadas (empanadas are served before the meal like a salad would be in America….these people love beef…they have beef appetizers before their beef main course) for everyone.