
Argentina on Two Steaks a Day(2006) - moks
http://idlewords.com/2006/04/argentina_on_two_steaks_a_day.htm
======
artur_makly
Nobody here eats 2 steaks a day..anymore.. Their buying power has been reduced
( inflation here is 25-33% per year ) with salaries always lagging behind.

I moved to BA in 2006.. the dollar was 3:1. It's now 15:1. But again, with
less power.

The avg middle-class person used to have weekly 'asados' aka bbqs at their
home with friends and now most can't afford the beef. The really good beef is
exported to 1st world countries ( and recently the US :
[http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/08/us/argentina-beef-ban-
lift...](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/08/us/argentina-beef-ban-lifted/))

Life quality however ( if earning USD ) is 4x what you will find in NYC (
where I grew up ).

From here I was able to bootstrap 2 profitable startups ( hiring local talent
) [http://JuicyCanvas.com](http://JuicyCanvas.com) &
[http://POPteam.io](http://POPteam.io)

Live in a the best neighborhood in a 2k/sq ft house' and pay for a house-
cleaner/nanny, 5-star health insurance, and top private school for my son. (
total 3k USD ).. the same exact lifestyle would cost 4x that in SF/NYC.

Hardest thing was leaving my friends,family, and learning spanish. But I'm
significantly ...way happier.

~~~
simonebrunozzi
Interesting story. Where are you from in the US originally? Your comment is
worth expanding into a longer blog post - I would happily read it. @simon on
twitter if you want to connect.

~~~
artur_makly
Actually im writing a how-to book on this ;-) .. Small world! Simon we met 3
years ago when you visited StartupChile! We had ceviche with some friends.

------
weeksie
I'm in Buenos Aires right now and that's pretty spot on. Beef is of incredibly
high quality and it's incredibly cheap. I've been here for a couple weeks and
will be staying until December (I've taken a year off with my girlfriend to
travel the world). So far, I love it. The Spanish is spoken with an almost
Italian accent, so I find it much easier to understand than, for instance,
Chile's Spanish, which is impenetrable. One idiosyncrasy is that the double ll
is not pronounced like a /y/ as in most other dialects, but like a /j/.

The wine is wonderful as well, provided you like the sort of big acidic wine
that goes well with a nice hunk of meat. Luckily, that's my thing.

To be honest, if the economy and politics weren't so unstable down here, I'd
consider buying a place. Unfortunately all weirdness with the blue dollar and
the petty crime make it somewhere that I'll just keep on the radar.

Also, the thing he didn't mention when it came to booze was that this is the
only other place in the world that Fernet Branca is distilled. Argentines
drink the most Fernet per capita, as well as the most Coca-Cola (the second is
related to the first).

~~~
xj9
You should try a visit to Uruguay! Its a smaller, safer version of Argentina.

~~~
Fargren
Uruguay has a higher murder rate than Argentina [0]. This is also true if you
compare the city of Buenos Aires with Montevideo[1], though exact numbers are
harder to find and I don't have a reference handy. If Buenos Aires has more
crime(I have never been able to find numbers on amounts of roberies), it is
not as dangerous.

[0]:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intention...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate)
[1]: [http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/156754/un-
argentina...](http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/156754/un-argentina-
has-%E2%80%98europelike%E2%80%99-murder-rate-)

~~~
cobralibre
Having spent a short amount of time as a pedestrian in both cities, I'll just
say that way people drive the cars and buses in Buenos Aires could easily be
described as _murderous_ , though that's certainly not reflected by the murder
rate.

------
gyardley
Argentina is lovely, and not just Buenos Aires. Good god, the wine. You can
have an incredible wine-tasting vacation in Mendoza or Cafayate. If you love
the outdoors, there's Tierra del Fuego - which is also the jumping off point
for Antarctica. There's more that's purported to be great, too.

At the moment, the key is to bring all your money in American dollars, and
never touch a credit card - the official exchange rate is set by the
government, and has no relationship to reality. Exchange your money into pesos
on the black market, and an already affordable country gets even more so.

~~~
tghw
I had good luck using Xoom.com to transfer money. The rates were very close to
(and occasionally even better than) the blue rate. You just have to find an
office to pick it up from.

Also, make sure you don't end up with too many extra pesos at the end of your
trip. It's almost impossible to change them back to dollars.

~~~
artur_makly
if you plan on staying longer than a small trip..i know a safe reliable
service that gives you the exact blue rate.

Today Xoom is giving you 13.8 Official Blue rate = 15,19

Follow me for more contact info @arturmakly

------
cryoshon
Yep, that's Argentina. I definitely agree with most of the author's points,
especially the Argentine skittishness around seasonings and spices. The beef
is fantastic without any embellishment, though. Two things that I'm surprised
at is the author's lack of mention of the Argentine obsessions with mayo, and
the separate but equally baffling obsession with ham and cheese (as a combo).
I saw mayo abused very frequently when I was in Argie. I also saw ham and
cheese plastered onto every menu.

"Items are preventatively glazed with sugar whenever there is be the slightest
doubt as to whether they are supposed to be sweet or savory; this is what
prevents the otherwise excellent Argentine croissants (medialunas) from being
the king of breakfasts."

Ah yes, the heavenly medialuna. I don't consider them to be ultra-sugary, but
they do have a lot more sugar than a typical croissant. I know my girlfriend
(who is Argentine) is crazy for medialunas, and I quite enjoy them also.
They're much more flavorful and properly sized (small) than other croissants
I've had-- I even prefer them to the Parisian kind.

"Thank God, therefore, for the ice cream. When the Italians came here at the
start of the century, they took one swig of the fine pampas milk and knew what
they had to do. The ice cream in Buenos Aires is easily the best I have ever
eaten, and the parlors that serve it are everywhere."

Yes. The ice cream in Argentina is heavenly, and they will deliver right to
your door. The other icecreams I've had don't remotely compare. Definitely
visit the chain called Freddo if you find yourself in BA.

"What Tim Horton's is to Canada, mate is to Argentina - a national obsession
whose appeal is inexplicable to outsiders."

Mate is gross, and my gourd rotted away because I didn't cure it properly.

EDIT: But the coffee is sublime. Having coffee in Argentina ruined coffee for
me... nothing else state side is remotely as flavorful and smooth.

~~~
knodi123
> Two things that I'm surprised at is the author's lack of mention of the
> Argentine obsessions with mayo

Au contraire. He talks about how it is sold in two liter bags, and reflects
upon how fun they are to drop off of balconies.

------
nwatson
For those predisposed to some vegetables there's this thing in Uruguay called
a "chivito al plato". Here's a good representation:
[http://www.brisasdeldayman.com/historia-y-receta-del-
verdade...](http://www.brisasdeldayman.com/historia-y-receta-del-verdadero-
chivito-uruguayo/)

They don't skimp on the steak (despite the name "chivito" it's made with beef,
not goat), or the ham, cheese, or egg. There are many fried potatoes on the
plate as well. And they'll also throw on a huge variety of vegetables, fresh
and pickled.

I ate many of these around my early teens at The Manchester in Montevideo.

~~~
cryoshon
Chivito always seems like 4X as much food as I actually need... I had a whole
one at Copacabana in Montevideo and didn't eat for the entire next day.

------
kfk
My feeling with Argentinians has always been that they could easily come from
the South of Italy and you would notice no difference. There is a very strong
connection between Argentina and Naples too. It's amazing how an Argentinian
and a person from Naples can feel more connected than, say, Naples and Milan.

~~~
yeahsure
This is very true. I'm from Argentina and visited Italy earlier this year.
Naples felt very much like Buenos Aires, and a lot of people understood me
even when I spoke in spanish.

------
EastLondonCoder
The steaks in Argentina are indeed glorious, however feedlots are today
actually the main way cattle are being raised. See John Torode in:
[http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2i1imr](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2i1imr)

------
eibrahim
I spent 2 months in argentina and I ate enough meat and drank enough Malbec
for a lifetime. 2 reasons: they were DELICIOUS and they were CHEAP _.

_ I live in the USA and the dollar was strong vs the peso during my visit- so
cheapness was relative to me but my Argentinian friends told me that they
produce meat 10 their needs (they export the rest).

------
junto
I loved Argentina. The funny looks and the rolling of the eyes when you ask
for a side salad or worse, fries, with a steak. The half cow that they fling
on the flaming parrilla (BBQ). So much meat and do much nice red wine. Yum.

Lovely welcoming people too. I'd love to visit again once my kids are old
enough to stomach the flight from Europe.

------
adaml_623
Things you learn: Argentina had a lot of Italian immigrants. I was about to
criticise the author for not crediting the Spanish.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography_of_Argentina#Itali...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnography_of_Argentina#Italians)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Latin_American#Argentina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Latin_American#Argentina)

------
liamconnell
Just had myself an asado (barbecue) here in Buenos Aires the other day! :)

A few things about the culture and article:

The meat is not universally great. One has to find the right butcher- he will
be a lifelong friend. Also, the chicken here is really pumped full of
hormones, so I hear...

The good meat, however, is great. And it is given the proper respect it
deserves. At a proper asado it is served without condiments and enjoyed by
all. The asador is a hero when the meat is well-cooked.

------
gotchange
I was surprised to find that people from Argentina love to drink beer along
with mezze like we usually do here in the Middle East. Maybe this was the
result of the influence of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants on their cuisine.

~~~
Shamanmuni
Yes, picadas (which means chopped in Spanish) are pretty common in Argentina
and people usually drink beer with them. You can order them at pubs and they
are something standard in social gatherings.

But I think mezze includes more elaborated food; the typical picada includes
cheese, cold cuts, olives, peanuts, bread, snack food and that's it. The
things served are more similar to the italian antipasto, but the way of
serving them (many small dishes distributed over the table) resembles the
mezze.

------
Gys
I was in Buenos Aires about three years ago, in the Palermo Hollywood area.
And very much to our surprise there were a lot of vegetarian restaurants as
well. One of which my wife and I still talk about how good it was. Regretfully
I do not know the name anymore. It also seemed as if those restaurants were
more expensive then the 'normal' ones.

~~~
Nashhhh
Probably either Bio (vegan) or Artemesia (not-so-strict-vegetarian). Or green
bamboo.

But the reason you found lots of vegeterian restaurants is not surprising: you
were a tourist in a touristy area, and it's mainly tourists that look for
vegetarian restaurants in Argentina!

Source: I'm Argentine, and I live here. Also, I eat at those restaurants.

~~~
Gys
Thank you, maybe it was one of those. Definitely will check them out if I ever
go back !

------
mbostleman
I imagined Ron Swanson narrating as I read this.

~~~
rpgmaker
Thanks for bringing up Parks & Rec. I miss that show.

------
guard-of-terra
I could only eat one steak per two days. Then the next day I can only eat
light food.

Still, I think I should have eaten more steak while there.

------
uhtred
I hate this kind of gluttony over meat. No one needs two steaks a day, and
just because it is part of some countries culture (although, is it?) doesn't
mean it should be glorified. Anyway, it's also ignorant to think all the cows
are roaming around free in some grassy bovine nirvana until they get
slaughtered.

~~~
mironathetin
uhtred, I hope you expected to be downvoted :o).

My dentist, who also has a phd in chemistry, always tells my about beef. Beef
has to rest for a while in the cold storage until it becomes soft and eatable
for humans. During this time, which counts as a quality time for the meat, it
actually rots. Yes, beef lovers (me included), it rots! - It is called ageing
in the ads, as if it were good, red wine. The phd thesis of my dentist was
about the number of poisonous substances that build up during the ageing
process. He found 200 different poisonous substances! This is most likely the
reason why colorectal cancer can be statistically related to beef consumption.
Problem is: it only shows after 20-30 years, so there is room for
procrastination.

<irony>Enjoy! And ignore the facts. Looking at facts makes life so much less
enjoyable.</irony>

~~~
clamprecht
All this talk of facts, and no source link?

~~~
mironathetin
No source link. As I have written, my dentist told me. His thesis is published
but certainly rots in some archives. If you want to know about the statistical
correlation between beef consumption and cancer risk - do yourself a favour
and just type some keywords into a search algorithm, please. You will be
overwhelmed with results (ignore the ones from south american steak
distributors, steak houses and also the ones from vegan activists :o).

~~~
ics
You said 'he' and as far as I can tell Dóra is a Hungarian feminine name so I
guess it's not this: [http://phd.lib.uni-
corvinus.hu/597/1/Marta_Dora_den.pdf](http://phd.lib.uni-
corvinus.hu/597/1/Marta_Dora_den.pdf)

