In Argentina Even Vegetarians Eat Steak

6/27/2008 Well I went for it – I had a steak! For a vegetarian it took mental power, but I did it. Last night at about 7:30pm I ducked into a small café to order pasta, and I ran into folks from the hostel who were there watching a soccer game. Not wanting to admit that I eat dinner at such an early hour (even on weeknights Argentineans eat at 10:00pm) I ordered a beer and commenced to chat.

We were all hungry but waited until 8:30pm before going to a restaurant, lest we be considered tourists (gasp!). Even at 8:45pm we were the second group to arrive, and it only started filling up at 9:30pm. I split a “lomo” steak with a new friend. The waiter suggested a side of thalamus glands, but normal cow meat is enough for any vegetarian.

Needless to say the steak was delicious and smoky. It was “melt in your mouth” tender with a slight crispness to the edges. Like a vitamin B shot, the protein surged through my veins as I tore through everything in front of me like a proper carnivore. I even had room for a little bit of chocolate almond ice cream!

The remainder of the evening was spent on the roof of the hostel polishing off the half empty wine bottles that I had accumulated. I was joined by my new friends, including a young Argentinean who left his post at the front desk to drink. He taught us Porteno slang. Porteno is the name for people from Buenos Aires (which has something to do with the Buenos Aires being a port city). Through his teachings its become apparent why the accent is difficult to understand. In particular, portenos leaving off the last word in common expressions. For example, instead of saying, “como te va?” for “how’s it going?”, they say “como va?”. This brevity is a time saver in conversation, however it makes thing challenging for us tourists. Also, their pronunciation is different from the Mexican Spanish I was taught in high school. Instead of “yo” like “yoyo”, portenos say “jo,” with a soft j. Mama Mia!

I get to see Ashley tomorrow, I can’t wait!