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On December 19^th 2017, after eighteen years of absence, I finally returned to Argentina to spend a month with my “adopted family” and friends in Buenos Aires, where I lived and worked for nearly five years during the nineties.
I visited Buenos Aires for the first time in the seventies and had an immediate affection for the city, the country, the people and the great food.
Great food in Argentina means mostly meat, pasta, empanadas and salad, although modern public relations, foodies hype, young wannabe food stars and wannabe food critics will try to have you think otherwise. Granted, there is a small (very small) movement to make modern? Argentinian cuisine play a role in the world of modern food, but in reality, it is just a tiny movement, confined to very few, mostly insignificant restaurants in the big cities.
On the other hand, traditional food is as good or even better as it ever was 😊
Argentinian meat, especially beef, is legendary around the world, and pork, lamb, and poultry are not far behind.
Pasta is second only to what you find in the best kitchens in Italy, Argentine empanadas are second to none, and yes, even the salads are in a class of their own, thanks to the fact that most produce you’ll find in either small groceries or big markets, in small villages or big cities, usually travels only a few miles from down the road, having been harvested that very morning from some local farmers vegetable patch. Same with all fresh food ingredients, eggs, cheese, fruit, etc, and of course most meat that’s available to you either in a shop or restaurant; most of it is local, never frozen, and as fresh as can be.
After one month, I have a books-worth of impressions of Buenos Aires and Argentina. However, I have decided that I will not say anything negative about this country I love so much. Argentina and its people have a lot of bad crap to deal with, but most of this information is readily available elsewhere to the folks who are interested in it, so there is no need for me to wallow in it on my blog.
On the positive side, I am happy to report that the majority of all people of Argentina are extremely friendly, generous, loving, big-hearted and the most gracious host’s one could wish for. They make the most of what they have, and friends and family is their greatest treasure. After the month I spent this time, it was hard for me to leave my friends and Family behind and I hope we will all reunite soon again 😊
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Click here to read  “All About Argentina”

 

Here are some random pictures of the beauty of this country.
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Click here for many more  Beautiful Vistas Of     “Argentina”

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Click here for more  Beautiful Vistas Of    “Buenos Aires”
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First Day Welcome Dinner .
Dinner with my “Family”: Carlos, Gladis, Dana, Lara, and Jorge, at a great Parrilla restaurant in Ezeiza, just outside of Buenos Aires

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Of course, on Christmas and on New Year’s Eve, which we celebrated with just a few close members of the family at the house, the featured main attraction was, what else, Asado (parrilla).
There were also many other “goodies”, such as hors d’oeuvres, salads, pasta, empanadas, artisanal cheese, cakes, pudding, bread, etc, all in great varieties and all very delicious.
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Another dinner, another Asado (parrilla), this time in the Argentinian countryside. This was on January 3^rd. Of course, right after the Holidays, not many folks spend money in restaurants, also it was pretty early, about 8.30 PM, which is too early to have dinner for most Argentinians, so we had the place to ourselves.
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Dana, Carlos’ and Gladis’ younger daughter loves to prepare gnocchi and on this day she came to the house early to prepare lunch for us (early lunch – ca 3.30 PM) ………..
! Best ! gnocchi I ever had 😊

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My farewell dinner was combined with the birthday party of a family member. There were family and friends, monstrous platters of food (we all ordered a la carte) many bottles of red wine and a great party. (Below is a link to the FB site of this restaurant).
Do yourself a favor when you visit Buenos Aires – visit this place for at least one dinner, it will be well worth your time 😊
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Click here for a link to the restaurants FB Page
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Before I started my trip, I made it clear to Carlos and the family that I was not keen to travel around at all. Because I lived in Buenos Aires for so long, there was not really much I hadn’t seen while I was there, so there was no great lure for me to spend my days traveling. The traffic is usually horrendous in and around Buenos Aires and it was also way too hot to spend hours on the road. Outside of Buenos Aires, many roads are not paved, so when it has not rained for a while, the dust in the air is brutal.
I just wanted to visit Recoleta, where Maria and I rented a wonderful Apartment while we lived in BA. This is by far the nicest and most beautiful part of the city, and the cost of living is accordingly. (Twenty years ago, our apartments rent was about US $ 3500.00 a month, which should give you an idea about the exclusivity of Recoletta.
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   A short video of our street…..
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Click here for more impressions of Recoleta
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So, during my month there, we stayed mostly at home, had great conversations, played with the animals, enjoyed too much great food and too much great wine and other great spirits. Lots of milanesas, pasta, beef, fiambres, empanadas, salads and what not.
Never a dull moment, lots of happiness and love in the air.
Aaahhhhh, the good life 😊
(And yes, I gained twenty pounds ! Dammmn ! )
– I am in the progress of shedding those extra pounds now, but it’s not as fun and easy as putting them on. I also still carry a few extra pounds from September/October, when I enjoyed the same excesses in Germany and Spain) ☹
Life can be soooo tough !
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Even the housing for the dead is exclusive in Recoleta……….(Eva Peron resides here…..
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The other side……………
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The Family…
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More Family…..
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The House (La Casa)
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The Guest House (La Casita)
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And there you have it – four weeks Argentina.
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On my way back to Miami……….
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Life is Good !
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