Buenos Aires will bring out the best and worst in you. The following is collection my favorite habits that my friends and I have fallen into naturally after living in Buenos Aires for quite some time. Some are cool, some are kind of gross, but all of them are a sure sign that we’ve slowly acculturated ourselves to this great city.
1. Eating red meat every day
Meat is on the menu almost every day in many Argentine houses. Sunday is a particularly important day for carne, as it is the most common day for an asado with friends and family.
In an old-fashioned RPS (Rock Paper Scissors) match, carne would beat most anything. Within the realm of food, there is no match for the Argentine love for carne. Out of that realm, this love’s only competitor is Argentine Soccer magnate, Maradona. In an RPS, if you throw a Maradona and I throw a carne, they would make love and we would both win.
When I asked my housemate Diego if he had to choose between Maradona and carne he said, “Maradona is God, and the people can’t live without God. And carne is the body of God.”
These are the types of answers and thought processes that you will hear from porteños when faced with the risk of foregoing their prime source of nourishment or turning their backs on their hero.
I remember in the Brady Bunch Movie when Mrs. Brady went to the butcher and when she asked for her normal fatty cut of meat, the look of horror on the face of the woman next in line. In the States “red meat” is a pejorative term and has the power to kill. In Argentina saying that carne is an assassin will earn you a cachetazo (a slap across the face).
2. Applauding the chef
When it comes to preparing an asado, the asador slaves away for at least 3 hours building the perfect fire, grooming each delicate coal and cooking the meat until ideal succulence is achieved. When he announces that the chorizo is ready everyone fills up their plate and takes a bite. The gallery moans with delight and without fail someone will say, “Un applauso para el chef!” Everyone puts down their food and claps as the asador revels in his well-appreciated masterpiece.
This tradition becomes second nature and when sitting down to a nice home-cooked meal. It only seems natural to proclaim, “Un applauso!” It’s a feel-good moment for all.
3 Comments for New City, New Habits: Weird things that become normal if you live in Buenos Aires for long enough
Dont forget gardel, he is god to.
Gardel is the man!
It’s “Un aplauso para el asador!” Chefs are pros who work in restaurants. An asador is your dad, uncle, grandfather or brother.