Food, Something We All Love
I think one of the most difficult things for most expats to get used to is the change in food. I notice that when I read other blogs the bloggers always talk about the food they miss. If you lived in a place where there was an abundance of ethnic foods and then move to a place where the daily fare is less exciting, you find yourself dreaming of those foods you don’t have anymore. Even junk food like marshmallows or peanut butter become forbidden foods to die for.
I notice that Emily a blogger from Chile (Don’t Call Me Gringa) has written several posts about food she misses from California. I liked her post about cheese. She really misses the variety of cheese she could get back in the US. Julia Evans another blogger on this site, also from Argentina ( Evansgate) brought back salad dressing when she went home.
My friend Gina missed cupcakes so much she started a business making cupcakes. (Palermo Cupcakery) Sometimes I read this blog about this young woman who is a vegetarian. Being a vegetarian really is not a big deal here. It takes getting used to. I think mostly they are in culture shock more than anything else. Buenos Aires is clearly meat country. She misses her peanut butter. ( Veggie Carly)
Personally, I don’t miss that much anymore. Cinnamon candies, Peets coffee. I can live without them. What I do miss is good ethnic food. I was so happy to find the Korean barrio here in Buenos Aires. It is in a bad neighborhood. It doesn’t stop me. I try to round up a group of friends and go there as much as I can. It is my favorite food.
One of my friends who is Korean Argentine told me that the Korean barrio in Buenos Aires is like Korea in the 1970s. He thinks that I am crazy to want to go there so much. The food is excellent. I think it is the only food in Argentina that is spicy. My other expat friends love to go there with me.
Last week a group of us went before we went to dance tango. We made jokes we would have Korean Barbecue breath all night. Not such a good thing when you are dancing close. I think we were all so happy to have the food we didn’t care.
All the tables have their own barbecue where you grill beef, pork, shrimp, and octopus.
They bring you 1000s of little dishes of wonderful spicy foods. Each one is different and delicious.
Korean Sake is not like Japanese Sake, it is much smoother. Unfortunately I could drink a whole bottle of it.
This restaurant serves oysters on the half shell and you can have as many as you want. In a seafood devoid BA this is like a slice of heaven.
You cannot possibly eat all the food they bring you. The amazing thing is that it is like a buffet, all you can eat. If you want seconds or thirds on any of the dishes, all you have to do is ask. It is all included in the price. My Argentine Korean friend David thinks we are all crazy. He also thinks it is funny that the owners of the restaurants all know me and come out to greet me.
The Korean Barrio are Korean expats. They are eating their native foods. For us, me and my friends, the Korean barrio is a slice of life we had before moving here. I think it is nice how we are all immigrants and we can share something in common that we love, food.
Deby Novitz moved to Buenos Aires in 2004 from California. She has a small bed and breakfast for tango dancers, she writes, does translations, teaches English, and of course dances tango. You can find more about her life in Buenos Aires on her blog TangoSpam: La Vida Con Deby.
Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Food