Things That Seem to be Really Popular Almost Everywhere Except for the USA

1. Eating Halls as Candy (instead of medicine)

Wave a package of these mentholated suckers at anybody who has grown up in the United States and I can guarantee you that the first image popping into his or her head will be chicken noodle soup and a bed full of snotty tissues. That's because to those of us growing up stateside, these are not candy. These are medicine. Sugar-coated, breath-freshening, fruit-flavored medicine. In fact, we are so serious about this designation that once, when I had a very bad cough in junior high school, I had to take my package of Halls to the school nurse so that she could dole them out for me at appropriate intervals. Why? Because students aren't allowed to have medicine on schoolgrounds and Halls are medicine.

Seriously, be careful. You can overdose on these. And remember kids: if you're going to start taking Halls recreationally at parties, don't mix them with alcohol and make sure to have a designated driver.

2. Poorly-Fitting Bathroom Doors

I have no idea what this is, but it amuses me and it's surprisingly difficult to find images of 'poorly fitting bathroom stall door' on Google

 After ten-ish months, fourteen-ish countries, and five-ish continents, I think I can count the number of times that I DIDN'T have to pee while holding the door closed with my foot on one hand. Sometimes the lock ALMOST holds the door shut, but success in this instance comes with the very real risk of never being able to open the door again and honestly, the closesness of it is more frustrating than when there is just no chance in hell. And sometimes, the door is so comically far from the toilet that you are forced to contort like a gymnast into some kind of weird pee-splits, one foot on the door, one butt cheek on the seat, both hands on the toilet paper roll for balance. (Incidentally, I would like to hypothesize that the side effects of this posture are 99% responsible for why bathroom floors are always so mysteriously wet and sticky... sorry about that.) Whatever the outcome, I have been forced to conclude that the rest of the world builds their bathroom stalls by constructing a carefully measured and size-appropriate frame, then going out into the street, picking up the first piece of construction material that looks vaguely like a door, and slapping it on with gorilla glue. A job well done fellows. A job well done.

3. Picnics

In the USA - or at least, the part I'm from - picnics are a cute, somewhat kitschy, ultimately pretty boring way to spend an afternoon, mainly enjoyed by families like the one pictured above who color-coordinate across genders and inexplicably produce bleach-blonde children out of two brunette parents (what color hair does the milk man have again?). But in the rest of the world, picnics are often the go-to free-time plan...

... and they're fun.

Picnics in the rest of the world (and especially in Buenos Aires!) are not about gingham tablecloths and wicker baskets; they are a whole frickin' way of life. Step one: invite absolutely everyone you know. Your friends, your family, your boyfriend, your ex-boyfriend, your ex-boyfriend's boyfriend, that homeless guy on the corner who is always talking about The Simpsons. The more the merrier! Step two: cram your backpack full of meat, cheese, tea, soda, wine, beer, cookies, rainbows, pastries, cocktails, puppies, chips, fruit, textbooks on thermodynamics, and salad. When it is completely full, find a few more things to cram in there anyway. Step three: create a blanket fort, lay out the spread, turn on some music, strip down to your swimsuit and spend the next hours eating/getting drunk/dancing/doing yoga/tanning/chatting/playing cards/whatever else floats your boat. To the rest of the world, doing nothing isn't being lazy. It's an art form. And it's awesome.

4. Floor Drains 

You see that little drain right at the foot of the toilet? Just hanging out, waiting to swallow up all your extra water? That, my friends, is one of the greatest things that the rest of the world has figured out that we just can't quite seem to grasp in the United States. In bathrooms and kitchens all over the world, designers finally realized that you may - nay, they expect that you will - get water all over the freaking place during certain activities. But in the rest of the world, that doesn't matter because you have a drain right in your floor!

Worried about the mess your dog is going to make when you give him a bath? Worry no more, because your FLOOR has a DRAIN IN IT! Want to shower with the curtain open because you have a strategically placed window and the neighbor's son is home from college? Go for it, because your FLOOR has a DRAIN IN IT! Want to plug the sink and then leave the water running while you do your dishes, thereby accidentally ruining the mahogany cupboards that you didn't really want anyway but your boyfriend thought would be a better match with the rustic feel of the home even though you told him a million times that oak would have been a been a more economical and aesthetically pleasing choice? Do it because YOUR FLOOR has a DRAIN IN IT! Best of all, after you're done making your little mini swimming pool, you can just squeegee all the excess water into the drain - and seriously, is there any cleaning-related activity more fun to do or to say than squeegeeing? - and then voilá! You've also just cleaned your floor. Boom. Amazing.

Baboutie

What is it? Baboutie

Okay, but what IS it (besides a terrible picture)? Baboutie is the thing on the right that kind of looks like a brownie topped with a fried egg. But don't worry, baboutie is not a throw-back to a previously mentioned weird meat/dessert casserole (which you can read more about here). Rather, it's a delicious mix of curried meat topped with savory egg custard and served with some kind of sweetish chutney or dried fruit - in this case stewed apricots. This is the successful, high-earning adult which Pastel de Choclos hopes to one day grow up to be... but just face it Pastel de Choclos, baboutie is way out of your league.

What circumstances led to baboutie? Checking into our hotel in Mossel Bay was like a breath of fresh air. Big comfortable beds, TV in the room, WiFi, an electric kettle for tea, a cozy British seaside resort atmosphere - post hostel paradise. But no sooner did my mother and I plunk ourselves onto our beds, grinning like idiots at our good fortune, then we heard the tell-tale sound of electricity crackling and then found ourselves plunged into complete darkness. All hopes of an evening in with the telly and the internet squashed, we wandered halfway down the block and into this wonderful restaurant which had somehow managed to escape the power outage. Lots of food and a few drinks later, and we stumbled back to our still completely dark hotel and tucked into bed at 8:00PM, because seriously, what else are you going to do when you don't even have a candle?

Where can I get some? Allegedly, baboutie is one of the national dishes of South Africa, but I've seen it on very few menus. THIS baboutie came from a restaurant somewhere along the South African coast.

How much did it cost? Honestly, I'm so behind on this blog that I can't even remember. I do remember it being on pricey side, but I think that was an affect of the restaurant rather than the dish itself. In another South African city I had some more baboutie, and with a salad and rice the total was less than $10USD

                                                                                                                        

I Know It's Not About Food, But...

It's been three months ALREADY?!?!

Where does the time go?? It seems like just yesterday that I was home in Seattle, sweating over my Brasilan visa and packing my medicine bag full of ORS and pepto. And now here I am, in a town in South Africa which I had never even heard of before leaving Seattle (Nelspruit) with a bus ticket for tomorrow afternoon to a country which I had no intention of visitng (Mozambique) after traveling for four days with a person I didn't know existed until last week (Barry) to a park which I never though I would be able to afford to see (Kruger). 

The really monumental thing about 3 months is that, once I reach 3 months + 1 day, it will be the LONGEST I have ever been gone from home (with the previous title-holder being my 3 months in India in 2009. Yes, that's right - in just a couple of days, I will have been gone on this trip longer than I was in India! Whaaa??) It also means that after one more month, my trip is (theoretically) halfway through, which is actually a little bit panic-inducing because there is still so much to see and do. 

So, what have I been up to for the past three months? Let's take a look at the numbers:

Countries Visited: 5

Cities Visited: 17

New FB Friends: 57

Hostels: 15

Hotels or Guesthouses: 6 (all with my mom) 

Couches: 4

Campsites: 4

Longest Trip So Far: 33 hour bus from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo

UNESCO World Heritage Sites Seen: 3

Colds/Flus: 1

Steaks Eaten: At least 5

Cheapest Mango: $0.50USD

Stomach Illnesses: 0... so far

Mosquitoes Which Bit Me Right Inbetween My Eyebrows: 2

Bus Accidents: 1

Number of Days Which Warranted a Jacket: Less than 7

Pairs of Underwear as of March: 4

Pairs of Underwear as of April: 6

Pairs of Underwear as of May: 2 (I don't understand either)

Photos Taken: Over 1000

Tattoos Obtained: 1

Times I Have Been Chosen as an Unwilling Volunteer for Some Type of Performance: 3

New Greetings Learned: 4

Books in My Backpack: 5

National Parks Visited: 6

Dances I Have Received Spontaneous Instruction In: 4

Lions Seen: 10

Constellations Learned Which are Not Visible in the Northern Hemisphere: 2

Current Distance from Home: 10338 miles/16636 kilometers

Familiar Faces Seen: 3 (1 unexpectedly) 

Months Left: 5 minimum

Countries Which I Have Single Handedly Brought Peace and Propserity To: At least 58

Times I Have Thought "There is Nowhere Else I Would Rather Be Right Now": Countless


Stay tuned my food-happy friends! Baboutie, Peri-Peri Prawns, Bunny Chow, and more deliciousness is headed your way soon! 

Food, Community, and District Six

Photo stolen without permission from flickr as an artistic protest in solidarity with the former residents of District Six. Yeah, thats it, artistic protest... 

I went to the District Six museum today with my mother in Cape Town, South Africa.

District Six was (big emphasis on the was) a thriving, multicultural community in the heart of Cape Town where, ex-residents reminisce, you could find or do anything. Though relatively poor and with some serious crime problems, the District was a dear home to thousands upon thousands of black and "coloured" (their term, not mine) South Africans for decades, and for many, was a crucial part of their identity.

That is, until white South Africans decided that the District posed a "health and safety" risk to the rest of Cape Town, forcibly removed over 60,000 inhabitants, demolished their homes and businesses, and declared it a "whites-only" zone. Reparations for this atrocity, committed a little over forty years ago, are still underway, and it wasn't until 2004 that the first original residents were allowed to return. District Six has become something of a figurehead for the tragedies of apartheid, and the entire story is immortalized in the museum.

So, what does this have to do with food? A common element to the museum was pictures and interviews with former residents, and in the vast majority of these, I couldn't help but notice the crucial role that food and kitchens continued to play. Again and again, people remembered watching their mothers' stand at the stove; entire families congregating in the kitchen; celebratory feasts; conversing over dinner with neighbors and friends; buying cheap fish to take to the movies and share with the entire front row; the old woman who used to sell peanuts on the corner.

Of the millions of interesting things that undoubtedly happened everday in District Six, it was these almost mundane memories which the residents chose to share again and again.

This, I believe, is not unintentional or coincidental.

It's true, I think, that our homes and neighborhoods give us identity. They are our original foundation from which we draw our sense of self, and from which we orient ourselves toward the rest of the world. And what makes you recognize home more than the smells of your favorite food from childhood, or the sight of your family preparing a holiday meal? What feels better than going into a neighborhood restaurant which you've frequented for years and knowing the servers by name? Or going into the corner shop or super market or farmer's market or gas station or whatever it is that you have that provides you sustenance and knowing exactly - exactly! - where to find the food or drink that you're after?

This is what makes us know that we are home.

And sharing these things with others - opening our tables to them, opening our kitchens to them, exchanging recipes with them, bringing them food in times of tragedy or economic hardship - this is what makes us know that we are not just a bunch of individuals living near each other but that we are, in fact, a community. And I believe that it is this same sense which the former residents of District Six were tapping into again and again in their interviews.

Food = community. That connection is something which nobody can touch, not even the cruel ruling elite.

And thank god for that.

Chip-On-a-Stick

What is it? Chip-On-a-Stick

Okay, but whas IS it? Seattle friends, do you remember the short-lived but insanely delicious pornado, a spiralized deep fried potato on a stick sold by a single shop in the University District which sadly went out of business nary two weeks after opening?

Well. It's. Back.

And just as Lord Voldemort had to stay in hiding whilst regaining his strength to fight Harry Potter, so too has the "pornado" apparently begun to rebuild itself in quiet, unassuming Cape Town.

For my non-Seattle friends, Chip-On-a-Stick (or should I say pornado?! Yeah, I'm on to you buddy) is a big long wooden dowel with a thickly-cut, spiral-sliced, deep-fried, potato wrapped around it. It is, essentially, home made potato chips... on a stick (because doesn't everything good in life come on a stick?) After frying it before your very eyes, the lovely staff offers you a variety of seasoning salts to choose from - everything from chutney, to barbecue, to peri-peri, which is a spicy Southern African pepper. After asking for some recommendations, I settled on the US favorite of salt and vinegar.Yummm.

What circumstances led to heaven on a stick? My mom and I spent the afternoon at the aquarium in Cape Town listening to the emperor penguins cackle raucously, laughing at the dangerously bold yellow fins, and trying desperately to get a good photo of the camera-shy turtles. Though we planned on getting lunch after our visit, a sudden downturn in the weather led us to this quick (but delicious) snack to tide us over until things got better and we could get a decent meal. Paired with a gray sea-salted caramel, which my mother brought me from Seattle as a lovely belated Easter surprise, it was quite the lunch.

Where can I get some? From the sidewalk in The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa.

How much did it cost? $1.50USD, though I suspect it would be far cheaper in a less touristy area. Either way, I think the joy on my face in the above photo attests to the fact that $1.50USD was totally worth it.

Summing up My Impressions of Brasil, Argentina, and Chile in One Word and One Dish Each

*Disclaimer: I know that it is entirely impossible, and even somewhat inappropriate, to "sum up" an entire nation into a single word or a dish, and I am in no way trying to pretend that by spending a total of two months between the three aforementioned countries that I have even the slightest grasp on any of them. This post is just about my limited impressions as an outsider based on limited experiences in a limited amount of time in a limited number of cities - so please don't take them too seriously! Also, I stole almost all of the pictures in this post. Really, this entry is just inappropriate on a variety of levels. Forgive me? 


Brasil - Sultry - The Caipirinha

Rio de Janeiro in March is hot, and humid, and no matter where you go you to seem to always be within feet of a gorgeous, white sanded beach.The scenery is lush, the air carries the fragrance of tropical flowers, the mangos are juicy - you know, the kind of place where sweating looks less like this...

Ew. Sorry to single you out dude, but don't worry, I only have like 6 readers.

...and more like this...

Oh c'mon lady, that's not even fair. And why does this come from a site called fugly.com?!

Couple all of this with thong bikinis and strangers making out at Carnivale, and I'd say you've got yourself one heck of a sultry city. And surely, no drink is more sultry than the caipirinha.

If you've never had a caipirnha before: make one. Now. I'll wait. Here's a recipe:  http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/caipirinha/Detail.aspx.

For those of you without the time, money, or motivation, the caipirinha is made with lime, fermented sugar cane (you can use rum instead), sugar, and ice. It's sweet, but it's got a bite. It's refreshing, but distinctly tropical. On a hot day, the glass glistens sexily with condensation, much like the nice lady pictured above. It's sultry. It's a caipirinha. And just to prove how Brasilian the caipirinha is, when I searched for "delicious caipirinha" pictures on Google Images, the Brasilian flag popped up on the first page. Followed closely by naked women. Rule 34.

Argentina - Passionate - Asado 

I took exactly four days of Spanish classes whilst in South America, and though I struggled immensely with the new universe of grammar and vocabulary, I found myself particularly struck by a conversation between my professor and the one other student in my class.

"Why do you like Spanish?" My teacher asked my fellow classmate.

"Because Spanish is the language of love," she replied. My teacher looked confused.

"But isn't French the language of love?" He wondered.

"No," she responded. "French is a language that you speak sitting back. Yes, it's intimate, but it's also a whisper, almost hesitant. Spanish is a language that you speak sitting forward. It's passionate. It's love."

Perhaps in no other place did I understand this better than in Argentina, where the people were so passionate that I once watched my bus driver stop in the middle of the road, open his door, and begin to yell in heated Spanish at a taxi driver who had cut him off. The art is passionate, the music is passionate, the lovers are passionate, and the meat - the meat is very passionate.

Look at the above pictured piece of grilled perfection, for example: still just a little bloody, dripping with juicy anguish, undoubtedly prepared by a master asador grill operator. It's hearty, it's mildly raw, and it's just a little bit bad for you but in a way that's oh-so-good-for-the-soul. It's the kind of meat that turns a vegetarian into a carnivore - and if that ain't passion, then I don't know what is.

Chile - Quirky - Pastel de Choclos 

Clearly, I do not have a future in computer-generated graphic design

OK, assigning Pastel de Choclos as the food most representative of my impression of Chile is not entirely fair since I rather enjoyed Chile but I hated - hated - Pastel de Choclos. 

Let's be clear right now: I've eaten some weird things in my life. Raw snails, duck feet, congealed blood sausages... but this was one of two things ever which made me feel like I might vomit. 

Literally translated, Pastel de Choclos means "cake of corn" of "corn cake." But don't be fooled! This isn't a delicious chili accompaniment, or some long-lost cousin of carrot cake. This is the devil. 

Please note my above diagram, which I was not able to properly label due to computer illiteracy. On the bottom layer are some chopped onions which, in the one pastel de choclos that I had, were slimy and bitter. On top lies some ground mystery meat which I was promised was ground beef but was so distinctly gray in color that I feared it was actually rotten oysters (or insert your own disgusting, gray-colored food here). Next, we have three hilariously placed food items: an entire chicken leg, including the bone; one whole boiled egg; and one - just one! - olive, pit and all. Then, the entire thing is covered with candy-sweet mushed corn that would be far, far more fitting as a dessert than as something to top assorted meats. As an added bonus, the pastel de choclos that I ate was still half frozen, so everything was the same, disgusting, wet texture. For the love of god, do not try to add sauce or ketchup to fix things... it will only make it worse. 

So, if I enjoyed Chile but I hated Pastel de Choclos, why I am choosing this food to represent my impression of that country? Because Chile, just like a casserole which tastes like dessert on top but then includes just a single olive underneath, is quirky. What else can be said of country where one day you are in the mountains drinking wine and eating escargot, and where the next day you are listening to Cypress Hill celebrate the fact that they are, indeed, "Insane in the Membrane?" Where people have puppet shows at dusk for children; the most common hot dog is topped with tomatoes, avocados, and mayonnaise; pizza comes with optional banana; and people tie silk ropes into park trees on Sundays to practice aerial circus arts? Where men make jobs out of selling soy burgers and sushi from iceboxes in front of subway stations, and where homeless girls juggle in the crosswalks at red lights for spare change? It's just quirky - weird, but in a delightfully fun way. Go if you have the chance.

But do yourself a favor: stick to the sopapillas. Not only will you save money, but you'll prevent a whole lot of tummy ache as well.

Plate by Weight

What is it? Plate by Weight

Okay, but what IS it? A very popular lunchtime favorite in Brasil, plate by weight is basically a big ol' buffet of deliciousness, but instead of a set price for everything you pay based on the weight of what you take (which I imagine must be very effective at reducing uneaten food waste!) Honestly, I have no clue what exactly was on my plate in terms of dish names, but starting from the top left and moving counterclockwise we have: grilled chicken, black beans and rice, beef and potatoes, salad, garbanzo beans, and an itsy bitsy sausage. I hope you can all appreciate that this former vegan now routinely eats three different animals in one meal.

My god, what circumstances led to a 19 lb (9 kg) plate of food? First off can I just say that 19 lbs (9 kg) INCLUDES the weight of the plate, not just the food? With only one day to see Sao Paulo, I decided to spend the morning in Ibirapuera Park, which houses the Museu de Arte Moderna de Sao Paulo (the Modern Art Museum, which had a huge exhibit on sustainable architecture) and the Museu Afro Brasil (Afro-Brasilian Museum). My appreciation for both museums was, perhaps, undermined slightly by the very intense caffeine tremors I couldn't stop experiencing after having two cups of real Brasilian coffee in the morning, without milk. The coffee must have affected my heart or my metabolism or something, because by the time my buddy and I finally found this place to eat, I am confident that I easily could have finished a 19 lb (9 kg) plate of food, even if the weight of said lunch did NOT include the weight of the plate.

Where can I get some? Like I said, the plate by weight deal is pretty popular all over Brasil. This particular one came from a shop on a side street in a less-touristy part of Sao Paulo.

How much did it cost? The price per kilogram varies tremendously depending on which restaurant you go to, the quality of food they are serving, and the neighborhood the restaurant is located in. This place was 2 reais/kilogram, and because they subtracted the weight of my plate from the total cost, it came out to something like $5 or $6 USD. Not too shabby for a city whose cheapest hostels are still at least $17USD a night!

3 Foods (and 1 Beverage) Which I HAD to Have Again Before Leaving Buenos Aires

1. The Havana Merengue Alfajor

Alfajors come in all shapes and sizes. One might even argue that they are a symbol for diversity and acceptance, if one were truly cookie-crazy. At it's simplest, the basic principle is as follows: cookie, filling, cookie, covered in some type of sweet coating. For example, there's the Oreo Alfajor, which is a giant oreo cookie, oreo cream filling, giant oreo cookie, oreo cream filling, and then one more giant oreo cookie, all coated in chocolate. Some forgo the coating in lieu of rolling of the alfajor in coconut. More traditionally, you will find alfajors made of a soft shortbread-like cookie, then dulce de leche, then another shortbread-like cookie, all covered in  delicious dark, milk, or white chocolate, depending on your preference. Really, it's almost impossible to go wrong - it's two friggin' cookies with something sweet in between them, usually coated in chocolate. You could eat one of these babies at a funeral and leave smiling, for reals. 

But if you want the BEST alfajor, in my limited opinion, you have to have the merengue coated piece of heaven sold by Havana, a very popular coffee chain across Latin America. Nestled between two buttery soft cookies is the richest, creamiest, most delicious dulce de leche your tongue has ever had the privilege of tasting. Encompassing all of this sweet glory is a thin layer of delicately sugared, ever-so-slightly crispy merengue which crunches on initial impact, then melts into a soft sugary mess in your mouth. Each bite follows a perfect anatomical structure: crispy, chewy, creamy, chewy, and then crispy again. I tried to pack a couple of these aways for friends and family the first time I left Buenos Aires in March, but let's just say that they didn't do so well in my bag. Plus, I got hungry. Sorry.

2. Tita

I'm not huge on the combination of citrus and chocolate (or of fruit and chocolate in general, really) but Tita totally gets it right. Two crunchy, graham-cracker-esque cookies sandwich just the right amount of lemon frosting, and then the whole thing is - once again - coated in chocolate. The best part about it? The  packaging doesn't list calories or fat, only vitamins. So I'm pretty sure it's a health food. Right? Right? Someone back me up here.

3. Medialunas

Oh sure, they look like your average, run-of-the-mill croissant, but the medialuna kicks it up a notch by being coated in a sticky, sweet glaze. I can't remember the whole story (and I can't find any information on google to back up this claim) but someone told me that the medialuna was invented after some kind of victory over the Turkish. The half-moon shape, as is found on the Turkish flag, can then be aggressively "consumed" by the victors while the sweet glaze reminds them of the sweetness of victory, making this undoubtedly the most violent pastry I've ever eaten. 

Another thing to love about Buenos Aires? It's pretty damn common to eat three of these at a time. (Did I mention yet that I gained some weight in Argentina?) 

4. Mate

If there's one thing that Argentinians love, it's mate, and I can't blame them. Mate is made from the yerba mate plant and tastes similar to very strongly brewed green tea. Though some novices will add sugar (and I will admit, the first time I drank it, it was sweetened) purists need nothing more than a hollowed-out gourd, a special metal straw, a bag of dried leaves, and a thermos of hot water. 

Drinking mate is a very social thing and it is incredibly common to see large groups of friends at a park passing around the ol' gourd. (Other places I've seen Argentinians loving on some mate include, but are certainly not limited to: the front of a bus, the police office at the Argentinian/Chilean border, in a barber shop, and - my personal favorite - in a graveyard). When it's mate sharing time, whoever brought the supplies prepares the beverage with very hot, but not quite boiling, water. The server takes the first drink, draining the gourd of all of the mate-infused water, before refilling and passing the gourd clockwise. When the gourd is handed to you, suppress your instinct to say thank you! Thanking the server means that you are done and don't want another glass. After each person drains the cup, they pass it back to the server, who is responsible for refilling. The server in THIS photo is the lovely Victoria, who I had the pleasure of sharing my last mate with before leaving for Brasil. (And an extra big thank you to her for bringing her fancy mate gourd so I could photograph it for the blog!!) 

Mate is said to contain a variety of health benefits, and certainly gives you a nice energy boost. But a word of warning: drinking mate means consuming a whole lot of water and caffeine as well, so I wouldn't advise consuming it, say, immediately before you have to run for a very crowded subway where you will be stuck waiting for over two hours without a bathroom. I mean, I suppose something like that could happen to someone. Hypothetically, of course. Not me.

(Yeah, that was totally me). 

Choripan

What is it? Choripan

Okay, but what IS it? Chorizo, a thick and fatty sausage, served as a sandwich on crusty white bread. I chose to top mine with roasted eggplant, marinated onion, purple cabbage, green herbs in oil, and olive mayonnaise.

What circumstances led to this extremely classy hot dog? The amazing, incredible Leon took me to enjoy this for Easter morning breakfast. I watched a grandpa teach his grandson how to ride a bicycle while he told me about the architectural history of Argentina. We had to change tables because the smoke from the grill was too strong at the first, but at the second, pollen from the cattails kept trying to land in my 7-Up. It was perfect. Try as I might, though, I couldn't finish the whole thing!

Where can I find some? This particular Choripan came from a street vendor in Puerto Madero, one of (if not the) most expensive areas in Buenos Aires. According to Leon, each cubic square foot of space costs $4500.

If Puerto Madero is that expensive, how much did the food cost? Fear not! Though Puerto Madero IS very expensive, you can enjoy a gourmet choripan of your very own for around $5.00USD.

Hostel Barbecued Chicken

What is it? Hostel Barbecued Chicken

Okay, but what IS it? Chicken marinated in cream, mustard, and garlic, barbecued on a homemade grill constructed from half of a barrel.

What circumstances led to the world's most perfect chicken? A lot of people cook in hostels because it's much cheaper than constantly eating out. Certain dishes are staples, no matter where you go: pasta with tomato sauce, meat and cheese sandwiches, rice with vegetables. The general rule is to keep it cheap, fast, and simple. So imagine my amazement when one of the men working at my hostel brings out this perfectly barbecued chicken and asks if I want some. Um, yes please? This feast was rounded out with potatoes cooked in the same marinade, garlic bread toasted on the grill, nice and fatty chorizo sausages, and oh-my-god-I'm-so-glad-I'm-not-a-vegetarian-right-now steak. Honestly, the steak was probably the best meat I've ever had, but I didn't get a good picture of it.

Where can I get some? I gorged myself on this feast in Mendoza, Argentina at the Savigliano Hostel.

How much did it cost? I was in charge of buying the salad, which cost approximately $2.00USD. Everything else was free.

Empanada Mendocinas

What is it? Empanadas Mendocinas

Okay, but what IS it? A baked, turnover-like pastry stuffed with a variety of fillings. This one, in the traditional style of Mendoza, contained ground beef, onions, olives, and hard boiled eggs. On the side is a lovely, improvised-plastic-bottle-glass of Malbec, the most famous wine of the Mendoza region.

What circumstances led to this meaty goodness? I meant to spend the day hiking in the Andes, I really did. But a late morning, a long bus ride, and a healthy dose of laziness found me spending the afternoon at a hot springs in the foothills instead. I enjoyed this empanada and wine with some friends along the side of the road while we watched a group of rock climbers practice on the brick legs of a bridge.

Where can I find some? Empanadas are insanely popular all over Latin America and can be found, among other places, at: street stalls, cafes, pizzerias, super markets, gas stations and subway stations. But, for the Mendoza-style empanada, you'll probably have the best luck in Mendoza, Argentina (who woulda guessed?)

How much did it cost? $5.00USD for 6 empanadas.

Sopapilla con Pebre

What is it? Sopapilla con Pebre

Okay, but what IS it? For all my US readers: this is NOT dessert! A Chilean sopapilla is deep-fried dough made from flour, water, and pumpkin. It comes with a variety of toppings, but I like pebre: a spicy sauce made from tomatoes, onions, lots of garlic, and spices.

What circumstances led to so much deep-fried deliciousness? Dancing always works up an appetite, especially when you can't tango to save your life. After a pisco sour (hard alcohol made from grapes mixed with lemon and sugar), a terremoto (white wine and herb liquor with pineapple ice cream on top), and a full night of warding off lecherous old men practicing their English with pick-up lines, the lovely Susanna and I stopped at street stall at 2:00AM for some much-needed nourishment. It was raining. A lot.

Where can I find some? At almost any street stall in Santiago, Chile.

How much did it cost? $0.20USD per sopapilla. I recommend buying at least two. They're delicious.

Mote con Huesillos

What is it? Mote con Huesillos

Okay, but what IS it? First, dried peaches are cooked with sugar, cinnamon, and water to make a sweet, tea-like liquid. This nectar, along with the whole dried peaches, is then poured on top of cooked barley, and the whole concoction is eaten with a spoon. In some ways, it's like the Chilean version of bubble tea - a drink that you also have to chew.

What circumstances led to this drink... snack... thing? Hostels often need to be fumigated; this is just a fact of life. And when fumigation day comes, all of the hostel patrons are forced out into the street for a few hours. On one such day, I found myself doing some forced sightseeing in Santiago, Chile. Attracted by a commotion in the center of the plaza I was walking through, I attempted to get a better look, only to be pulled by the street performer in question into the middle of the crowd. For the next 45 minutes, I was "saved" from a "burning building" by a series of men who were forced to carry me, princess-style, across the plaza. At the end, I received a free copy of the performer's DVD: Loco Freddy 2, El Beso de Gringo, or in English: Crazy Freddy 2, the kiss of the foreigner/white person. Parched by my ordeal (after all, I WAS stuck in a "burning building" for nearly 45 minutes) I bought this from a street vendor.

Where can I get some? All over Chile during the summer, and apparently into the fall as well

How much did it cost? I don't remember, but I don't think it was more than $2.00USD.

Cappucino Freddo

What is it? Cappucino Freddo

Okay, but what IS it? I didn't catch the exact ingredients, but it's some combination of coffee and dulce de leche ice cream blended together into a milkshake, then topped with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. (Dulce de leche, for the uninitiated, is a thick, creamy, caramel-like sauce very popular across Latin America. The main difference between dulce de leche and caramel is that while caramel is made by simply heating sugar, dulce de leche is made mostly with milk. To call it caramel is not only inaccurate but, to the die-hard fans, downright offensive.)

What circumstances led to such a marvelous drink? (What I thought was) my last day in Buenos Aires left me distressed and badly in need of some sweet, sweet comfort. After spending several hours buying souvenirs - At Walmart, of all places - I came across this gem. The five minutes it took me to slurp down my glass of heaven saw me in a state of total nirvana, my mind completely clear of all worry or despair. The following hour saw me in a dark state of depression when I realized the cruel irony that I didn't know this drink existed until the day I had to leave Buenos Aires. 


Where can I find some? At any Freddo, one of the most popular ice cream chains in Argentina.


How much did it cost? Around $5.00USD. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Shut your face for even asking.

Bife de Chorizo

What is it? Bife de Chorizo con Chimichurri

Okay, but what IS it? Sirloin steak. Not pictured is the chimichurri, a sauce made with oil, garlic, lots of vinegar, and a whole bunch of dried herbs. I could drink the stuff.

What circumstances led to such a marvelous piece of meat? After spending a gray afternoon in the touristy areas of La Boca - that oft photographed historic neighborhood full of brightly painted homes and, more recently, slightly offensive caricatures of Italian immigrants - Olga and I decided to keep with our stereotypical tourist afternoon and go to a touristy restaurant for some touristy steak. Tourist.

Where can I find some? I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was somewhere in the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

How much did it cost? Around $20.00 USD for the whole thing, but since we split it, it came to $10.00 each.

What's this all about then?

I've been failing, miserably, at keeping a blog on this trip.

I see amazing things everyday. I talk to amazing people. I hear amazing music. I eat amazing food. And then, when I sit down at my computer to tell you all about it, my fingers freeze. I don't know what to say. How do I distinguish the interesting from the mundane? How do I do justice to my experiences?

Meanwhile, you - my family and friends - are assuredly wondering what the heck I'm up to day after day.

Suddenly, inspiration!

What am I passionate about? What do I think about all the time? And what do people LOVE to look at?

Food, of course!

It is my intention to not only use this blog to share photos and (where applicable) recipes, but also to give you, my readers, glimpses into my travels by sharing the context in which I enjoyed my food. Given enough time and motivation, I may even use this as a forum to delve into deeper issues of nutrition, agriculture, community, and access to resources around the world.

Why the name, Yo Tengo Hambre? Well, I'm in a Spanish-speaking country right now, and I'm hungry.