Asado

Just an FYI...Argentina is known for its beef and particularly for its version of BBQ - Asado. One of the locals told me the best place to get Asado here is at El Establo. So Debbie and I headed there on her last night here. And I think it has ruined beef for me. I had a steak sandwich for lunch today and didn't even want to finish eating it. Because I knew that better meat existed just a few miles away, so why waste my efforts with the inferior steak? When just a few days ago the steak sandwich was a pretty darn good sandwich. Be warned: eat at El Establo and all other beef will pale in comparison.

The super fun thing about our dinner was our waiter. When I placed our order, he suggested a change (to the heavenly beef, so I'm grateful for that). I needed a glass for my water and he just grabbed an unused glass from the table next to ours. The table on the other side of us needed some ice so he took our unused ice and gave it to them. When he passed by our table he organized our glasses, drink bottles (water and soda came in a glass bottle) and everything else on the table that wasn't our actual plates. He didn't say anything while he did it...he just did it. And when he brought us our salad (along with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt for dressing) he stood beside the table as I picked up the olive oil to pour it on the salad. "That's olive oil," he said. "Yeah, thanks," I replied and continued to turn the olive oil toward the salad bowl. "That's olive oil, that's balsamic vinegar and that's salt," our waiter said again. "Gracias," I again replied and kept moving the oil towards the salad. "That's olive oil," he repeated. I decided to put the olive oil down and look at him expectantly. "First the salt, then the balsamic then the oil," he told me. "Oh yeah?" was all I could muster. "Si...first the salt, then the balsamic, then the oil...it mixes better that way...just put all of it on as you would at home." "I don't do this at home," I replied with my hand now moved from the olive oil to the salt. He was very surprised and didn't know what to say. After we finally got the salad prepared the proper Argentine way Debbie dished up some salad and put it on her plate. I shared the interesting fact with her that in Argentina (as in Spain) they don't put salad on their own plate but instead everyone eats from the same bowl. Debbie said, "Well if our bossy waiter says anything, just tell him this is how I do it and my house. So there." She's funny.

Water and sodas come out in cans or bottles (mostly bottles) at restaurants. Every restaruant I've been to serves a bucket of ice at the table (see above). And if you stop by a corner store to get a can of grapefruit soda (gaseosa de pomello) they will give you a straw to go with the can. The can clearly states not to drink directly out of the can. I wonder why. Kind of reminds me how some things in the Unites are listed as causing birth defects, but only in California.