While Sipping a Café Con Leche
CAFE HAVANNA, BUENOS AIRES, OCTOBER 20
Moto-texter Av. Corrientes
A few observations jotted down last night:
–It is better when alone to take a long walk than a long dinner.
–It is impossible to find nut butters here. Either peanut butter is banned, or it is a controlled substance only available by prescription.
–Going to an open supermarket is the best way to feel a part of things. There are no frozen meals, though, and it doesn’t appear that vegetables are high on the shopping list. Dulce de Leche (caramel sauce) is available in about twenty-five brands. The checkout lines snake through the store and it seems that everyone already has someone in line to whom they deliver a forgotten item. The register lines are narrow and with the crowd pushing in, it would kill a claustrophobe.
–My friend Sharon told me that the ice cream was the best in the world, even better than Italy. I am not usually an ice cream man, but the Chocolate with Almonds with a scoop of Dulce de Leche helado (ice cream) is the best dessert ever. Helado is even better than Gelato. I make one meal a day of Helado. This seems to me to be the cornerstone of a nutritious diet.
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Sam Krisch
Sam,
I was never so healthy as when I lived in Rome, with a steady diet of gelato, homemade pasta, and fresh figs from the fruit stand. There is no translation for Atkins or Weight Watchers in spanish or italian!
Enjoy !
oxo
ps I hope you filed your absentee ballot before you left!
Hi Sam, Peanut butter is a distinctly American food. I found this out when feeding my husband’s three teenagers for the first time (long, long ago). Their mother is French, my husband is German. They had never seen peanut butter and were amazed that such a thick gooyey substance could be spread on bread! I guess you could make your own if you really miss it! Love your stories!
Absence of peanut butter in Europe led to my discovery of Nutella–best served right out of the jar! Can you find cinnamon in any other form than the spice? When working in France, I had to take massive amounts of cinnamon flavored gum,tooth paste,fire balls and red hots…it’s good to know the US offers some unique culinary treats!
Do you have to break in your tango shoes?
The photos are divine…Do you have 2 left feet?