Part Seven: Buenos Aires, Argentina

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Day Twenty-nine

Well D-day arrived! It was Saturday, and I was already seriously absorbed in cooking in the kitchen when Daksa and her wonderful, dedicated friends arrived at 4.00 am. We had a myriad tasks to perform. Most of the items on the above menu had to be cooked from scratch, each item in massive quantities to feed 1000 people. 'Impossible' was not a word to be uttered today, so we just put our heads down and did it. But it was not without last-minute tests. Pablo arrived mid-morning at the kitchen door looking white-faced. I asked how it was all going. As I stood there stirring a 250 litre pot of Spicy Tomato Chutney for the Singapore Vegetable Cutlets, Pablo quietly broke some devastating news.

The organisers had flatly refused our pleading for them to reconsider allowing us the use of the big upstairs facilities for the food. Talk about the eleventh hour! The concert hall was ready to go for the music, but we had nowhere to serve the food! No wonder Pablo looked so downtrodden! We spoke quite intensely for quite some time, and the conclusion was that he should go to the general manager of the venue and just firmly demand a spot, somehow or other, somewhere in the complex. Pablo left for one last try. Meanwhile, we cooked all day, loaded up a massive furniture removal truck, and drove to the event at 9.00pm. The eating and music was scheduled to start at 10.00pm. Argentines like late nights!

Anyway, as you can see from all the photos, somehow it all happened. Even as we loaded the van, I still didn't have a clear idea where we were going to unload it! Late evening, Pablo had returned triumphant to tell us that they had bowed to his demands and had allowed us to set up in a very public thoroughfare between rooms adjoining a massive fashion Expo that was being held simultaneoulsy at the same venue downstairs. By 10.00pm hundreds of people were streaming in and out of the fashion Expo hall, and we were right there. Naturally people just saw the food and wanted some. Argentines are very open, up-front and spontaneous! That's Pablo's parents. They couldn't stop telling me that this was the best food they had ever tasted!

As you can see from this photo, the people did not line up. They all just pushed to the counters at the same time, money in hand, at least a hundred deep! Apparently this is totally in character for Argentines, and while I stood there astonished at seeing well-dressed people pushing and shoving, the ladies assigned to serve them didn't seem at all surprised at the chaos. It was heartwarming to see so many respectable ladies and gentlemen truly relishing the food, both young and old standing around eating with gusto. Many seemed to know me - apparently there had been a lot of press articles - and I spent a long time chatting with people who had only nice things to say about the event.

After eating, hundreds went upstairs to the massive concert hall to enjoy the music. The highlight of the night for me was seeing Tarsem Singh, First Secretary to the Ambassador of India, just appear out the crowd, take up position behind the Moroccan Tahini-scented Chickpeas & Garden Vegetable Salad, and stay there for three hours serving with a smile and politely refusing with a little sideways wobble of the head (as Indians do) to hand the spoon to anyone else. Around 1.00 am I returned to the Centro Bhaktivedanta well and truly 'knackered' as they say on Australia (!) but in total bliss.

Day Thirty

I slept like a baby and woke to the reality that my stay in Buenos Aires was over. The devotees here had been so sweet, obliging, encouraging and kind, I would certainly miss them. Around 9.00am I emerged into a light rain and loaded my bags into the car. The devotees appeared from nowhere and started singing and cheering spontaneously for a rousing farewell, waving as our car left the curb. I had tears in my eyes for the rest of the drive. It is a rare thing to find such a group of sincerely humble and supportive boys and girls. Their friendship meant a lot. This had been the highlight of my tour so far. Lan Chile flight 440 left for Santiago at 12.55pm.

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