Part Seven: Buenos Aires, Argentina

[1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11]   Images below are thumbnails. Click to see a larger version.

After lunch we posed for a photo, then retired indoors and spoke in depth about Argentine eating habits and some of the most popular foods. Inevitably we touched on the subject of meat-eating, because Argentina had a worldwide reputation as one of the largest meat-consuming nations per-capita in the world. But apparently now there is a swing towards a healthier diet, particularly amongst the youth, and big national food magazines are picking up on that trend. So this is an ideal time to offer Argentines a glimpse of a healthy vegetarian alternative.

Daksha asked me if I had tasted one of the nation's sweet passions dulce de leche. I said that I hadn't, and everyone laughed. Ramon immediately went to the corner store and bought back a few containers. "This is what we eat when we need a quick indulgence of the tongue" said Mathura with a grin, and everyone laughed even louder. There was a bit of a private joke going on. Apparently this artfully prepared combination of just milk and sugar was supremely wonderful, especially with banana. Suddenly someone was peeling bananas, and before long we had finished off all the dulce de leche and all the bananas.

It reminded me of the old days when I used to boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for hours and hours, then open the can to reveal the sweet caramel inside. But this was much better! The evening of pleasant, light conversation continued. Someone offered me some herbal tea, and as I tasted it, I remembered that this was the same tea I had been served at the temple the day I arrived.

It had a very unusual, strong distinct taste, with a very, very familiar aroma. It immediately brought me to the same unanswered question that I had pondered upon smelling its strange, bold spiciness a week ago. Where had I smelled it before?

Someone explained this was called Boldo (Pneumus boldo), a very popular and healthy infusion amongst Argentines, and grown in the Andean forests of Patagonia. It was so familiar! It wasn't until I returned to Perth a month later that I realised I had this plant growing in my garden! A Chilean friend of my mother-in-law had grown it at her home from seed, and had given us a cutting. My mother-in-law had told me this was a renowned herb for all stomach and digestion problems. I planted it in the ground next to our driveway, and it had now grown into a very large, lush healthy bush. Here is a photo.

<< Previous page    Next page >>