What’s Brewing
Argentina, like any country, has its own traditional foods and favorite treats that make it unique. I want to share with you the best, worst, and strangest of the food (and drink) that I experience here. ¡Buen provecho!
To get things started off ont he right foot, let’s talk a little bit about that golden hued crowd pleaser known to many as beer.
For the most part, the beer here is not as varied (or as good) as the beer selection I am used to at home. Most of what you find in the stores is of the pale lager variety. There are several Argentinian brands as well as some, like Stella Artois, that are common in the states.
Two of the biggest Argentinian brands are Quilmes and Isenbeck. Quilmes is the ubiquitous beer of Argentina, akin to Budweiser in the U.S.
- Just one won’t hurt…
Although most of the beer is lackluster, a lot of it is also dirt cheap. If you were to look around a bit in one of the local supermercados, you might puzzle for a bit over the realization that many of the locals brands are, in fact, cheaper than the water that is being sold a couple of aisles over.
This can cause quite a dilemma when you wander into the store to quench the incredible thirst that the heat of Buenos Aires is wont to cause in a gringo. At first you are thinking, “I could really use a cool drink of water right now”. Then, as you notice that it’s actually cheaper to buy a beer, you start thinking that’s the way to go, only to remind yourself, “I need water to live”. However, just as you reach for that cool, clear, life-giving fluid, you hear a little voice in the back of your mind that asks innocently, “There’s water in beer, right?”…
