merienda y otras cosas...

It is 7:00 PM and I just finished some Spanish review, while drinking mate and snacking on some galletitas (little cookies). Outside the drum line is marching down my street near “Caminito” (the tourist area of La Boca), which a regular sound of life here...along with the city buses (“the 29”) pulling out of the parking lot across the street every 10 minutes or so! I will start making dinner around 7:30 PM. It occurred to me how some Argentine customs have become normal for me in just six-months. Here are just a few highlights…

1) Mate – For more on mate, click here. I have always enjoyed drinking mate, especially when shared with friends. However, it is now becoming a regular part of my day and I crave it in the late-afternoons. (Coffee still rules the mornings!) We usually take mate to drink with the youth at the train station when we spend time with them in the late-afternoons.
2) Merienda – Between about 5-7 PM Argentines enjoy hot drinks like coffee, mate, or tea. Often the hot drink of choice is accompanied with a little something sweet, like galletitas (small cookies), alfajores (chocolate covered biscuits with a sweet filling in between), or facturas (small pastries). There is also the not so sweet option of crackers and cheese.
3) Dinner Time – Argentines eat late! It is common to eat dinner around 9-10 PM. Restaurants don’t even open until 8:00 PM. And restaurants are fullest around 10-11 PM (especially on the weekends). I can’t say I have embraced a 10:00 dinnertime yet, but I do usually eat around 8:00 or 8:30.
4) Greeting with a Kiss – It is common in many Latin American countries for men & women and women & women to greet one another with a kiss on the cheek. Here in Argentina the same goes for men & men. Nowadays, the “bro snap/slap handshake” or the “bro hug” with the joint pat on the back seem a little awkward to me. But, I think I better relearn them quick when I visit home in December…or I may come back to Argentina with some shiners.

Okay, there are just a few for starters! I am really looking forward to warmer temps when I can enjoy some spring and summer time culture outside in the plazas and parks! Spring arrives Monday!

Off to start making dinner…