I'm Going to Miss the Meat Here

The world knows that Argentina is knows to have some of the best meat on the planet. Even as a happy vegetarian chica I knew that and upon arrival, was reminded of that by every person here who told me how much I'm missing out.

Mom and Dad don't have to worry though. Since being here, I'm still a vegetarian and probably will be forever. In that case, why would I miss the meat here? Well, because besides mate, carne is part of the heart of Argentina. More specifically, the asados.

An asado is a barbeque, but without fancy grills and chrome plated utensils. No, an asado is down to earth, make a fire on your back patio corner with a grate over it BBQ. Or you use your huge, 10 foot long cement asado area to cook massive hunks of carne (meat). It's not only about the eating, it's about the socializing. The two go hand in hand here like nowhere else I've been.

The first asado I went to was for the University Choir. There were about 25 people who attended, and all arrived late. Upon my late arrive of 12:30, the food was just beginning to be cooked. It was two hours later we actually ate the food. Yes, two hours. The main socializing takes place while the food is being cooked guys! This is KEY to understanding Argentina. It's not a come, eat, and ditch kind of place. You just don't do that. You come, you chill, you eat, you chill, and then you leave. It's all about being there.

Asado number two for me took place just this Saturday night. It was an end of the year fiesta for my mission group. There are about 15 regulars that go every Sabbath in our subgroup, meaning there were about 15 of us crammed into my friend's apartment. The group I walked with didn't arrive until about 9pm (we were supposed to start at 8), and once we were all there and the carne was cooked to perfection (and my veggie patties happily fried) it was at least 10:30. People didn't stop eating until 11:30. And the party didn't end until . . . very late.

So as the title of this post says, yes. I will miss the meat here. I will miss the smell (sorry dad). It carries the sounds of laughing and guitars and games and wind and birds because asados here are so much more than hamburgers. They are friends becoming family and good times making good memories.


Tips for going to your first asado in Argentina:
1. Plan to eat a lot in advance- Just be ready for the food baby, ok?
2. Don't arrive right on time- If your party is at 8pm, wander in around 8:45pm and you'll probably still be first.
3. If you are vegetarian, either say so ahead of time when you pay your bit or offer to provide the bread. Because you'll probably be the only one.
4. Don't schedule anything afterwards. It's an all day or all night kind of thing.
5. Embrace it. Don't check your phone, don't check your watch (see #4) and just  be there.