Patience, Grasshopper (Argentina - Part 5)

Buenos Aires was like going back in time, or, perhaps into someone's future.

One hundred years ago Argentina was a global superpower and Buenos Aires was shiny and wealthy and proud. Proud, they still are. Rest assured the Argentinian people have not lost an ounce of dignity between then and now.

The city is strongly influenced by the European style and nothing else has crept in. It doesn’t look or feel like the rest of South America. If one was to be blindly dropped off, they would think they are somewhere in Europe.

Except for one thing.

Everything is just a little too dusty, a little too cracked, a little too worn. It’s a remnant of a giant past its prime, living in the shadow of what once was, looking forward to recreate that magic.

In 100 years time, is this what walking on the streets of Zurich or Madrid will feel like? After all, nothing lasts forever.

Graffitti dots the streets, some more graceful than others.

However what baffled me most was the time commitment needed to procure basic sustenance. It was an exercise in patience.

See, there’s no such thing as Walmart.

Instead all stores are specialized. To get one week’s worth of sustenance, you’d need to visit:

A fruit stand.

A vegetable stand.

A butcher shop.

A bread shop.

A cheese shop.

A wine shop.

A general store.

The deal is just as time-consuming for non-edible goods. With a mix of political + economic instability and the strong Argentinian need to have the freshest ingredients for everything, big box American stores utterly failed to build a footprint here.

Theres dozens of specialized stores for everything you can think of.

The one expection is antiques.

See, Argentina has a bit of a clouded history that has something to do World War 2 and Italian + German migration. A lot of goods were taken into Argentina from that time, making for a very rich antique treasure hunt. Those aren’t categorized - just loads and loads of trinkets stacked on top of each other in what would be a hoarder’s paradise.

An entirely separate but similar exercise in patience.

It’s also a city that’s remarkably green. Sidewalks are built around trees - giant trunks who've been there are least 60 years. It makes the sidewalks a bit bumpy but the ambiance refreshing, and the shade a glorious haven from the heat. A park is never more than a few blocks away.