Ok.... We have been here almost five days and from best we can gather, here is the daily intake of the average porteño.
- Breakfast: start with cured ham, cheese, a few pastries and a few shots of espresso.
- Lunch: Salad, hearty pasta, Vino, more café, more pastries.
- Afternoon: more café, a few more pastries
- Early Evening (6 to 7): Tapas ( little plates of food), more pastries and of course mas café.
- Dinner: Late Evening (starts between 9:30 and 11:00 - even on weeknights!) Steak and wine. And we are talking massive amounts of the the best beef in the world.
The paradox? After all that food, how come porteños are so thin! There are no fat people in Buenos Aires. At least none that we have come across. Yet look at what they eat. How can that be!
Atkins folks will point out that they eat little else on their plates except the beef. Yet that is only for dinner. Every time they sit down for café, there is some sort of fattening sweet involved.
Others will point out that there are no processed foods in the porteño's diet. I have to admit that I have yet to eat anything that ADM or Monsanto has had a hold of. It has all been whole foods made from the freshest ingredients. Even the few Cokes and Sprites we have let the kids have are made from sugar and not corn syrup.
Are we in heaven? Can it be true that we can eat all this wonderful food (and I can't describe in words just how good the food is) and loose weight at the same time?
We'll keep you posted.
