Another week, almost another skipped Random Observations. Unfortunately, we missed putting one up last week because we’ve been swamped with work, but luckily we’re managing to squeeze this one in. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a few new posts in this week too.
Random Observations: Week 7
The fruits and vegetables are really good here. Mersal has said that the cucumbers and carrots are the best she’s ever had and I’ve been raving about the strawberries and cherry tomatoes. A lot of the other expats we’ve met have agreed too. What’s the reason? Are they fresher? Use less pesticides? Better soil? We’re not sure, but while there may not be as much variety as in the U.S., they’ve been amazingly tasty. - Speaking of fruits and vegetables, another interesting thing is that the local fruit and vegetable stands (called verdulerias) tend to have much fresher and better quality produce than the supermarkets. We wouldn’t buy any fruits or vegetables from the Carrefour supermarket near us, but we go to the verduleria across the street from us several times a week. It’s just a small hole in the wall store, but they take great pride in how they arrange and display the fruits and vegetables and everything is really fresh.
We love the keys here! I’m not sure why the keys are so different than the ones we use in the U.S., but they’re much more unique and intriguing. Some are skeleton keys, some flat with holes, and others are circular.- When we first moved in, the landlord told us she had to install a washing machine for us. We just assumed that meant she was installing a washer and dryer because that’s what we were used to (you don’t have one without the other). Well, it was installed quickly, but it turned out that it really was just a washing machine – and then they installed a clothes line. So, we wash our clothes and then hang them out to dry – the old-fashioned way. We didn’t really like it at first, but we’ve grown accustomed to it.
- It seems like a lot of people smoke here. The bars and restaurants have banned smoking inside, but it hasn’t seemed to stop many people from lighting up. Some of our friends from the U.S. said they even found it harder to try and stop here since the cost of a pack of cigarettes is only about U$1.50 compared U$9.00 in NYC. They’d rather try and stop when they go home!
- Could Buenos Aires use DNA testing to eliminate dog poop on the streets? The problem is still here, though we have seen more people picking up after their dogs than we originally noticed. We’ve only been here in the winter, so now that spring is here and summer is coming, we’re wondering if the heat is going to make this problem worse.
Photo credit: AlfredoArri