Traveling to the meat capital of the world as vegetarians has its disadvantages when ordering in restaurants, sitting down to dinner with new friends and embarrassingly refusing to participate in an argentine tradition of meat. On the upside, we have learned the proper Spanish translation of vegetarianism, created concrete relationships with our neighborhood fruit/vegetable vendors, and are able to explain our stance on the issue in native tongue.
Our own perception of meat consumption was recently altered when we attended a traditional asado gathering at one of our argentine friend’s apartment. Asado is used to describe the piece of meat (ribs of a cow) and the cooking technique on an open fire grill (parrilla). The method of slow roasting the meat over hot coals lasts about three hours. There is a designated asador that tends to the grill, shoveling the coals and managing the rotation of meat. Accompanying the asado on the parrilla are different meat products such as chorizos morcillas (black pudding sausages), chinchulines (cow chitterlings), mollejas (sweetbread) and a variety of flavored vegetables.
In true argentine fashion, the party guests were enjoying glasses of fernnet and coke or wine throughout the duration of the asado. Argentines possess no concept of time and appreciate the longevity of the asado discussing politics, partaking in friendly banter, listening to a combination of American and Argentine artists and of course speaking in spanglish with us.
It was such a beautiful occasion. After the hours of cooking, we sat down on the terrace overlooking the city scrapers of Buenos Aires under a warm summer night sky. The asador received multiple standing ovations throughout the meal, signifying the meat must have been delectable. Maybe next time we will be able to truly clap our hands in gratitude of the craftsmanship.
After this wonderful experience, only time will tell when we turn back the clock to our carnivore habits.
Un beso.
