Vegetarian living...

Yeah that's not happening very well down here. Yesterday we finally found a vegetarian restaurant though, not too far from our place- just a hop, skip, and a subway ride away. The food was interesting- definitely needed some spice. That's the thing that is missing in la comida down here: SPICE! haha. I would kill for some sri racha, cholula, and tapatio. You'd think since we're in South America things would be a little more flavorful...I mean, hello, sabor latino??? ha. Maybe that's just Mexico though. At any rate, we both had some version of what I call pumpkin vegetable lasagna. I should have taken a picture of it. Mine was filled with squash, then topped with cheese and covered in pumpkin sauce, while Mark's was basically a broccoli casserole topped with a thick layer of pumpkin, then smothered in pumpkin sauce. They love their calabaza down here (pumpkin, in case you didn't catch that). It's in all of their tarts, which are basically the same thing as quiche. Tasted pretty good though, and was certainly a nice change to the usual miga, capresse sandwich, pizza, or whatever jamon y queso concoction out of the 15 on the menu we accidentally order.

It's amazing how long I can talk about food. But really, isn't that the biggest part of travel, the food? You gotta eat, and you hope what you're eating is recognizable at the very least :P

Barrios

Just a quick update! We've been exploring the ciudad everyday and so far we've been to the barrios of Palermo, La Boca, Puerto Madero, and maybe a few others that we did not realize we were in. Of course, we've also spent a lot of time in San Telmo, which is where our apartment is (the building is pictured here). I like our neighborhood, and I'm glad we're here, even though there's a lot of road construction happening around our building. We wake up every day to the sound of a jackhammer 6 floors below. But I'm glad we're not in a busier area; we have seen some very crazy streets.

It has been interesting riding the subte (BA's subway system) around town. The first time we got on it was rush hour, and we had to cram into the subway car like sardines. Luckily its not always that full, and it is actually pretty easy to navigate. Admittedly, Minnie does most of the navigating, but the subway is one thing I understand. It only costs about 25 cents each ride, so its a great way to get around the city quickly.

Some of the challenges so far have been:

• finding vegetarian meals
• understanding the locals
• finding street signs
• reading menus

But we are figuring things out just fine. I am hoping to get a spanish tutor or take some classes soon. I am picking things up, but I would do better if I had somebody to answer my questions. Well, we are about to go buy some empanadas for dinner, so ttyl!
-Mark