Abrasador at Bodega Toneles

Written for The Squeeze

Start off with sliced pears marinated in Malbec coupled with silky goat cheese and crispy almonds, move on to a juicy T-bone steak with the perfect blend of house spices, and finish with a white chocolate soup topped with citrus ice cream and fresh fruit… These delicacies are selections from Abrasado’s new Fall/Winter menu. Abrasado is Toneles winery’s in-house restaurant.

In a historic winery just outside Mendoza city centre, the property is impressive with large gates that greet guests with a feeling of grandeur as they slowly open to reveal the large fermenting vats, a monumental tower, and rows of the winery’s grapes. One of the best parts of Abrasado is its display of dried meat cuts and wide window into the kitchen, providing a view of the culinary process from start to finish.

Read more here....

Cabin in Potrerillos

Today is another holiday in Argentina, to commemorate General San Martin. He liberated Argentina from Spain. We didn't have school on Monday and decided to rent a cabin in the mountains.

Tea in a Texas mug and a lady finger or "Riki sima" for a quick breakfast before I headed out for the bus to take me to Potrerillos, a small mountain town about 1.5 hours away from Mendoza.

I've been to Potrerillos once before, but this time we took the bus even further to "Alto Potrerillos."

The entrance to the cabins. The name of the town and the name of our cabin rental place were the same, Alto Potrerillos, which proved to be only a little confusing.

Two pools and a breathtaking view.

Our cabin's name was Jupiter.

That's ours! 

Hey, friends. 

There was also a playground.

With a zip-line...

Naturally, we had to utilize the equipment.

Went for a short hike to look around the town and climb a hill.

Dinner for the first night was pasta with a ton of veggies.

Discovered a new favorite tea: Rosa Mosqueta y Manzanilla. Not sure about the translation. Something with chamomile.

Day 2: Oatmeal and raisins for breakfast before our long hike.

After searching for a path and ending up having to crawl through a fence, we were met by a herd of cows blocking our way...

Finally made it to the top!

Banana in the Andes.

Salami sandwich in the Andes.

Got a little lost on the way back from the hike. Ended up on someone's private farm after crawling under/through two fences. Post hike ice cream helped with the stress. Dulce de leche (OMG THIS WAS SO GOOD) and chocolate.

Dinner Day 2: Rice, beans, veggies. Beans are not popular in Argentina. We looked in the grocery store for awhile to find some, but I'm pretty sure these are actually lentils.

Blurry picture of some amazing bread I had on the bus back to Mendoza.

Chicken Dinner and Diversity

I was watching Argentina's version of the Food Network, El Gourmet, when I was surprised to see the sushi chef cleaning the fish on camera. I watch quite a bit of the Food Network back in the US and I don't think I have ever seen one of the chefs put the whole animal on the table and carve out a piece of usable meat. Maybe it's too gruesome for the stomach of your average US citizen. To me, it highlights the lack of connection we have to our food. The piece of meat is coming from a whole animal. Why can't television show the whole animal? Plus it's super helpful to watch someone clean and cut the fish.

So in the midst of me being shocked as the Asian sushi chef, Iwao Komiyama, cuts the head off of the fish, I was even more shocked to see an Asian chef with his own show. Are there any Asian chefs on the Food Network? I think I've seen Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee fry some noodles in a pan, but why are there no Asian chefs?? I'm using general terms here, but I've seen very few East Asian/South Asian/African/latin@/POC/non white/non American chefs on the Food Network. The only people I've seen who appear to identify as such are Sunny Anderson, her husband, and Maneet Chauhan, who is a guest judge on Chopped, meaning she does not have her own show. I could be missing a few, but I'm probably not missing many. What's up with that Food Network?/the rest of the world?

Thanks for being a little more diverse, Argentina. 

Here's what I ate while I watched El Gourmet and pondered transnational racism.

Poached chicken and a cream/oil sauce with carrots and onions.

My plate.

I think I have found a dessert I love even more than dulce de leche: higos. An higo is a fruit, but it comes in a sugary sauce that is seriously irresistible. Also, these plates are so cute.

We have whole walnuts in the house. A few days ago, I took them on a hiking trip and cracked them open with rocks. But last night, I had just finished flossing my teeth when my host mom came in my room with an already cracked walnut. I wasn't even mad.

Mendoza

Finally in Mendoza with my host family!! I'm living with a woman named Carmen in a centrally located apartment with a view of the Andes. I felt weird taking a bunch of pictures of food when we were still getting to know each other, but I managed to snag one. I will be taking more pictures of the food I am served soon. Esta muy bien.

Zucchini tart, pizza with whole green olives, empanada with beef and egg. I've been eating more salad and less bread/meat lately because if I don't they will have to roll me out of Argentina. I made this plate for dinner when I was still a noob.

I ran into these medias lunas when I went to the quiosco to buy credit for my new cell phone. Not sure what the flat bread is on the left.