The desert, the best chicken I may have ever had, and everything in between

And the brief hiatus is broken! Here are the important things happening in my life right now:

1) Classes are so close to being over. I finished one final yesterday, but I have four more to go. I feel chill about it and I'm confident I'll get everything done despite the confusing Argentine rules and systems that I never seem to have a complete grasp of.

2) I've been missing theatre and performing so much here. I was being lazy about finding a way to get involved (which I normally wouldn't recommend), but a friend led me to a theatre-dance class and it's physically demanding and dramatic and I love it.

3) My search for what to do for three months of Argentine summer continues. I'm using WWOOF to find farms in the south of Argentina. I picked the south because it'll be cooler. I've gotten replies from a blackberry and raspberry farm and I'm still in negotiation with them to find out how long I can stay/wondering if I should do multiple farms or just stay at one.

4) I went to San Rafael last weekend (a small town three hours south of Mendoza, still in the province) and had such a great time. We did a challenging hike through the mountains, rafted in the rain and lightning, and ate raw pasta with a much too garlicky pesto (the food wasn't spectacular, except for the last day when we had a mini-asado and I could fulfill my chori-pan craving).

5) I've decided to change host families for next semester. I'm still not sure what type of family I'm looking for, maybe one with siblings. I have a lot of feelings about this and at the same time feel indifferent.

Picture time!

Took a trip to the desert in Lavalle. We rolled down the sand hills, went on a tour of the small town, and had lunch together.

Mate with a friend from Bolivia.

Cooking the chicken, pollo al disco.

Ok, for real, this was one of the best meals I've had in Argentina. Pollo al disco is chicken with rice and veggies which is really simple, but it was so flavorful and cooked perfectly.

I forget what this is called in Spanish so I'm just going to call it: Mendocinian Shepherd's Pie. It's got the mashed potatoes, beef, and veggies, but on top is sprinkled cinnamon and sugar. 

Onion and cheese pizza. It's pretty popular to buy pre-made crust and design your own pizza.

My host mom went on a trip to Brazil, so she left me a bunch of frozen food including this fish and pumpkin puree. This was the first time I've had fish here (aside from canned tuna) and it was delicious. The seafood in Mendoza is expensive because we're nowhere near the water.

My family has discovered Skype.

Tuna, rice, peas, carrots, and bread. 

And a sunset view of the city and mountains for good measure.

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.

Two Breakfasts, One Lunch and a Snack or I'm Behind on Posting

Breakfast at the Courtyard Marriott in Hutchinson Island. Eggs, bacon, diced potatoes and toast. I didn't have my glasses when I went downstairs to order this. Made for some awkward eye contact...or lack thereof....not really sure.

Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis. Four of these little sandwiches with sweet bread and their chicken nuggets. Plus tater tots.

Obsessed with these. I have a low tolerance for spicy food, but these are worth the burn.

Billy Club at Jimmy John's.  Roast beef, ham, provolone, Dijon mustard, mayo, tomato, lettuce.

Tbh I'm sick of Jimmy John's. It was my dinner for three days in a row and now I can't look at it anymore.

Chili's. or Sometimes Chains Have Good Food Too.

Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl: I haven't been to Chili's in awhile so their new menu was a surprise to me. The Chipotle Fresh Mex Bowl is pretty darn spicy (I have a low threshold). The bowl contains cheddar cheese, grilled chicken, avocado slices, tortilla strips, pico de gallo, bean salsa, rice, corn, field greens, chopped cilantro, chipotle pesto, and cumin-lime sour cream. Wow. That's a lot of ingredients. Perhaps inspired by Chipotle's popular "bowl" menu item (?). The cool avocado and sour cream provided a welcome balance to the spicy chipotle sauce. The tortilla strips gave the grilled chicken a crunch that was super yummy. Squeeze the lime!