http://www.saltshaker.net/20050830/a-bunch-of-dried-leaves Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:09:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050830/a-bunch-of-dried-leaves#comment-488 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Winging My Way North Thu, 08 Jun 2006 12:47:39 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050830/a-bunch-of-dried-leaves#comment-488 [...] Now, the topic comes up in conversation with visitors and such… how is it that Argentines stay so thin when they eat all that meat. First, off, Argentines are not all thin. I’d say most seem to tend towards “normal” bodyweight, and there are a significant number of them who are overweight. The difference is, overweight in Argentina seems to be what overweight was in the U.S. when I was a kid - someone who’s a few pounds over, maybe 10-15 even. You just don’t see people who are blatantly obese. And as a purely speculative guess, I’d say there are a couple of factors. First, in Buenos Aires at least, we walk everywhere. Even if we take public transit, it involves a fair amount of walking. People don’t hop in their cars to drive to the market. Second, while they eat a lot of meat, the famed “two steaks a day” is more of a myth than anything else - there certainly are folk who do, but most don’t. Third, the meat is far leaner than the meat here - various studies have shown that Argentine beef has about the equivalent fat of white meat chicken or deep sea fish. Fourth, the eating pattern is simply different - breakfast is generally small, a cup of coffee and maybe a small pastry or two; lunch is often a big meal, and seems to often involve salads, even if there’s a steak or other meat involved, salads are ubiquitous; and the same holds true at dinnertime - you might be eating a 10-14 ounce steak, but you’re eating it with a big green salad. And last, like the famed “Mediterranean Diet”, Argentines drink a lot of red wine and use a lot of olive oil. As I said, it’s all speculation, but there’s clearly something amiss here in the U.S. with the way folks are eating. And they drink a lot of coffee, and yerba mate, so caffeine and similar compounds are rampant in their systems… [...] [...] Now, the topic comes up in conversation with visitors and such… how is it that Argentines stay so thin when they eat all that meat. First, off, Argentines are not all thin. I’d say most seem to tend towards “normal” bodyweight, and there are a significant number of them who are overweight. The difference is, overweight in Argentina seems to be what overweight was in the U.S. when I was a kid - someone who’s a few pounds over, maybe 10-15 even. You just don’t see people who are blatantly obese. And as a purely speculative guess, I’d say there are a couple of factors. First, in Buenos Aires at least, we walk everywhere. Even if we take public transit, it involves a fair amount of walking. People don’t hop in their cars to drive to the market. Second, while they eat a lot of meat, the famed “two steaks a day” is more of a myth than anything else - there certainly are folk who do, but most don’t. Third, the meat is far leaner than the meat here - various studies have shown that Argentine beef has about the equivalent fat of white meat chicken or deep sea fish. Fourth, the eating pattern is simply different - breakfast is generally small, a cup of coffee and maybe a small pastry or two; lunch is often a big meal, and seems to often involve salads, even if there’s a steak or other meat involved, salads are ubiquitous; and the same holds true at dinnertime - you might be eating a 10-14 ounce steak, but you’re eating it with a big green salad. And last, like the famed “Mediterranean Diet”, Argentines drink a lot of red wine and use a lot of olive oil. As I said, it’s all speculation, but there’s clearly something amiss here in the U.S. with the way folks are eating. And they drink a lot of coffee, and yerba mate, so caffeine and similar compounds are rampant in their systems… [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050830/a-bunch-of-dried-leaves#comment-71 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Nation Recommends… Sat, 19 Nov 2005 12:45:22 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050830/a-bunch-of-dried-leaves#comment-71 [...] Luckily, they were! Cumaná, Rodriquez Peña 1149, in Recoleta, is a real keeper. Cumaná is a state in Venezuela, so perhaps despite La Nacion’s claim, the food is more typical of that region. I did note that although the listing of the dishes included a lot I’ve seen before, there were some others I wasn’t familiar with, and when I tried them, they were different from any I’ve tried here. First off, I like the style of the place - rustic, with antique cooking implements and ristras of garlic hanging from the walls. Full sized paper napkins on the table (instead of the usual miniature plasticized, non-absorbent excuses for napkins), a bustling vibe, and good looking, friendly staff. They offer a sort of “high tea” in the afternoons, but with maté and sponge cookies with marmalade, rather than tea and crumpets, or what have you. I started off with a couple of empanadas, of course. The lomo picante was superb, with a filling of simple diced sirloin and plenty of spices; and another excellent choice that was a blend of corn and pumpkin, the first time I’ve seen that. They were baked, in a wood-burning oven (which dominates one end of the room), and the little extra charring from that made these among the better empanadas I’ve had. [...] [...] Luckily, they were! Cumaná, Rodriquez Peña 1149, in Recoleta, is a real keeper. Cumaná is a state in Venezuela, so perhaps despite La Nacion’s claim, the food is more typical of that region. I did note that although the listing of the dishes included a lot I’ve seen before, there were some others I wasn’t familiar with, and when I tried them, they were different from any I’ve tried here. First off, I like the style of the place - rustic, with antique cooking implements and ristras of garlic hanging from the walls. Full sized paper napkins on the table (instead of the usual miniature plasticized, non-absorbent excuses for napkins), a bustling vibe, and good looking, friendly staff. They offer a sort of “high tea” in the afternoons, but with maté and sponge cookies with marmalade, rather than tea and crumpets, or what have you. I started off with a couple of empanadas, of course. The lomo picante was superb, with a filling of simple diced sirloin and plenty of spices; and another excellent choice that was a blend of corn and pumpkin, the first time I’ve seen that. They were baked, in a wood-burning oven (which dominates one end of the room), and the little extra charring from that made these among the better empanadas I’ve had. [...]

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