"Party in the U.S.A."...?

Buen dia todos! While sitting here on a cold and windy Saturday afternoon, I began to think about topics that I have not yet covered in this blog. Then it suddenly hit me; a topic that anyone really only trully cares about: Booze and Nightlife!!!

Wine Regions

Now I am certainly a student who relentlessly studies when not eating or sleeping, BUT, I nevertheless hear things about how the other side lives. (Haha, but seriously, I have a much larger work load here than I do at Albion--I spend ample time doing work here--Mom, Dad). It is important to know that social life is EVERYTHING here. While the U.S. is also a fairly social based country, there are very many distinctions that set our drinking and nightlife cultures apart from that of Buenos Aires. For instance, it is pretty much accepted here that you head out to the bars or clubs at around 2 in the morning--nobody, and I mean nobody, is occupying the clubs at midnight--it's just empty. As a consequence, people generally won't go home until around 6 or 7--pretty crazy. Another major difference here is the nature of drinking itself; while both places are large consumers of alcohol, Buenos Aires is more based the "marathon" system while the U.S. is running on "sprint" mode. It is considered of poor form to be sloppy or fall-down drunk, whereas that is not such a problem in the U.S.--depending on the setting of course. Additionally, when people go out to dance in clubs, it is generally for the sake of dancing and enjoying themselves and most people are very chill and not too stuck-up. Night clubs are the same format as the U.S., but since this city is so un-godly huge, there are a lot of them, and some really nice/grandiose ones. BA is of course a major world city and attracts all kinds of entertainment traps--so the night life is extremely rich/bountiful if you want it to be. I could go on, but there are blogs and books dedicated to this topic already--it's a big deal.

Fernet

Another big difference is the appropriateness of drinking at various times of the day. It is very common for people here to have some beer or wine during lunch time or as a midday thirst quencher. Dinner is also obviously a time for some adult beverages. They are a lot more self-controlling here. Don't get me wrong, last weekend I saw a man literally collapse on the dance floor from too much vino--people can definitely get wild here, but the culture has adopted booze as a part of life (drinking age is 18--"carding" is rare) and they think no more of taking a sip than putting on their shoes to leave. Whereas in America it has a varied perception and often used to start out of control, (un)forgetable parties that often result in debilitating hangovers that last for days a.k.a. college, frats...this sounds familiar...

As for the preferences of alcohol itself, there are a few major brands here. Beer. First and foremost is Quilmes. Quilmes is like Corona to Mexico or Budweiser to America. It has 4 different versions (Cristal, Bock, Stout, Amber) and absolutely dominates the shelves. Bock is my favorite because it is darker and a bit smoother--the Cristal is the most widely available and very similar to Coors, Miller, etc. There are few other brands of Argentine beer. Otherwise it is primarily Belgian or Euro-beer like Stella, Heineken, or Schneider. Beer is also sold primarily in liters or individual bottles--not a lot of cans or packs like we are used to. As far as the wine goes, one doesn't need to be that educated to know that Argentina is famous for their vino. Both reds (vino tinto) and whites exist, but red is the most numerous. In general, it is all very good. I am by no means a conisseur, but the variety and richness is indicative of some good brewing. Virtually all supermarkets have entire aisles dedicated to vino and it is certainly a very social drink. Sharing bottles for dinner is very common. Liquor/licor on the other hand is a little different. It is much less readily available, and can be quite pricey. However, they do like whiskey (Old Smuggler, Jack Daniels, etc...) vodkas, and a unique licor here which they call "fernet". It is most popularly mixed with Coke. I only tried it once and I really hated it haha. It is remenicent of quinine water, black licorish, and wax, with a dash of soda. It is quite popular--I will stick with the brews. Gin, rum, and tequila are certainly in-stock, but are limited in brand and much more expensive. I have been dying for a good margarita--looks like I will have to wait.


Also, as promised, I have copied a link to "Show Match" here. It is 11 minutes and pretty much gives an accurate picture of the show. As a synopsis (because it's in espanol/castellano), there is a pair of dancers that enter in the beginning. The girl talks to the host, Marcello, about why she (randomly) is happy she found god--hence the commandments. Then she says she wrote a song and everyone is essentially making fun of her for it while they try and get her to sing. She eventually does a horrible hip-hop rhyme thing to Marcello's name and they dance. All sounds and images are part of the show--no add-ons. Oh, and the 2 people eating the chocolate are some of the judges.