Empanadas!

After a solid day of travel from Phoenix to Buenos Aires, and after a restless night on an American Airlines 787 airplane packed tight, we arrive to the green splendor of the Argentine spring at EZE airport.   Agustin Bustos, the Wonder Friend, greets then transports us to a delightful bed-and-breakfast that costs $25 per day, US. 

The peso is taking a hammering in recent months. In the 20 years I’ve been coming to Argentina it has gone from three to a dollar to 70 to a dollar, so virtually everything is on sale here.  I was shocked to see Augie pay 250 pesos to exit the parking lot at the airport. Four dollars US.  

After settling us at our B&B and allowing a quick nap, we head to his favorite neighborhood parilla (grill) where we have a couple of delightful empanadas each with a nice bottle of Malbec wine.  Lunch for three, about $20 US.  The empanada is pretty much a meat pie: a handheld pot pie Lynnette says, filled with a tasty mixture of simmered meats, onions, garlic and herbs pinched together in a thin pastry then either fried or baked.  The Argentine version of fast food. Some of our most memorable meals in this country have featured these delicious little guys as the centerpiece. We recall a meal several years ago taken near Salta, with our friends Steve and Dana as we walked along the square in a small town named San Carlos on a Sunday. We found a local woman making handmade empanadas and deep-frying them. They were offered for sale for $.50 each. I think we ate 20 of them

It’s so delightful to be back in this most hospitable of countries.  Tomorrow, we’re off to gather the camper and truck